Power & Conflict (AQA GCSE English Literature): Exam Questions

The voice shifts from “dem” to “I”.

The speaker uses more Creole to assert identity.

The focus moves from others’ history to his own.

The rhyme scheme breaks down completely.

to show the narrator’s private thoughts in the present

to emphasise nursery rhymes through a different font

to provide comic relief between heavier stanzas

to foreground black history that matters to the speaker

It frames black historical figures as sources of guidance that reveal hidden histories.

It literally describes battlefield visibility in Haiti, Jamaica, and Crimea.

It critiques the rise of electric lighting during empire.

It signals that these stories are fanciful, like fairy-tales.

from “I” to “we”, showing group action and unity

from “you” to “they”, increasing blame

from “dem” to “I”, showing control over history and identity

from names to titles, showing respect for historical figures

to celebrate both British and Caribbean traditions

to attack children’s literature as harmful

to show the speaker prefers fantasy to history

to expose how the taught history can feel trivial beside powerful black histories

strict sonnet form with heroic couplet closure and repeated assonance

non-standard phonetic spelling, use of Creole, and minimal punctuation

heavy end-stopping and rhyming pairs to enforce clarity of meaning

classical references and formal, old-fashioned language

It shows that building identity is ongoing, personal and takes effort.

It suggests the speaker’s identity is already complete and fixed.

It shows respect for the rules taught at school.

It shows anger and a wish for violent revenge against “Dem.”

Both poets use personal voices to show how power controls people, but neither offers hope: Agard’s “Dem tell me” and Blake’s “mind-forg’d manacles” both trap the speaker.

Agard presents a route to agency through a Creole voice and light imagery, while Blake’s cyclical structure and “mind-forg’d manacles” imply show people stuck with no escape.

Both poets attack rulers directly: Agard challenges colonial teaching and Blake blames the “black’ning Church” and “palace walls.”

Agard celebrates cultural freedom through “Toussaint de beacon,” while Blake’s repeated “cry” and “curse” show protest from the city’s poor.

Both poets turn language into identity: Agard’s Creole voice (“Dem tell me”) reclaims lost history, while Rumens’ “child’s vocabulary” keeps her emotional link to her homeland alive.

Both use light to show identity — Agard’s “beacon” and Rumens’ “impression of sunlight” symbolise inner strength — but Agard rebuilds shared history, while Rumens keeps a personal, fragile sense of home

Agard’s “Dem tell me” shows anger at hidden stories, while Rumens’ “no passport” shows acceptance of loss; both use rhythm to show limits on freedom.

Agard’s list of heroes builds an alternative history, while Rumens’ thoughtful tone creates a story-like picture of her homeland; both use emotion and memory to defend their roots.

Both turn language into identity: Agard’s Creole voice (“Dem tell me”) reclaims hidden history, while Rumens’ “child’s vocabulary” keeps emotional ties to home.

Both use light to show identity — Agard’s “beacon” and Rumens’ “impression of sunlight” symbolise inner strength — but Agard rebuilds shared history, while Rumens keeps a personal, fragile sense of belonging.

Agard’s “Dem tell me” shows anger at lost stories, while Rumens’ “no passport” shows acceptance of loss; both use rhythm to show limits on freedom.

Agard’s list of heroes builds an alternative history, while Rumens’ reflective tone creates a story-like homeland; both use emotion and memory to protect their roots.