Poetry Anthology: Power and conflict

Poem analysis

**Ozymandias**

**Themes**

* Transience of human power: those with power are deluded in their belief that their power is supreme and invincible
* Consequences of pride and arrogance
* Power of nature outliving humanity
* Power of art/artist: capturing the Pharaoh’s expression and demeanor skillfully

**Quotes**

* My name is Ozymandias, King of kings


* The lone and level sands stretch far away
* The hand that mocked them
* Sneer of cold command
* Colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

**Meanings**

* Reference to Jesus (biblical: ‘king of kings’, ‘lord of lords’) suggesting that he thinks arrogantly of himself as god-like and superior → reflects his belief in the importance of humility and perspective in the face of the vastness and complexity of the natural world
* Powerful adjectives in a series of noun phrases to demonstrate the power of nature (outlives humanity) →suggests vastness and emptiness to show that the once great empire of Ozymandias has been reduced to nothing more than a barren wasteland
* Refers to the hand of the sculptor who captures the arrogance of the Pharaoh, ridiculing him, without the Pharaoh realising it (power of art, artist over Pharaoh)
* Sculptor captures the Pharaoh’s cold and cruel features + harshness of the letter ‘c’ refers to the harsh nature of ozymandias (Alliterative repetition)
* Demonstrates that his power was finite unlike how he had thought/hoped (noun phrase + alliteration) → Powerful symbol of transience and impermanence of human power, serving as a reminder of the futility of vanity and ambition

**Comparison to other poems**

* London (Corrupting influence of power)
* Tissue (Power and consequences of power)
* The Prelude (Power and consequences of power)
* My last Duchess (Power imbalances and social inequality)

**Structural features**

* Iambic pentameter: gives a regular rhythm which contrasts with the irregularity and decay of the statue described + adds to its overall sense of elegance and sophistication
* Sonnet form: reflects how all power ultimately gives way to new power as nothing remains forever, not even the form of the sonnet → switching from Petrarchan to Shakespearean form

**London**

**Themes**

* Poverty
* Oppression of institutional power
* Loss of individual freedom

**Quotes**

* Chartered street + chartered
* Marks of weakness, marks of woe
* Chimney-sweeper’s cry
* Mind-forged manacles
* Plagues the marriage hearse

**Meanings**

* Repetition suggests that the streets of London are not free and open but instead controlled and restricted by government or other authority → reflects Blake’s view that people of London are oppressed and constrained by the social and political structures of society
* Repetition conveys the people’s sorrow as the poor were exploited by the government for low wages
* Demonstrates the suffering of the poor in London being a powerful symbol of the way in which poverty and oppression can crush the spirit of the individual → present tense suggest suffering is ongoing
* Referring to the mental chains that bind people to their social and political circumstances → oppressed by external forces and are complicit in their own oppression → powerful metaphor that captures the psychological dimension of oppression, reflecting Blake’s belief in the importance of individual agency and resistance in the face of social/ political injustice
* Oxymoron of marriage with hearse used metaphorically to suggest that the institution of marriage is being destroyed by the social and political structures of society + prostitution destroying the institution of marriage → is people’s mind are plagued with ‘Harlot’s curse’ insinuating syphilis is corrupting marriage

**Comparison to other poems**

* Ozymandias (Corrupting influence of power)
* The Emigree (Identity and impact of social and political structures on an individual)
* My last duchess (Power imbalances and social inequality)

**Structural features**

* Regular rhyme scheme, which gives a sense of order and structure, even as it explores themes of social and political oppression
* Tightly controlled rhyme scheme reflects how the poor were controlled by the government
* Chronological order

**The Prelude**

**Themes**

* Power of nature: overwhelming presence
* Power of memory
* Conflict of emotion

**Quotes**

* There hung a darkness, call it solitude or blank desertion
* The grim shape towered up between me and the stars
* Huge and mighty forms…were a trouble to my dreams
* it was an act of stealth and troubled pleasure
* Upreared its head

