Flag

Flag, the poem, had a strong impact on me as I was all about how a simple flag can signify so much. Countries can be torn apart just from a piece of cloth, and countries can unify just from a piece of cloth. The white flag is a symbol of a country surrendering in a war, while a raised British flag means they have won the war. The poem has a strong sound to it, and it also has a strong meaning. The poem explains many different situations, such as; what’s that unfurling on a pole? It’s just a piece of cloth that makes the guts of men grow bold. This is referring to soldiers looking at their nation’s flag, and making them have a strong sense of pride that they are fighting for their country. The poem has five stanzas, each with three lines. The middle line is shorter than the other two lines in the stanza. It is in this form because in old medieval times, flags used to be shaped like this. Some of the strong words in the poem are; bold, unfurling, rising, flying, nation to its knees, makes the guts of men grow bold and there are many more. The author of the poem, John Agard, says that this poem represents how national symbols bind nations together, but also drives people apart. Agard grew up in British Guyana and was taught all about British history, but Guyana was nothing like Britain. This explains why he feels that Flags drive people apart, because he may have been from British Guyana, but he never learned about his own country’s history.