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Half-CasteThis poem develops a simple idea which is found in a familiar, if outdated phrase
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Half-Caste This poem develops a simple idea which is found in a familiar, if outdated phrase. Half-caste as a term for mixed race is now rare. The term comes from India, where people are rigidly divided into groups (called castes) which are not allowed to mix, and where the lowest caste is considered untouchable. In the poem John Agard pokes fun at the idea. He does this * with an ironic suggestion of things only being "half" present, * by puns, and * by looking at the work of artists who mix things. It is not clear whether Agard speaks as himself here, or speaks for others. The poem opens with a joke - as if "half-caste" means only half made (reading the verb as cast rather than caste), so the speaker stands on one leg as if the other is not there. Agard ridicules the term by showing how the...
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