**Meanings**

* Acknowledges the complexity and ambiguity of his emotions, suggesting there are no easy answers or explanations for the feelings he is experiencing → loneliness and isolation as he realises his own insignificance
* Finds nature ominous and/or foreboding, adding to the sense of mystery and uncertainty that pervades the poem → illusions made in his mind
* Expresses the sense of awe and fear that these natural worlds can inspire → suggests that as well as being awe-inspiring, the natural forms are also somewhat unsettling and frightening
* Describes him stealing the boat: he knew it was the wrong thing to do but enjoys the thrill of breaking the rules through oxymoron ‘troubled pleasure’ → later is forced to deal with the consequences of it
* Anthropomorphism to describe the mountain and a monstrous figure → suggests it is both impressive and intimidating

**Comparison to other poems**

* Ozymandias (Power and consequence of power)
* Exposure (Power of nature)
* Storm on the island (Power of nature)

**Structural features**

* Unrhymed iambic pentameter: gives the poem a conversational tone and reflects lack of harmony between man and nature
* One long continuous stanza: reader is overwhelmed by the poems immensity as the man is in the poem
* Autobiographical

**The Charge of the Light Brigade**

**Themes**

* Duty and sacrifice
* Power of war: realities and futility (indescribable horrors of war)
* Power of man: charged into suicide mission, knowing they were charging into uncertain death

**Quotes**

* Into the valley of death
* Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die

* They rode back but not the six hundred
* shatter’d and sunder’d, volley’d and thunder’d
* Honour the light brigade

**Meanings**

* Emphasises the courage of the soldiers as they are risking their lives for a greater cause and are demonstrating the ultimate form of bravery and selflessness → Biblical imagery to highlight the all inspiring nature of their bravery
* Demonstrates a sense of duty and sacrifice as soldiers aren’t concerned with their own safety but rather fulfilling their duty for their country → suggests a sense of fatalism as they have no control over their destiny + Creates sense of horses galloping into battle
* Highlights the tragic nature of the charge, emphasising the sense of sacrifice and loss
* Describes the chaos and violence of the battle, using alliteration and repetition, showing the soldiers are being torn apart by the violence of the battle + Drum-like beat creating sense of horse gallop
* Pays tribute to the soldiers who fought and died during this historic battle , acknowledging their bravery and sacrifice

**Comparison to other poems**

* Exposure (Theme of war and effects on soldiers)
* Bayonet Charge (Theme of war and effects on soldiers + Patriotism)

**Structural features**

* Regular rhythm: creates impression of charging men with some rhyming couplets
* Third person: demonstrates how the poet values the contribution of each soldier individually

**Exposure**

**Themes**

* Indescribable horrors of war and its futility → shouldn’t be glorified
* Power of nature: nature becomes more dangerous than man as all soldiers begin to freeze to death

**Quotes**

* Merciless iced east wind that knifes us
* like twitching agonies of men
* Our ghosts drag home
* But nothing happens
* What are we doing here?

**Meanings**

* Described harsh and brutal conditions that the soldiers were facing → Metaphor to suggest the sharp and painful nature of the wind
* Simile to describe the soldiers physical and mental suffering → twitching suggests the involuntary movements that the soldiers are making and agonies refers to the intense pain and torment that they are facing
* Metaphor to describe the psychological and emotional trauma that the soldiers carry with them even after war → haunting burden memories + soldiers don’t believe they will survive so life flashes before their eyes
* Demonstrates the soldiers feelings of isolation and abandonment as they wait for the enemy to attack → dread and anticipation
* Rhetorical question to convey the soldiers sense of confusion and disorientation as they struggle to understand the purpose of their mission → sense of frustration and disillusionment

**Comparison to other poems**

* The Charge of the Light Brigade (Theme of war and effect on soldiers)
* Bayonet Charge (Theme of war and effect on soldiers + sense of fear)
* The Prelude (Power of nature)

**Structural features**

* Each stanza is structured in the same way (regular rhythm) to reflect the soldier’s never changing situation
* Pararhyme gives a sense of unease and ambiguity → tension and dissonance that reflects the horrors of war

