‘Compare the ways in which two of the poets studied present their ideas about language and identity in their poetry.’ Essay

Tom Leonard was born in Glasgow in 1994; therefore he possesses a heavy Glaswegian accent, which has led him to believe he has been discriminated against. This has made Leonard struggle with his language and identity. Leonard therefore writes in Glaswegian dialect, to express the problems he has encountered. This links into John Agard’s poem ‘Half Caste’, as Agard feels discriminated against due to the certain colour of his skin and the word ‘half-caste’ suggests he doesn’t belong as a whole and he is therefore struggling to find his true identity.

In the poem Half-Caste Agard feels that many people discriminate against him for the colour of his skin and that they are oblivious of how it may make people feel. Agard also feels confused as why so many people decide to discriminate him for being ‘half-caste’ when many amazing creations and made from a mixture of colours, for example ‘Tchaikovsky’s symphonies’. He shows this by writing with a sarcastic tone. ‘I half-caste human being / cast a half-a-shadow / but yu must come back tomorrow / wid de whole of yu eye / an de whole of yu ear / an de whole of yu mind.’ Agard has written about the way he has been discriminated against, and he explains the way culture forms a barrier between people, due to the colour of their skin. One may view the content as a cry for his own identity as the word ‘half-caste’ suggests that he doesn’t count as a whole person, and not as significant in the world as others believe themselves to be. The sarcasm he has written in shows he is very upset by the assumptions being made towards him.
Similarly the poet Leonard also believes that he is being discriminated against and that people will not be able to understand him due to his strong Glaswegian accent he possesses. Leonard feels that people wouldn’t believe him if he read the news, as they will judge him as an idiot as he’s from Glasgow. ‘if / a toktaboot / thi trooth / lik wanna yoo / scruff yi / widny thingk / it wuz troo.’ Some...