Exam Tips

✅ Best Poem to Compare with ‘Half-Caste’

The strongest comparison (based on themes of identity, language, and cultural conflict) would be:

🔥 ‘Search for My Tongue’ by Sujata Bhatt

Both poems:

  • Explore cultural identity and language.
  • Use non-standard English or another language to express personal conflict.
  • Critique how external perceptions affect self-worth and voice.

🧭 Step-by-Step Guide: Comparing ‘Half-Caste’ and ‘Search for My Tongue’

Step 1: Understand the Question

Most comparison questions ask:

“Compare how the poets explore identity in ‘Half-Caste’ and one other poem.”

Underline the keywords: compare, identity, explore, poets.

Step 2: Introduction (2–3 sentences)

Briefly introduce both poems and their shared theme.

✅ Example:
“Both ‘Half-Caste’ by John Agard and ‘Search for My Tongue’ by Sujata Bhatt explore personal and cultural identity. The poets use language, tone, and structure to express how cultural expectations affect the way they are perceived and how they view themselves.”

Step 3: Compare Themes

Discuss what both poems say about identity or language.

  • ‘Half-Caste’: Anger and defiance against being called “half”; challenges labels.
  • ‘Search for My Tongue’: Anxiety over losing one’s cultural voice; eventual pride in its resilience.

✅ Tip: Use words like similarly, however, both, unlike to link.

Step 4: Compare Language and Style

How do the poets use:

  • Dialect or foreign language?
    • Agard: Caribbean Creole (“wha yu mean…”)
    • Bhatt: Gujarati section to show inner voice
  • Imagery or metaphor?
    • Agard: Mixed paint, music – shows value of mixed heritage.
    • Bhatt: Dying/growing tongue – language as living.

Step 5: Compare Tone and Voice

  • Agard: Sarcastic, bold, mocking prejudice.
  • Bhatt: Reflective, emotional, proud.

✅ Discuss how tone adds emotional impact.

Step 6: Compare Structure

  • Agard: Free verse, short lines, irregular structure = rejection of rules.
  • Bhatt: Switch from English to Gujarati and back = inner conflict and resolution.

Step 7: Conclusion (2–3 sentences)

Summarise your main comparison points.

✅ Example:
“Both poets assert pride in their identity but express it differently—Agard confronts racism directly, while Bhatt illustrates an internal journey of rediscovering her roots. Together, they show how language and cultural background shape a person’s self-worth.”

📝 Bonus: Sentence Starters

  • “The poet uses… to highlight…”
  • “In contrast, the other poet…”
  • “This is similar to… because…”
  • “Both poets show that…”