**Bayonet Charge**

**Themes**

* Indescribable horrors and brutality of war
* Psychological impact of war
* Sense of duty and loyalty
* Loss of identity
* Futility of war

**Quotes**

* bullets smacking the belly out of the air
* patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye
* a yellow hare that had rolled like a flame
* King, honour, human dignity, etcetera
* His terror’s touchy dynamite

**Meanings**

* Personification of nature as gunfire knocks the air out of nature: description of bullets flying at a distance dangerously
* Metaphor demonstrates how his original patriotism has been pushed away for sheer panic as this emotion is so strong that it is spilling over into tears
* Demonstrates how nature is also a victim of war: ironic use of countryside references in comparison to war
* Criticises the patriotic values that soldiers supposedly have, mockingly showing a long list of noble virtues that mean little to nothing when facing the heat of battle and war
* Alliterative metaphor to describe how the soldiers have become cogs in a collective war machine consumed by pure terror → like an explosive that will go off if he overthinks

**Comparison between other poems**

* Exposure (Themes of war and the effects on soldiers + sense of fear and confusion)
* The Charge of the Light Brigade (Themes of war and the effect on soldiers + Patriotism)
* Remains (Psychological impact of war on soldiers)
* Kamikaze (Idea of duty and loyalty to one’s country: sense of sacrifice)

**Structural features**

* Third person: implies remoteness and a reportage quality
* Enjambment and caesura: creates an irregular rhythm to reflect the soldiers panic (the reader struggles to make sense of the chaos and disorder of the structure)
* Anonymous ‘He’ conveys universality of all the soldiers at war
* 6 similes: demonstrate that there is no tangible way to describe war as it is needed to be compared to other things to touch on what war truly is like

**Remains**

**Themes**

* Power of memory
* Conflict within oneself
* Power of guilt and trauma

**Quotes**

* the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out
* his bloody life in my bloody hands
* well myself and somebody else and somebody else
* his blood-shadow stays on the street
* he’s here in my head when I close my eyes

**Meanings**

* The soldier is attempting to use alcohol and drugs to escape or suppress the memories of war but they are ultimately ineffective → psychological toll of war and difficulty with coping with the aftermath of killing another (kills himself along with another)
* Feels a sense of guilt and responsibility for the lives lost in conflict → struggling to come to terms with the violence and brutality of war, with physical and emotional trauma demonstrating hig guilt being timeless and unrelenting (Repetition)
* Attempts to distance himself from the violence and brutality of war but is unable to fully dissociate himself from what he has done → ‘well’ suggests a resigned and defeated tone, as if the soldier is acknowledging that he cannot escape the memories that haunt him continuously
* He is haunted by the memory of someone he killed: the person’s blood stains the street where the killing took place → ‘shadow’ emphasises the ghostly nature of the memory, as if the soldier is unable to escape the haunting presence of the person he has killed, staying as the memory is persistent and inescapable
* He is unable to escape the memory of someone he has killed, even when he tries to shut it out by closing his eyes → ‘head’ emphasises the psychological nature of the trauma, suggesting a sense of vulnerability and helplessness, as the soldier is unable to control his memory or the impact it has on his life

**Comparison to other poems**

* Poppies (impact of war on others and themselves)
* Kamikaze (psychological impact of war on soldiers)
* Bayonet Charge (psychological impact of war on soldiers)

**Structural features**

* Enjambment: doesn’t make particular sense as he lets his train of thoughts out → its difficulty to read reflects his mental struggle with PTSD
* Irregular rhythm/stanzas: Fragmented and disjointed feel, which reflects the chaotic and traumatic nature of the soldier’s memories
* Free verse: conversational tone to convey the intensity of immediacy of the soldier’s experience

**War Photographer**

**Themes**

* Power in taking the photograph
* Conflict within himself for taking the photographs
* Power of guilt

