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How do the narrators in “Checking Out Me History” by John Agard and in “The
Emigree” by Carol Rumens portray the power and their experiences of
identity?
● In “Checking Out Me History”, Agard writes how “Dem tell me… wha dem
want to tell me”
...
The
phonetic spelling of “them” and “what” suggests the narrator’s Caribbean roots
and forces the reader into saying the poem in Agard’s own accent
...

● In “The Emigree” we also get a sense that the narrator is separated from the
world she was once a part of
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However, unlike the narrator in
“COMH”, this narrator seems happy, as the unhappy news of conflict “cannot
break my original view”
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The word “bright” also introduces the motif
of light in the poem, which can often symbolise realisation
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This may make her seem slightly naive to the reader, however
it also gives the impression that this place is a large part of the narrator’s
identity, and that nothing can change this
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These include “1066 and all dat… Dick
Whittington and he cat”
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Additionally, the phrase “all dat” is dismissive, and suggests that he is
sick and tired of hearing about stories that do not relate to his own identity and
heritage
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● However the stories that the narrator in “The Emigree” has been told appear
to stick, as she is “branded by an impression of sunlight”
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Additionally, this appears to suggest that
her view cannot change, despite the “accusations” she faces by “their free
city”
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By
returning to this theme of light, Rumens gives a sense that, despite the
apparent threats to her freedom, the narrator feels hopeful
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Overall, we can see that both the speakers in both poems gain a strong sense of
identity - indeed, Agard writes how he’s “carving out me identity” in the last line
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The speaker in “The Emigree” generally allows the positive thoughts about her “free
city” flow with enjambment, however the use of end-stopped lines in the final stanza
give a sense that she is trapped in the “city of walls”
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Indeed, the repeated
use of “sunlight” in “The Emigree” gives a sense that the speaker’s attitude and
yearning for nostalgic childhood memories will never change
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