Compare Checking Out Me History and Kamikaze: Grade 9 Thesis & Quotes (AQA)

Quick Comparison Grid (The “Ninja Cheat Sheet”)

1. Institutional Control: “Chartered” Streets vs. “Bandaged” Eyes

London:

• Blake uses the repetition of the word “chartered” (“chartered street,” “chartered Thames”) to show that even nature has been mapped, owned, and restricted by the state.
• The metaphor of “mind-forged manacles” is the poem’s central pillar—it suggests that the most effective form of oppression is the one people create for themselves by believing in the state’s rules.
• Elite Link: The “blackening Church” and “Palace walls” are presented as physical symbols of moral and political failure, showing that the institutions meant to protect the people are actually the ones crushing them.

Checking Out Me History:

• Agard uses the metaphor of physical injury (“Bandage up me eye,” “Blind me to me own identity”) to show that the education system is not just ignoring him—it is actively wounding his sense of self.
• The repetition of “Dem tell me” creates a sense of a monolithic, faceless authority that controls the flow of information, much like Blake’s “chartered” authorities.
• Elite Link: By contrasting “1066 and all dat” with the “vision” of Toussaint L’Ouverture, Agard shows that the curriculum is a tool of “blindness” used to maintain the status quo of the “Empire.”

Explore: Both poets present institutions as “blinding” forces, but while Blake focuses on the physical and spiritual decay of the city, Agard focuses on the intellectual and cultural erasure of the individual.

2. The Voice of Rebellion: The “Cry” vs. The “Chant”

London:

• Blake documents the “cries” of the vulnerable: the “Chimney-sweeper’s cry” and the “Harlot’s curse.” These are sounds of pain and despair, but they are not yet sounds of organized rebellion.
• The sibilance in “runs in blood down Palace walls” creates a sinister, whispering sound that suggests the hidden violence of the state.
• Elite Link: The poem ends with the “Marriage hearse” oxymoron, suggesting that in a “chartered” society, even the most hopeful human connections are doomed to become symbols of death.

Checking Out Me History:

• Agard uses Patois and oral rhythms to create a “chant” of resistance. Unlike the “cries” in London, Agard’s voice is active, musical, and celebratory.
• He uses vivid, light-filled imagery for his own heroes (“Toussaint, a slave / with vision,” “Mary Seacole, a healing star”) to contrast with the “cold” and “blind” history of the British.
• Elite Link: The verb “carving” in the final line suggests a physical, laborious act of creation—Agard is not just complaining about the system; he is actively building something new outside of it.

Explore: Blake’s voice is that of a witness documenting a tragedy, while Agard’s voice is that of a rebel enacting a revolution—both use language to expose the “manacles” of their time.

3. Structure: The Cage vs. The Breakout

London:

• The regular ABAB rhyme scheme and four quatrains create a rigid, repetitive structure that mirrors the “chartered” streets. The poem itself is a “mind-forged manacle” that traps the reader in the city’s misery.
• The cyclical structure (beginning and ending in the streets) suggests there is no exit from the system Blake describes.
• Elite Link: The heavy use of caesura and end-stopped lines creates a sense of “stoppage” and restriction, reflecting the lack of freedom in the city.

Checking Out Me History:

• The dual structure is a structural rebellion. The “Standard” stanzas are mocking and nursery-rhyme-like, while the “History” stanzas are free-verse, italicized, and rhythmic.
• The lack of punctuation represents a refusal to follow the “rules” of the English language—Agard is literally “un-bandaging” the grammar of the oppressor.
• Elite Link: The poem’s structure “breaks out” of the nursery rhyme form whenever a black hero is mentioned, showing that true history cannot be contained by the “Standard” system.

Explore: Blake uses structure to enact the prison, while Agard uses structure to enact the escape—both use form as a political argument against control.

Context Comparison (AO3 Power Move)

Elite Insight: Blake’s “London” is the blueprint for the prison, while Agard’s “History” is the blueprint for the breakout. Both poets argue that the state’s greatest power is its ability to “bandage” the mind, and both argue that the poet’s job is to tear those bandages off.

Exam Sentence Starters

1. “While Blake presents a stagnant, systemic prison where the state ‘charters’ every aspect of life, Agard utilizes a dynamic, vocal rebellion to dismantle the ‘blind’ colonial education system…”
2. “Both poets explore the ‘mind-forged’ nature of oppression: Blake through the metaphor of ‘manacles’ that people create for themselves, and Agard through the ‘bandages’ placed over his eyes by the curriculum…”
3. “The ‘chartered Thames’ in London serves as a direct parallel to the ‘Standard English’ nursery rhymes in Checking Out Me History, as both represent the state’s attempt to own and restrict the natural flow of life and history…”
4. “Blake’s use of rigid quatrains mirrors the inescapable misery of the city, whereas Agard’s use of dual structures and non-standard punctuation enacts his refusal to be contained by institutional rules…”
5. “Contextually, Blake’s radical critique of the Industrial Revolution’s ‘manacles’ parallels Agard’s post-colonial critique of the ‘Empire’s’ curriculum, as both poets challenge the ‘official’ narratives of their time…”

FAQs

What is the best poem to compare with London?

Checking Out Me History is perfect for institutional control. You can also compare it to Ozymandias for the fall of power, or The Prelude for the power of nature vs. the city.

What is the best poem to compare with Checking Out Me History?

London is excellent for oppression and the state. Alternatively, compare it to Kamikaze for cultural identity, or The Emigree for memory and heritage.

What is the best theme linking London and Checking Out Me History?

Institutional Power and Individual Identity—specifically, how schools, churches, and governments try to “bandage” or “charter” the way we see the world.

What quotes should I compare between London and Checking Out Me History?

• “Mind-forged manacles” (London) vs. “Bandage up me eye” (History)—both show how the mind is restricted by outside forces.
• “Chartered street” (London) vs. “Dem tell me” (History)—the feeling of being controlled by a faceless authority.
• “Blackening Church” (London) vs. “Mary Seacole, a healing star” (History)—the contrast between a corrupt institution and a “visionary” individual.

How do I compare structure in London and Checking Out Me History?

Blake uses rigid, repetitive quatrains to mirror the inescapable, “chartered” nature of the city. Agard uses dual structures and a lack of punctuation to physically break the “rules” of the system he is critiquing. Both use form to show the tension between control and freedom.

What is a Grade 9 thesis for London vs. Checking Out Me History?

“While Blake presents a stagnant, systemic prison where the state and church ‘charter’ every aspect of human life, Agard utilizes a dynamic, vocal rebellion to dismantle the ‘blind’ colonial education system, arguing that true liberation begins with the rejection of institutional narratives.”

Read Next

• • • • London Revision Sheet
      • Checking Out Me History Revision Sheet
      • Power & Conflict Comparisons Hub