**Quotes**

* A half-formed ghost
* ordinary pain
* All flesh is grass
* he stares impassively at where he earns a living and they do not care
* hands, which did not tremble then though seem to now
* He has a job to do

**Meanings**

* Refers to the haunting memories that the photographer carries with him, symbolising the lingering presence of the horrors they have witnessed, which are only partially captured in their photographs → could also be referring to the man in the photograph being in the process of dying so hasn’t fully become a ghost yet but ‘half-formed’
* Oxymoron demonstrates the contrasting hardships of war to the normal everyday pain experienced by people who cant appreciate what it’s like to live in a warzone
* Metaphor to describe how our flesh is part of the natural world in the sense that we will go back to it in death → also suggests the transient nature of human life, implying that life is fragile and fleeting, just like grass that withers and fades away (impermanence
* and vulnerability of human existence)
* Adverbial ‘impassively’ implies that the photographer take notice at the public’s and possibly the reasers indifference towards these horrors as they are not forced to witness the reality of war, hence why he looks down at Britain with no expression as he feels in a sense disgusted by those who don’t care for these victims of war
* His hands tremble as a result of these lingering memories and PTSD, growing worse with age instead of better
* Refers to the photographer’s sense of duty and responsibility → despite the emotional toll and the disturbing subject matter, the photographer recognises the importance of documenting the realities of war

**Comparison to other poems**

* Remains (impact of war and moral dilemmas faced)
* Poppies (impact of war on others as a result of facing its reality)

**Structural features**

* Tightly controlled form and structure (4 stanzas, 6 lines) to create a rhythm
* Enjambment possibly implying the continuity of these horrible memories

**My Last Duchess**

**Themes**

* Power and the abuse of it, shown through political and domestic power
* Power of art (uses her painting to assert dominance)

**Quotes**

* I gave commands: then all smiles stopped together
* Too soon made glad, Too easily impressed
* she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name with anybody’s gift
* the dropping of daylight
* That’s my last duchess painted on the wall
* Her looks went everywhere
* Sir

**Meanings**

* The duke had his wife murdered because she was too friendly with other men → portrayed his political power through ambiguous ‘I gave commands’ to most likely a servant or social superior + ‘all smiles’ suggests that the Duchess was happy and friendly but the Duke’s jealousy and possessiveness ultimately led to her tragic end
* He sees his wife as being too quickly pleased, too easily influenced and not discriminative enough, which he sees as a flaw → claims she was too easily swayed by their flattery
* Duke is angry that his wife does not appreciate the value of his family’s name and heritage and instead seems to value more materialistic things like gifts → emphasises Duke’s pride and sense of history and his belief that his wife should have appreciated this more
* The duchess is made happy by other things that he deems futile in comparison to him and his name
* Beginning immediately establishes the theme of power and control → showing off a painting of his late wife, using the word ‘my’ to emphasise his possessiveness and sense of ownership over his wife + ‘on the wall’ suggests that the Duke sees his wife as an object to be displayed rather than a human
* The duke is angry that his wife was not more reserved and demure but instead curious about the world around her → deems her as being too easily distracted and unfaithful for not focusing on him and shows his disgust towards this
* Presents himself as condescending, suggesting that he is keen to point out that he is socially superior to others and had to clarify his own superiority over the envoy

**Comparison to other poems**

* Ozymandias (Power imbalances and social inequality)
* London (Power imbalances and social inequality)

**Structural features**

* Dramatic monologue: Duke reveals his thoughts and feelings directly to the reader, highlighting his flaws and prejudices
* Iambic pentameter: gives a regular rhythm and emphasises the Duke’s sense of control and authority
* Rhyming couplets: formal structured feel, while emphasising the Duke’s desire for order and control → tight rhyme scheme reflects the tight control of the duke

**Poppies**

**Themes**

* Impact of war on individuals and families
* The power of memory
* Nature of grief

**Quotes**

* spasms of paper red
* My stomach busy making tucks, darts, pleats
* leaned against it like a wishbone
* Sellotape bandaged around my hand
* gelled blackthorns of your hair

