'Half-caste' (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature)

‘Half-caste’

Below you will find a guide to John Agard’s poem titled ‘Half-caste ’from the Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology (part 3: unit 1, section B). This guide includes:

• Overview: a line-by-line breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Form, structure and language: an exploration of the techniques and poetic choices that John Agard has used

• Themes: an exploration of the themes and ideas in the poem

• Comparing poems: suggestions on which poems to compare it to

Overview

Find out more about the poem to confidently answer an essay question in your exam by reading: 

• A summary of the poem 

• A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Blake’s intention and message

A summary of the poem ‘Half-caste’

'Half-caste' is about Agard’s experience of racism and is written as a dramatic monologue. The offensive racist term 'half-caste' was once commonly used to describe someone with parents from different races. Agard attacks the term using a series of analogies. He compares the term “half-caste” to a painting, the English weather and a symphony to suggest that mixture is fundamental and beautiful. He then uses irony to expose the stupidity of racism, and ends the poem with a direct attack on such views. Throughout the poem, Agard blends dialect language (Afro-Caribbean) with more recognisable words to demonstrate the value and richness of mixing things together. His rejection of standard English and punctuation challenges the kind of “conventional” thinking that produced the term “half-caste” in the first place. 

'Half-caste' analysis

Lines 1–6

Explanation

• “Excuse me” is an insincere apology or an interruption; the speaker wants to grab the reader’s attention

• The speaker is “standing on one leg” because he’s “half-caste”:

  • He is challenging the implication that he is seen as half a person 

• The next three lines introduce a repeated refrain that challenges his listener to explain what they mean by “half-caste”

Agard's intention

• The insincerity of “Excuse me” sets up the satirical tone of the poem, because the speaker is not sorry for anything:

  • You can also read it as an objection to, or an interruption of, the mindset that created the term “half-caste”

• He demands an explanation by repeating: “Explain yuself/wha yu mean/when yu say half-caste”:

  • This implies that people who use the term can’t explain it, conveying the irrationality of racist attitudes

• Agard uses the ironic humour of standing on one leg to point out the absurd implications of calling someone “half” anything

• The use of phonetic spelling in words like “yuself” and “yu” establishes an authentic voice and gives the poem its spoken-word quality

Lines 7–9

Explanation

• The speaker uses the analogy of Picasso mixing colours together on a canvas to criticise the concept of “half-caste”

Agard's intention

• The analogy in these lines shows how mixing things together can be creative:

  • Asking if it would make the painting a “half-caste canvas” highlights how mixing things is used negatively when describing race, but positively when describing art 

• The visual imagery of the Picasso painting implies that mixing colours on a canvas produces something beautiful and valuable:

  • However, using colour imagery creates unease, because it addresses racist ideas, which often focus on skin colour

Lines 10–22

Explanation

• The speaker repeats his demand that his listener “explain” what they mean

• He uses the analogy of clouds in the sky to interrogate the meaning of “half-caste”:

  • He states that if it means cloudy weather, England nearly always has “half-caste” weather

• He extends the metaphor of cloudy weather to point out that sometimes the clouds hide the sun altogether

• “Ah rass” is an expression of anger and frustration, as if the analogy (or the weather) has tried the speaker’s patience 

Agard's intention

• The repeated challenge to explain what “half-caste” means creates the effect that the other person is unable to answer the question

• The analogy of a cloudy sky implies that mixing light and shadow is a natural, everyday process:

• This challenges the hypocrisy of criticising the speaker for being mixed-race, because English weather is typically based on a mixture of conditions

• Extending the metaphor of cloudy weather illustrates the speaker’s anger at the way racism “clouds” people’s judgement:

  • This is emphasised by the echoing word “overcast”, which suggests that the “sun” of truth is hidden behind the “clouds”

• The sibilance of the phrase “so spiteful” creates a harsh, sinister tone:

  • This reflects the metaphor of clouds as racist beliefs

Lines 23–30

Explanation

• The speaker repeats his demand that his listener “explain” what they mean

• He uses the analogy of Tchaikovsky creating a symphony on the piano

• He questions whether using the black and white piano keys makes a Tchaikovsky symphony “half-caste”

Agard's intention

• The repeated demand to explain what “half-caste” means emphasises Agard’s challenge to racist views and the people who hold them

• The analogy of a Tchaikovsky symphony being “half-caste” illustrates the idea that beauty and harmony can come from mixing things together: 

  • The reference to the black and white piano keys also highlights the racist ideas the poem is criticising

Lines 31–46

Explanation

• The speaker repeats his challenge to his listener to explain what they mean

• The following lines focus on the racist idea that “half-caste” means “incomplete” or “half a person” 

• The speaker lists the ways in which his humanity is halved, according to racist ideas:

  • Only half his ability to listen or look is “keen” (well-developed or accurate)

  • He can only offer half a handshake 

  • At night, he only closes half an eye and dreams half a dream

  • In the moonlight, as a “half-caste human being”, he only casts half a shadow

Agard's intention

• Agard uses irony to project the listener’s prejudices onto himself, while at the same time satirising those attitudes:

  • This links to the racist idea that only one half of him – the white half – is valid

