'Dream half-a-dream' reminds me of Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech.  

I think the poet is encouraging us to open our minds, to see diversity as a positive aspect of our lives and to celebrate differences.

Teacher (EJE)

We are unique.   Being an individual is about celebrating the mixture of influences that make us who we are.   Identity is not about attaching labels but about explaining and rejoicing the complexities of our make up.   We must learn not to fear or judge difference but to learn from it.   Diversity is enriching.

Teacher (JGB)

This is one of my favourite poems - I love it, it's so clever and witty but the underlying message has a strong sting.  The first short stanza is graphic and intriguing - he uses a physical condition to symbolise the term half-caste and two voices.   He continues to use the physical to explain 'half-caste' because its first meaning is to do with the physical - but the second part of the poem tackles the emotional state - the senses and the conscience and inner self which is what is more important.   I like the surreal lines 'half and dream' and 'half a shadow'; and the way he makes a half-caste sound menacing 'when moon begins to glow I cast half-a-shadow'   It makes me consider how often we use language and phrases without thinking.

     Once I'd seen Agard performing the poem and discussing it, it meant even more.   He used a quote from George Orwell to explain the poem: 'If thought can control language, language can control thought'.   He talked about the terms half-blood and half-breed (and the way the Nazis were obsessed with the idea of 2 people together).   He made us understand the indignity of the phrase 'half-caste'.

     The end of the poem is effective too.   When we understand this much of what he's saying he might try and explain more - there's so much - he's tempting us to want to know, but knows that many of us can't really be bothered.   How can such a fractional term describe total humanity?   So he leaves us with half his feelings on the subject and self-questioning - really those who don't understand are 'half-castes'.

Teacher (LWA)

The poem makes me realise that it's difficult for some people to 'fit in' to our world and we should all take the time to sit down and talk to discuss our differences so that the world can live in peace rather than conflict brought about by our prejudices.

Teacher (JWI)

This is a fun poem because you start off reading about someone who is called 'half-caste', and end up realising that he is saying that it is YOU who is only half-a-person, with half-a-mind.

     Actually, I'd never thought of people of mixed race as 'half-a-person'.   I'd always thought of them as 'twice-as-special', because they carried within themselves two gene pools, two cultural traditions, a merged identity.   So I was a bit put out when he started accusing me of only having half-a-mind, when he hadn't bothered to find out what I felt about it: he was doing what he was accusing me of doing - judging without bothering to find out about the person he was speaking to.

Teacher (JCL)

This is an angry man with a sharp tongue berating people who should know better for their narrow-mindedness.   As someone who comes from a multicultural city I agree with Agard that differences should be celebrated; everyone is a whole and valuable individual.

Teacher (SDO)

This is a performance poem designed to make the audience aware that 'half-caste' is a derogatory term.   He wants people to look at him as a whole person, and not just at his skin colour.

     Personally, I think Agard is over-reacting to the term 'half-caste'.   When people use it, they don't mean to be offensive, so he need not take it personally.

Teacher (PMA)