**Meanings**

* Metaphor for the way that the body of the enemy combatant is torn apart by bullets, leaving behind only scraps of flesh and bone, referring to the colour of blood, which is a common symbol for war and violence
* Metaphor refers to the mother’s stomach contracting and twisting in a way that is similar to the way that fabric is manipulated during the sewing process → creates image of her insides being twisted and contorted by her feeling of anxiety
* Simile demonstrates her leaning against the wishbone for support, as she feels she is being pulled apart from her son → wishing for his safety
* Metaphor suggests that the mother is trying to hold herself together emotionally, using ‘sellotape’ as a makeshift bandage to cover the wound left by his absence
* Describes the sons hair as being spiky and gelled →Metaphor suggests that the sons hair is like a thorny bush that is both beautiful and dangerous at the same time. The speaker is drawn to her son’s hair but he is also afraid of being hurt by it

**Comparison to other poems**

* War Photographer (impacts of war on others and themselves)
* Bayonet Charge (impact of war on others and themselves)
* Remains (impact of war on others and themselves)

**Structural features**

* Enjambment: reflects the mother’s feelings of being helpless and alone, with emotions overwhelming her thoughts
* Dramatic monologue: helps us feel the mother’s emotions
* Irregular rhythm: conflict within the mother + emphasises the poem as memory or thoughts
* Changes of tense: flashbacks to create sympathy

Kamikaze

**Themes**

* Power of war (lasting effects)
* Power of society and social pressure (patriotism)
* Conflict of emotion
* Power of isolation
* Conflict within family

**Quotes**

* he must have wondered which had been the better was to die
* one-way journey into history
* Her father embarked at sunrise → a samurai sword
* as though he no longer existed
* till gradually we too learned to be silent

**Meanings**

* Suggests that both the options, to carry out the suicide mission and to return home offer a form of death, either physical or emotional, which further implies that soldiers are controlled by indoctrination and propaganda. they are used as tools of the government, forced to pick between dying physically with honour or dying emotionally dishonourably
* Demonstrates the irreversible sacrifice made by the pilot, who willingly chooses to give up his life for his country in hopes for remembrance and honour recorded in history
* His departure is described in a moment of tranquility and calmness, in contrast to his fate to die whilst on the mission → This is abruptly interrupted by ‘samurai sword’, foreshadowing the dishonour that the father later shows (a samurai sword was typically used for seppuku, which is a ritual of suicide by disembowelment to make for an act of dishonour)
* Isolation and ostracism was commonly used as a form of punishment and torture for those who brought shame upon a family, ignoring his existence in entirety
* Japanese society taught young people to shame those who acted dishonorably in the name of the country, teaching them to suppress their true feelings and thoughts, due to societal pressure or a desire to protect their family’s honour

**Comparison to other poems**

* The Emigree (Complexities of personal identity and the influence of external forces on individual lives)
* Checking out me History (Loss of identity as result of those of higher authority/societal pressures)
* Remains (Psychological impacts of war)

**Structural features**

* Enjambment to reflect the relentless inescapability of national expectation and the lack of control of the pilot in shaping his own identity
* Tightly controlled stanza lengths of 6 lines to reflect order and obedience that was expected from the pilot
* Third person creates distance and detachment to reflect the relationship the daughter had with the father, growing up without knowing him

**Tissue**

**Themes**

* Power of humankind or lack thereof
* Conflict of the causes of fundamentalism and terrorism
* Power of nature
* Power of Religion

**Quotes**

* Paper that lets the light shine through, this is what could alter things
* what was paid by credit card might fly our lives like paper kites
* Maps too. The Sun shines through their borderlines
* Let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths
* Turned into your skin

**Meanings**

* Light in this context could be a metaphor for God, using a biblical reference to demonstrate the lack of power mankind has (‘I am the light of the world’ - Jesus) → comment on the power of religion but also could demonstrate the power of nature, as the light from the sun overpowers the paper (humans)
* Insinuates that money dominates and has power over humans and so implies that our lives can become fragile and easily influenced by external forces, just like paper kites that are susceptible to the wind


