Analysis of Poetic References to the 1981 Brixton Riot

Assignment #1 1. What’s being classified in the poem is from Derek Walcott poem XXII from his 1984 poetry collection Midsummer displays an portrayal of conflict that has been brought on by differences in societal classes. XXIII is about the Brixton riots that took place in London in the year 1981. Line 1 2. “ the child’s fairy tale of an antic England—fairy rings, thatched cottages fenced with dog roses, a green gale lifting the hair of Warwickshire.” Lines 15 ‘. Their thick skulls bled with rancor when the riot police and the skinheads exchanged quips” lines 15 3. Walcott makes a very interesting point in the poem when he writes “ Their thick skulls bled with rancor when the riot police and the skinheads exchanged quips you could trace to the Sonnets, or the Moor’s eclipse”. This sentence is important because it describes one of the main points that address how differences in societal classes spur conflict. Walcott is saying the fact the English white people although from different societal classes ( riot police is opposed to skinheads), both treat the black West Indians with all kinds of social racial prejudice. The second half of the line refers to Shakespeare Sonnets and Othello which features the demise of a black character. Line 10-20 4. Rancor – a feeling of hate or anger. 5. The skinheads are evil and use to be a noisy but anti establishment and anti racist subculture. The moors came to mean anyone who was muslim or had dark skin. Assignment #2 1. . How does the author “see” England for the first time? Seeing England for the first time is that in reality neither is she looking at England nor is this her first encounter with England. 2. According to the author, what was the instruction to “Draw a map of England” meant to make her feel? In doing this she make a social appeal to anyone looking for a view of colonization. In using descriptive language she make you feel sorry for her in the how she had to ‘ Draw a map of England”. 3. . According to the author, how are the effects of her personal prejudices different from those of English people? 1. Why is the speaker in Brixton? The speaker is in Brixton to present lectures about English literature. 2. What types of details describe the speaker’s idea of a “child’s fairy tale” of England? The fair tales , fairy rings and thatched cottages fenced with dog roses readers can tell that the speaker feels that an idealized version of England does not exist. 3. In lines 20–21, what events does the speaker cite as beginning and ending the English empire? English Empire was something which British people have taken over in the past centuries. Research to explore e Conduct research to find out about either the history of British rule in Antigua or the Brixton riots of April 1981. Share what you discover with your group. Antigua and Barbuda, islands that form an independent state in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea, at the southern end of the Leeward Islands chain. There is one dependency, the small island of Redonda. The capital is St. John’s, on Antigua. In 1981, the islands gained their independence from the United Kingdom, and became the nation of Antigua and Barbuda. However, the nation remains a British Commonwealth and constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as their Queen.[1] Review and Clarify With your group, reread paragraph 5 of “On Seeing England for the First Time.” Discuss the comparison the author makes between her idea of England and the reality of her surroundings in the Caribbean. How has she been made to feel that her home is inferior to England? In Jamaica Kincaid’s nonfiction story, On Seeing England for the First Time, it is about Jamaica’s experience in Antigua when everything was representative of England and how glorious of a place it is. However Jamaica saw the real side of England when she went and it wasn’t as grand as it was made out to be. In her story, she described that the majority of things made in England helped to prove the point of social status and if a family had wealth. She focused mainly clothing and fashion being a symbol of power. People usually view clothing to be a symbol of sex or seduction as well as a symbol of personality however in this it is symbolized to be a sign of power and wealth. It has made her feel like home again because of how got to see England and they different cultures and she learned to adapt as she was there. 2. . Present and Discuss Now, work with your group to share the passages from the selections that you found especially important. Take turns presenting your passages. Discuss what details you noticed, what questions you asked, and what conclusions you reached. 3. Essential Question: How do people come to have different views of society? What have these texts taught you about society? Discuss with your group. People have different views because they have different sets of information or knowledge about the subject being viewed. XXII from Midsummer has taught that conflict between two societal classes are caused by prejudice that the West Indians have faced for centuries ever since they forced into slavery by English people in the colonial era. Also the historical context includes a uprising of West Indian youths against a society that does not welcome them or respect their rights.