Comparing Nothings Changed and Half-Caste Essay -- Tatamkhulu Afrika

Comparing Nothings Changed and Half-CasteHalf-Caste and Nothings Changed be two verses that, despite havingdifferent subjects, are full of similarities. Both Half-Caste andNothings Changed declare animosity. Although, the object of their angeris different. The anger in Half-Caste is directed at diction, or morespecifically the use of one phrase while the anger in NothingsChanged is towards a culture. In Half-Caste Caribbean dialect is used.Nothings Changed is written in trite English. However, both authors chose to use free verse meaning that neither poem followsspecific rules or patterns.In Half-Caste the poem is written from the writers viewpoint. Whichmeans the contributor is able to see the writers personal feelings aboutthe term half-caste. The opening line, acknowledgment me shows that the poemis written from the writers point of view as excuse me is a phraseused by someone when they want to start a dialogue. I feel that ifthe poem was written from another persons view point it would recedesome of its effect. The emotion in the poem would come across less(prenominal)strongly and seem less real, as it wouldnt be certain whether thewriter actually feels the anger expressed in the poem or tho retrievesthat people might feel that way. Half-Caste is written as aconversation and therefore is in first person. You can see that thepoem is a conversation in lines such as line 33 where it says, Ah hearing to yu... and line 47, ...yu must come back tomorrow. Bothof these lines show that the poet is talk of the town to another person. Ithink this is good as it is original. I as well as think it makes the poemmore personal to you as you read it and so, perhaps, makes you thinkmore about what Agard is saying... ...runch demonstrate the hostility of the environment and the cansmeans there is litter, often places affected by litter are run bring downareas, areas that are not taken care of or unlived in. In the siemensstanza, he uses repetition of the word and to emphasize that everypart of his automobile trunk has been affected. Contrast comes through in hisdescription of the auberge and the surrounding area. arguing 20, ...... thegrass and weeds. points out the difference between the posh new innand its location. Afrika uses contrast later on in the poem too. Infact, stanza five, only if contrasts stanza four, and is there todemonstrate the huge differences between the lives of whites andblacks.Agard uses simple and direct language in Half-Caste. This allows himto get his point across to the reader more intimately than if he were touse lots of unnecessary words and phrases.