• The speaker’s comment “I’m sure you’ll understand” uses irony to highlight the stupidity of racist attitudes:

  • He means, “I’m pretty sure you won’t understand, because you’re too prejudiced”

• The comment about dreaming “half-a-dream” attacks the idea that his thoughts and dreams are less valid than his listener’s 

• The phrase “half-caste human being” attacks the idea that he is less than a whole person:

  • The notion of casting “half-a-shadow” is so absurd that it emphasises the irony of the whole preceding stanza

Lines 47–53

Explanation

• These lines summarise the effect that racism has on the listener, who is only able to see, listen and think with half their mind

• If they come back tomorrow with a mind that is not half-closed by prejudice, they may understand the whole story, not just half of it

Agard's intention

• Agard’s speaker turns the idea of only being able to function as half a person back on the listener:

  • This is because racism has half-blinded, half-deafened and half-closed their minds to the truth

• If they are able to remove the prejudice that impairs them, then they will understand the whole story about the speaker’s experiences

Form, language and structure

When you consider how William Blake uses form, structure and language, try to link your analysis of these elements to focus on how he presents his ideas and why he has made these choices in ‘The Tyger’. You will gain more marks if you focus on Blake’s themes rather than on individual poetic techniques. 

Here are some suggestions for key aspects of the poem you might want to consider: 

Form

'Half-caste' is a dramatic monologue addressed to an unknown listener, but otherwise the form of the poem is completely unconventional. In its irregular lines, rhymes, rhythms and stanzas, Agard uses a speech-like form that reflects his Guyanese heritage. In this way, he is celebrating his identity and reclaiming English language and poetry for less mainstream voices. 

Structure

The poem begins and ends with a three-line stanza: the first one introduces Agard’s subject, and the final one brings a sense of resolution. In between, two long stanzas follow a free-flowing meditation on the meaning of 'Half-caste'. Agard uses repetition to reinforce his confrontational tone towards racism. He avoids using conventional punctuation in the poem, which is a way of shaking off the dominance of white, European cultural norms.

Language

Agard mixes Caribbean dialect with standard English throughout the poem. By mixing two different types of English together, he creates a new sound, demonstrating the richness of mixture directly through his language. Agard uses irony to expose the stupidity of racial prejudice, but he also demonstrates the beauty of mixture by using contrasting language in his imagery. Although there is no conventional rhyme scheme in this poem, some end-rhymes emphasise certain words for dramatic or humorous effect.

Themes

While knowing the poem is important, you also need to be able to show the examiner that you can write an informed, personal response. Therefore, you need to develop a solid understanding of the theme, main ideas and events depicted.

It is still important to have an awareness of background information that is relevant to the themes in the poem, even though you are not explicitly assessed on context. This can help you develop a sustained, critical understanding of the text. 

To help you do this, the section below has been divided into a main theme that Agard explores in 'Half-caste':

• Racism as conflict

Racism as conflict 

• John Agard came to the UK from Guyana in 1977 as an adult

• Agard’s father is from Guyana and his mother is Portuguese, so he has mixed racial heritage

• Guyanese people like Agard were entitled to come to Britain to live and work because Guyana was part of the British Commonwealth

• However, Agard, like many other immigrants from the Caribbean, encountered conflicts due to racism from the time he arrived in the UK: 

  • People with racist attitudes may believe that different races should not mix, especially through marriage

  • This idea, called miscegenation, is central to ‘Half-caste’, which focuses on the way racial prejudice views Agard’s mixed racial heritage

• Agard spent ten years touring schools in the UK promoting Caribbean culture:

  • His aim was to make people question racist attitudes by showing them the reality of Black and mixed-race peoples’ experiences

• 'Half-caste' was written in 1996 and published in Agard’s collection Half-caste and Other Poems in 2005:

  • The collection explores many of the issues faced by Black and mixed-race people living in the UK

  • It focuses on race and cultural identity and celebrates human diversity in order to oppose racist ideas and conflicts

• Agard’s poetry is a powerful, angry response to racist attitudes and derogatory terms, like 'half-caste', used by people with racist views to belittle or demean others

Comparing poems

In your exam, you will be required to compare two poems from the anthology so you must have a good knowledge of poetic form, content and meaning to compare the poems effectively. 

You must be able to explore links and connections between texts, which includes looking at both poets’ use of language, form and structure. 

In ‘Half-caste’, Agard’s main themes are racism and prejudice therefore, the following comparisons would be a good starting point:

• 'Half-caste' and 'Search for My Tongue’

• 'Half-caste' and ‘If—’

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• Comparison summary

• Similarities and differences between the ideas presented in each poem

• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

‘Half Caste’ and ‘Search for My Tongue’

Comparison summary:

Both poems are about cultural identity. ‘Search for My Tongue’ explores identity through language. Whereas, in John Agard’s poem called ‘Half-Caste’, the speaker focuses on identity through language which can be offensive.

Similarities

Differences

'Half-caste' and ‘If—'

Comparison summary:

Both poems explore the concept of strength but do so from different perspectives. ‘Half-caste’ focuses on the individual’s resilience against societal pressure, while ‘If—’ emphasises the qualities that contribute to building a strong and resilient individual.

Differences: