John Agard - Half-caste
John Agard
was born in Guyana in 1949.
His mother was Portuguese and his father was Guyanan.
He worked in a library, and published books of poetry.
For a time he was an actor.
He moved to join his father in Britain in 1977, and became a full-time poet.
He gives exciting and amusing live performances of his poetry at poetry festivals,
but also in books and on radio and television.
The term 'half-caste' is an old - now rarely used - derogatory term for a person of mixed race.
Its idea 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'.
Half-CasteWrite a little about the term 'half-caste' - its meaning, and how we think about it nowadays. You may find the following websites helpful if you want to extend your ideas:
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John AgardWrite a little about John Agard's background, and suggest how this might have affected the way he thinks about the term 'half-caste'. You may find the following websites helpful if you want to extend your ideas:
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