Starter quiz
- Agard's poem 'Half-caste' challenges the inappropriate and out-dated term 'half-caste'. Nowadays, instead of saying 'half-caste', we could use the terms ...
- heritage
- dual heritage ✓
- we should avoid talking about someone's race
-
- What does the word 'facetious' mean?
- something that entertains or brings pleasure, often by provoking laughter
- something profoundly moving or emotionally touching
- treating serious issues with inappropriate humour, to entertain or amuse ✓
- a state of nervousness, strain, or anxiety, often due to conflict
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- John Agard is passionate about his Caribbean heritage. We know this because ...
- he used to work as the British Ambassador to Jamaica.
- he is also an award-winning Calypso musician.
- he used to work in British schools, promoting knowledge of Caribbean culture. ✓
- he made a film about his childhood in Guyana.
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- What type of language is used to indicate personal interpretations of a text?
- tentative ✓
- tenuous
- imperative
- questioning
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- Which types of conflict can we most strongly identify in the poem 'Half-caste'?
- inner conflict
- interpersonal conflict ✓
- environmental conflict
- economic conflict
- societal conflict ✓
-
- Which of these examples does Agard provide in 'Half-caste' to explore the beauty of combining different elements?
- cooking using a range of ingredients
- mixing colours for painting ✓
- using different materials to build a house
- using different notes to make music ✓
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Exit quiz
- What does the term prejudice mean?
- lack of fairness or justice; violation of rights or equality
- feeling or showing envy or resentment towards someone's achievements
- lack of knowledge, understanding, or awareness about a particular subject
- a negative opinion towards an individual or group, based on an unfair perception ✓
-
- What does unconscious mean?
- deliberate or purposeful, done with awareness and planning
- mental processes or actions not actively perceived or controlled by someone ✓
- not justified or deserved, lacking a valid reason or basis
- impossible to deny or dispute, clearly evident or unquestionable
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- Which of these types of language does Agard use in 'Half-caste' to make the speaker seem friendly and 'normal'?
- complex language
- informal language ✓
- borrowed words from other languages
- tentative language
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- In the poem 'Half-caste', the words "yuh", "mih" and "dem" are all examples of which type of spelling?
- standardised
- inaccurate
- phonetic ✓
- poetic
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- Which of the following quotes from 'Half-caste' is an example of an imperative?
- "explain" ✓
- "tchaikovsky"
- "yuself"
- "mix"
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- What is an unconscious prejudice?
- biased attitudes based on logical reasoning or factual evidence
- biased attitudes that individuals hold without awareness or deliberation ✓
- willingness to consider diverse perspectives without preconceived notions
- intentional bias that individuals are aware of and actively express
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The short lines and lack of punctuation make the poem sound conversational in tone.
- The lack of punctuation could create a sense of strong emotion, illustrating Agard's frustration.
- It is written in a mixture of dialects, perhaps reflecting the merging of identities.
- Agard uses direct address to encourage the reader to challenge their prejudices.
- Agard uses a series of comparisons to underline the ridiculousness of these prejudicial thoughts.
Common misconception
The poem is solely directed at the silent listener ("yu") who is addressed in the opening of the poem.
It could be argued that this silent listener could symbolise all readers (or listeners) of this poem since the speaker discusses how they will behave when they are "introduced" to the "yu" figure, implying they haven't yet met.
Keywords
Interpersonal conflict - disagreement or tension between individuals or groups
Prejudices - unjustified negative opinion towards an individual or group, based on an unfair perception of them
Unconscious - mental processes or actions not actively perceived or controlled by the individual
Facetious - treating serious issues with inappropriate humour, often to entertain or provoke amusement
Dialect - regional or social variety of language with distinct grammar, pronunciation or vocabulary
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