Injustice

            
             Choose two poems that show a feeling of injustice.
             "Half-Caste" by John Agard and "Charlotte O"Neil's Song" by Fiona Farrell both portray a feeling of injustice to do with different issues. .
             John Agard addresses the issue of racism in "Half-Caste," and it is obvious from the beginning line of the opening stanza, "Excuse me," that the narrator in the poem is confronting the audience about being labelled in society as "half-caste." The poet uses a very direct approach and it as if the narrator is addressing the audience as the content of the poem hits the reader very physically. The poem is written in English but with the use of Jamaican dialect in order to show that the narrator is not ashamed of who he is or his culture. This helps to achieve the direct, confrontational approach and to gain a relationship with the audience. The poem is very informal and almost conversational. There is no punctuation used as this would divide the poem and contradict the poet's message to the audience. However, forward slashes have been used to replace question marks to reinforce the fact that the narrator is asking the audience why anyone should be called a "half-caste" person and to get a response and an answer from the reader. .
             John Agard's use of imagery is effective in showing the audience how ridiculous it is for someone to be seen by others as "half-caste" and therefore only half a person. He uses two universally known figures, Picasso and Tchaikovsky to help with his use of imagery and to show the feeling of injustice. John Agard intends to show any ignorant, racist people that he is no more "half" a person than "when Picasso mix red an green is a half-caste canvas.".
             Agard then uses the image of the sky to show the feeling of injustice by comparing the word "half-caste" to the universally beautiful image of the sky due to its constant changing of light and dark. The poet then plays with the words "half-caste" and "overcast" to show his anger as "so spiteful dem don't want de sun ah rass/" He is referring to the clouded, ignorant minds of any racist people who prevent him from shining like the Sun.