In both “Checking Out Me History” and “the Emigree”, the effects of oppression on individuals are intrinsically damaging on the respective speakers. Both Carol Rumens and John Agard present the authorities’ power as a corrupt and oppressive force, but by the end, they critique that their identities can be reclaimed. Firstly, both poems present the silencing of people’s identities as a result of the corrupt authorities. Agard does this to exemplify the hypocrisy of the Eurocentric curriculum he had bee taught in the colonised British Guyana, where he states that “dem tell me wha dem want to tell me” The colloquial, Creole lexis in “dem” is a stark contrast to the possessive pronoun “me”; this juxtaposition proves that what the speaker is being told is but a veneer of the true history, shaped only by the colonialist victors. Agard criticises the tyrannic nature of the British Empire, how they choose to manipulate the narratives to ensure that only their culture comes out on top. Furthermore, this phrase is repeated throughout the poem in an alternate anaphoric fashion, suggesting the fissure between this corrupt retelling of History, and what a true history would be. Alternatively, Agard perhaps uses the juxtaposition throughout the poem as a means to critique that black history can go alongside the Westernised one; yet the sidelining of the black history proves that the British empire is innately corrupt. In similar fashion, Rumens also critiques this damning force emphasised by the corrupt rulers, when she states that her country “was at war”, and was “sick with tyrants”. The lexical choice of “sick” connotes disease and pain, suggesting that the “tyrants” are but a disease to her home country, emphasising how corrupt forces can intrinsically damage a person. Conversely, the “sick” is perhaps a symbol of hope; as Rumens may show that the speaker’s home country can be removed of this sickness, by removing the corrupt “tyrants”. Thus, both poems dictate the corrupt rulers causing the silencing of one’s identities, to critique the destructive nature of a corrupt rule. Secondly, both poems portray this oppression as due to the rulers secluding their respective speakers from their cultural heritage. In “Emigree”, she states the “child’s vocabulary I carried here, like a hollow doll”, suggesting that the oppression is so great her view of her cultural identity is limited to a “child’s vocabulary”. The simile in “a hollow doll” is a critique on vile rule; by the speaker being dragged away from her culture, identity and innate beliefs, Rumens criticises the destructive nature of a brutal ruler, such that the doll, which carries innocent and pure connotation, is but a construct to emphasise her “hollow” nature in knowing what her identity is. Yet perhaps she still chooses to “carr[y]” this doll as a means of a last resort and hope, as she chooses to cling onto the only thing that reminds her of home. Rumens exposes the tyrannic oppression that rulers will have onto innately innocent civilians, just like the Russian immigrants that inspired her to create this poem. Similarly, in “Checking Out Me History”, Agard proceeds to critique colonialist rule, and its devastating affects on the individual, when he states that “dem” “bandage up me eye … blind me to me own identity”. The ironic lexis “bandage” carries connotations of healing and rejuvenation; yet, in this case, the British rulers use this “bandage as a veneer to cast upon the oppressed Afro-Caribbeans, such that they cannot explore their own “identity”. Agard criticises the façade of respectability that the Eurocentric curricula has on one’s identity, sidelining more important historical figures that would be more effective at changing oneself, for example “Nanny de Maroon” and “Mary Seacole”. Consequently, both poems exemplify the damaging demeanour that corrupt rule has on innocent individual, deteriorating what was supposed to be their identity. Finally, the poems move towards a more positive fashion, proving that the respective speakers can reclaim their agency by capturing their true identity. In “Checking Out Me History”, Agard states “but now … I carving out me identity”. The volta towards the end of the poem shows how Agard attempts to ignite the fire of rebellion into the Afro-Caribbean audience, as he criticises that more needs to be done to explore and embody their diverse cultures. Moreover, the poem is comprised of a rigid structure between comparing the Eurocentric and morally right views on history; Agard proves that rebelling against British rule is not damaging, rather is healing to oneself, allowing the readership to explore their diverse identity. Furthermore, the lexis “carving” perhaps denotes that this process of self-reclamation will be painful; yet, Agard may also suggest that this is a permanent fixture towards a better individual, and by extension society as a whole. In a similar lens, Rumens also uses “Emigree” as a means to teach the readership that they can embody a more diverse identity. She states that “my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight”, with this extra line at the end of the poem as a means of rebellion against the “tyrants”. Furthermore, the semantic field of light, through the recurring motifs of “sunlight” that is an epistrophe to every stanza show that society can move towards a more inclusive and hopeful one, carried by the quasi-divine and inspiring connotations of light. Rumens critiques that by learning our cultures, identities and beliefs, we can grow to be more better people, against the corrupt rule. Therefore, the poets construct their respective poems as a critique to oppressive rule, to indicate that contemporary society can rebel and improve by exploring their identities. In conclusion, Agard and Rumens use their poems as a moral diatribe, to expose the deteriorating consequences of colonialist or tyrannical rule, and to emphasise that the oppressed individual must rebel for his identity, to improve oneself and by extension society.