Listen Mr. Oxford don
By John Agard, taken from Mangoes and Bullets, Serpent’s Tail, 1985
By John Agard, taken from Mangoes and Bullets, Serpent’s Tail, 1985
In this assignment you are going to analyse a poem on the use of Caribbean English in contrast with Standard British English. This is a follow-up exercise of Windrush Child. First, you will listen to John Agard reading his poem. You will listen to how the Caribbean English variety sounds and how using it in the poem influences the message of the poem. Then you will learn about the historical relationship between some Caribbean islands and the UK, so you can put the poem into context. After that you will think about the advantages and significance of using Caribbean English. You will finish the assignment by reflecting on how your language influences your identity and what you would do when moving to a new environment.
You will need about 60-90 minutes.
analyse how the Caribbean English variety affects the message of the poem
explain the advantages and significance of Caribbean English
put the poem into its cultural context
you can use the poem to reflect on your own identity and on how you adapt to new situations
For teachers who want to adapt this assignment into the classroom, a small set of instructions can be found here. It is highly advisable to finish the "Windrush Child" assignment first.
First, listen to John Agard reading his poem.
Second, listen one more time and read along.
Answer the questions below and provide explanations.
Mr Oxford don is not entirely made up, ‘don’ is actually how some people are addressed at Oxford.
a. Look up what the meaning of Oxford don is and write it down.
b. Who or what do you think Mr Oxford don represents in the poem?
c. What are the ways in which the speaker’s use of English can be seen as dangerous? Provide a description of the two types of danger in the poem.
d. Why would Mr Oxford don see the language as it is used in the poem as dangerous? Explain.
Why does the speaker say he is “mugging the Queen’s English?”. Describe how the expression of this poem could be seen as a rebellion against the representatives of the Queen’s English (last line). In your description, touch on the following aspects of the poem: spelling (written) and pronunciation (performance).
Read the history note on the right of the page.
a. Regarding the fact that English has been spoken for hundreds of years in the Caribbean, describe how this contradicts the accusation in stanza 6.
b. How is the speaker’s retreat to Clapham Common ironic? To answer this question, you can have a look at the information in the Windrush Child assignment and think about the people who live in Clapham Common. You can find information about the population here, and especially on the sixth slide. As Clapham Common is part of Lambeth, you will have to look for Lambeth to find more information on its population.
Explain from the perspective of the speaker what the advantages and significance are of Caribbean English.
As an immigrant in the UK, the speaker does not belong to the UK and neither to his home country. In expressing this sense of not belonging, language plays an important role in the poem.
a. How would that make the speaker feel, not belonging to either country?
b. What compromise does the speaker offer in the last two stanza’s and the last line, in order for the speaker to build a new identity in the UK?
The spread of English around the world is part of the history of the Windrush Generation. The Caribbean islands have different settlement histories, due to the several European colonial powers that used to be in charge. English was brought there in the early seventeenth century, which puts the Caribbean varieties of English among the oldest in the world.
People from the Caribbean were British passport holders. These countries were once British colonies and their inhabitants were encouraged to think of Britain as the 'Mother Country'. The colonies are now independent nations, but many continue to use English as their main language or second language. However, this is not the case on all of the islands such as Puerto Rico and Cuba (Spanish).
Write down what you would do if you had to move to a different country or region. You can take a region in your own country, a place where (a variety of) your native language is spoken, or a place abroad where (a variety of) your native language is not spoken.
Explain how that would influence your identity and the language you use. Include what is important for you to keep and what things you think are important to adapt in a new environment. In your reflection, refer to the poem in the sense of how it is similar to or different from what you are writing.
This written piece should be about 250 words.