* Maps are evidence of man trying to exert his power over nature, creating divides that are not naturally there however, even so, the power of the sun overpowers this futile attempt as it shines through their borders
* Nature breaks through the man-made power and this continuity of nature overpowering man is the poet mocking man’s attempt at dominance and power, showing how nature far outweighs the power of mankind
* Human skin and tissue paper are made to link together, highlighting the metaphor that human power is fragile like tissue paper

\- Religious extremism, politics, land disputes, etc cause fundamentalism and terrorism i.e we give power to fragile things that cause conflict when without them, we’d be happier

**Comparison to other poems**

* Ozymandias (Although convinced of holding great power, mankind lacks of it, with nature far outweighing the power of man)
* The Prelude (The overwhelming power of nature in comparison to man)

**Structural features**

* Enjambment reflects the lack of control or power mankind truly has, undermining the suggested order and control that humans supposedly have → forced break between stanzas one and two symbolises the distinct difference between the power of God and the power of man
* Free verse to demonstrate that as much as mankind tries to order, arrange and control, the structural choices suggests that these efforts are futile as their are greater powers that overpower them
* Listing reflects man’s desire to order and control everything (though Enjambment undermines that power)

**Storm on the Island**

**Themes**

* Power of nature
* Conflict between man and nature
* Conflict with Northern Ireland and Ireland
* Power of man or lack thereof

**Quotes**

* Exploding comfortably
* Spits like a tame cat turned savage
* Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear
* The flung spray hits
* This wizened earth has never troubled us
* We are prepared

**Meanings**

* Oxymoron reflects how the speaker has made sense of the conflict filled world, capturing the idea that even in the face of danger, there can be a sense of familiarity and acceptance


* Simile demonstrates a mistaken belief that they had tamed nature, only for the cat to turn against its owner in savagery, insinuating that nature is always more powerful than humankind
* Highlights the irrationality of our fears and encourages us to question why we allow ourselves to be consumed by them → components of the storm are intangible hence the description of ‘nothing’ but can cause irreparable damage so the lack of control makes us fearful
* Demonstrates the intensity and power of the storm’s impact on the island, as the ocean spray is propelled by the storm by waves crashing against the island → shows the pure violence and power of nature
* Implies that despite the harsh conditions and challenges presented by the storm, the resilience of the land has remained steadfast and is has not posed a direct threat to the people on the island, as they have adapted their lives to the purpose of resisting nature
* Demonstrates a sense of arrogance in opposition to nature and confidence that they have taken precautions and made necessary arrangements to withstand the storm’s impact

\- ‘We’ reflects a sense of solidarity between the catholics, suggesting opposition → demonstrates a wider cultural experience

\- Storm is a metaphor for the violent political troubles that Ireland has experienced (__*Storm on t*__he island = Stormont is the name given to the parliament buildings in Ireland)

**Comparison to other poems**

* The Prelude (The immense power of nature and its wrath upon mankind)

**Structural features**

* Enjambment creates a constant barrage of information which reflects the constant barrage of the storm on the house
* Lack of stanza breaks reflects the overwhelming situation that the islanders were in
* Colloquialism (‘you know what I mean’) → the contrast between the language of conflict and power and the language of everyday life sems oxymoronic, suggesting that this is everyday life to the narrator
* Half-rhyme use (‘air’ and ‘fear’) to demonstrate the uncontrollable storm, refusing to be organised so only a half rhyme is possible amidst the chaos

**The Emigrée**

**Themes**

* Power of tyrants, capable of causing ruin to one’s country
* Inner conflict of having to leave one’s own country
* Conflict between imagination and convention (realities in reference to one’s thoughts)

**Quotes**

* banned by the state but I can’t get it off of my tongue, it tastes like sunlight
* My shadow falls as evidence of sunlight
* There once was a country…I left it as a child
* It may be sick of tyrants but I am branded
* I have no passport, there’s no way back at all

