Half-Caste, John Agard Poem Analysis/Annotations

Half-Caste, John Agard

I

FULL POEM - SCROLL DOWN FOR LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS​

Excuse me

standing on one leg

I’m half-caste

 

Explain yuself

wha yu mean

when yu say half-caste

yu mean when picasso

mix red an green

is a half-caste canvas/

explain yuself

wha u mean

when yu say half-caste

yu mean when light an shadow

mix in de sky

is a half-caste weather

 

well in dat case

england weather

nearly always half-caste

in fact some o dem cloud

half-caste till dem overcast

so spiteful dem dont want de sun pass

ah rass/

explain yuself

wha yu mean

when yu say half-caste

yu mean tchaikovsky

sit down at dah piano

an mix a black key

wid a white key

is a half-caste symphony

 

Explain yuself

wha yu mean

Ah listening to yu wid de keen

half of mih ear

Ah looking at u wid de keen

half of mih eye

and when I’m introduced to yu

I’m sure you’ll understand

why I offer yu half-a-hand

an when I sleep at night

I close half-a-eye

consequently when I dream

I dream half-a-dream

an when moon begin to glow

I half-caste human being

cast half-a-shadow

but yu come back tomorrow

 

wid de whole of yu eye

an de whole of yu ear

and de whole of yu mind

 

an I will tell yu

de other half

of my story

SUMMARY AND CONTEXT

John Agard is an Afro-Guyanese poet born in British Guiana in 1949. Agard moved to Britain with his partner in 1977 and his mixed race and resulting experiences upon moving to Britain is what the poem draws inspiration from. Consequently the poem is very personal in nature, however remains light-hearted through Agard’s colloquial, humorous and sarcastic tone and use of the occasional basic rhyme or half-rhyme in the absence of a regular rhyme-scheme.

 

LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS

STANZA 1

Excuse me

standing on one leg

I’m half-caste

The first stanza sees Agard directly addressing those that label him as ‘half-caste’ (a derogatory term for a person of mixed racial heritage. It is derived from the Latin Castus, meaning pure, implying that those that are mixed-race are less ‘pure’ compared to those that are not, hence is dehumanising). Agard comments on the absurdity of this dehumanisation by offering the reader a physical interpretation, whereby he compares it to him ‘standing on one leg’ as though he is in some way half a human being.

STANZA 2

Explain yuself

wha yu mean

when yu say half-caste

After the first stanza, the language switches to phonetic Caribbean-English dialect, embodying Agard’s mixed racial heritage and he demands an explanation for the use of the term, like he is seeking an intelligent justification, that he knows the person he is speaking to will be unable to provide.

Agard goes on to utilise a number of metaphorical examples to convey the idiocy of the term to the reader and undermine those that label him in this way:

yu mean when picasso

mix red an green

is a half-caste canvas/

When painting, Picasso mixes colours to achieve one closer to what he desires in his pieces. Agard comments on how ridiculous it would be to label a piece of art created in this way as a separate, less valuable entity – which contrasts with racial stereotypes.

explain yuself

wha u mean

when yu say half-caste

yu mean when light an shadow

mix in de sky

is a half-caste weather

To label natural phenomena in such a way would seem absurd, hence Agard questions why apply it to humanity – a form of nature like the clouds and sky?

 

STANZA 3

well in dat case

england weather

nearly always half-caste

in fact some o dem cloud

half-caste till dem overcast

so spiteful dem dont want de sun pass

ah rass/

The juxtaposition of ‘half-caste’ and ‘overcast’ is a clever use of wordplay. The words obviously are far-removed in terms of origin and meaning, however not so in this metaphorical case. Just previously, Agard described situations where clouds and sunlight were both present in the sky as ‘half-caste’ (a mix of the two). He compares this to the case when the sky is overcast i.e. where the clouds blanket the sky entirely. Racially, the latter likens to the case of someone who is not mixed race.

explain yuself

wha yu mean

when yu say half-caste

yu mean tchaikovsky

sit down at dah piano

an mix a black key

wid a white key

is a half-caste symphony

Agard once again uses the term in the context of art, like he did previously with Picasso, to relay its irrationality. Interestingly, as is the case for Picasso, Tchaikovsky is not capitalised. It fits the colloquial, unsophisticated tone of the poem. This metaphor also links more directly to mixed-race in humanity, with the image of the black and white keys corresponding to black and white skin tones.

 

STANZA 4

Explain yuself

wha yu mean

The refrain of this direct address throughout gives the poem a very personal tone, reiterating to the reader the extent to which the derogatory term offends Agard, which may otherwise be overseen due to the poem’s colloquial, sarcastic tone.

Ah listening to yu wid de keen

half of mih ear

Ah looking at u wid de keen

half of mih eye

and when I’m introduced to yu

I’m sure you’ll understand

why I offer yu half-a-hand

an when I sleep at night

I close half-a-eye

consequently when I dream

I dream half-a-dream

an when moon begin to glow

I half-caste human being

cast half-a-shadow

but yu come back tomorrow

Both sarcasm and poignancy are escalated in this section of the poem. Agard, again, undermines the term half-caste by emphasising the absurd way in which it likens him to being half a human being by in some way being less ‘pure’ compared to those of one ethnicity. The imagery of Agard looking with half an eye to shaking hands with half a hand are comical, although saddening upon reflection.

 

STANZA 5

wid de whole of yu eye

an de whole of yu ear

and de whole of yu mind

It’s then very sarcastic how, having described himself as half a person, he describes the person he is speaking to as a full or complete person, with a whole eye, ear, and mind. Through this sarcasm, he is mocking the term and those that address him with it by accentuating its absurdity, thereby undermining it.

STANZA 6

an I will tell yu

de other half

of my story

In the final stanza, Agard dispels the idea that he is half a person (an idea that he created to undermine the term), saying that he does indeed have another half to his story. He will only tell this to the person he is addressing, however, if they see him as their equal, disregarding all stereotypes.

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