**Meanings**

* Suggest the speaker has been exiled from their home country → ‘tongue’ suggests that the speaker is holding onto this memory and that it is an integral part of their identity, with ‘it tastes like sunlight’ suggesting her love for her own country, although exiled
* ‘Shadow’ is a metaphor for the speaker’s presence in their current situation and the ‘sunlight’ is a metaphor for the memories of their past → speaker is using their own presence as proof that they are still connected to their past and that they are still connected to their past, carrying memories of home with them
* The country no longer existed in the same way or has been transformed in some way that makes it unrecognisable to the reader → the fact that the speaker left the country as a child suggests that they were not able to fully appreciate or understand the significance of their connection to the country at the time, perhaps feeling remorseful for it
* Demonstrates the speaker as acknowledging the negative aspects of their country however, the speaker is still deeply connected to the memories of their home country, suggesting that the memories are deeply ingrained in the speaker’s identity and they cannot be erased or forgotten
* The speaker is is a state of exile and they are unable to return to their home country because they lack the necessary documentation → the speaker is resigned to the fact that they cannot return and they are coming to terms with the reality of their situation, with ‘password’ suggesting the speaker is grappling with issues of identity and belonging2

**Comparison to other poems**

* Checking out me History (loss of identity due to other higher powers of authority)
* Poppies (Lasting effects of conflict on personal identity and the sense of loss)
* Kamikaze (Complexities of personal identity and the influence of external forces on individual lives)
* London (Lasting effects of tyranny and suffering as a result of it)

**Structural features**

* First stanza sets the tone for the poem, introducing the theme of tyranny
* 3 stanzas, 8 lines other than the last stanza: suggests the speaker can’t let go of the memories and doesn’t want the poem to end
* No regular rhyme or rhythm: implies chaosity of leaving one’s homeland due to political unrest

**Checking Out Me History**

**Themes**

* Power of Colonialism
* Conflict within oneself and identity
* Conflicting histories: black monumental figures being overshadowed by white historical figures, due to teh decision of white colonialists

**Quotes**

* Dem tell me what dem want to tell me
* Bandage me eye with me own history
* I carving out me identity
* but dem never tell me about Mary Seacole
* Toussaint de beacon

**Meanings**

* Countries that have colonised his own have taught him their version of history, as the victors, being controlled and influenced by others who dictate what history they should learn and believe, suggesting that he was being denied access to a complete and unbiased understanding of history, as certain narratives are being selectively presented to them
* Demonstrates that his understanding of his own history has been obscured or distorted, being influenced by biased narratives and a lack of representation in mainstream historical accounts → symbolises the need to reclaim and embrace one’s own history, free from constraints and biases imposed by others
* Demonstrates that he is actively shaping and defining hs own sense of self and cultural identity, highlighting the importance of self-discovery → the verb ‘carving’ to imply a sense of difficult and strain but he is determined in doing so
* Implies that his education and exposure to history did not include the stories and contributions of individuals like Mary Seacole, who played a significant role in history but were not given the recognition they deserved and were instead overlooked by white historical figures, who colonialists deemed more important
* A leader and general who fought for the liberation of enslaved people in Haiti, who played a significant role in shaping history but was not widely acknowledged or taught in traditional education, even though he was a saviour to his people → a shining light of hope in the history of Black people in the Caribbean Republic

**Comparison to other poems**

* The Emigree (loss of identity due to other higher powers of authority)
* Kamikaze (loss of identity due to other higher powers of authority)
* London (Misuse of power by those of higher authority and the effects decisions have on individuals)

**Structural features**

* Phonetic text to demonstrate his Creole background, reclaiming his cultural identity that he had lost
* Separate stanzas in italics to demonstrate the separation between the history he was taught and black history
* Lack of punctuation to act as a rebellion against his repressive education and the expectation of his educators, with no full stop at the end to demonstrate that the process of finding his identity is ongoing and incomplete
* Loose rhyme scheme