Compare how voices are used in ‘Singh song’ and ‘check out me history’
‘Singh Song’ and ‘Checking out me history’ are poem which explore cultural identity. In ‘Singh song’ a shopkeeper has recently married. He discusses how he would rather spend time with his wife rather than working. Throughout the poem we hear the voices of the discontented customers and his wife. In ‘Check out me history’ the poet tells the history of people that hasn’t been told. He feels excluded because his heritage has been discounted. Elements of oral communication in the poem, such as chanting and strong rhymes, emphasise how important voice and dialect are to a person who is learning about their cultural identity.

In these poem both narrators are expressing their thoughts and feelings, therefore they’re written in free verse without any restrictions of rhyme. In ‘Singh Song’ shows that everyone in the poem is able to express all their feelings, particularly his wife who uses derogatory language towards his parents “making fun at my daddy” and “effing at my mum”. In contrast, in “Check out me history” uses a strict rhyming scheme of quatrains. This is used to reflect the confinements of the education system which adds the frustration of the narrator. The use of quatrains also make the poem sound like a nursery rhyme, as a result

The language of the narrators reflects the characters and emphasises their culture. In ‘Check out me History’ the poet uses language from childhood. He refers to nursery rhymes such as “Dick Whittington and he cat” and “de dish ran away from de spoon”. The stern atmosphere of this poem contrasts with the carefree tone of ‘Singh song’.

Both poems use dialect and phonetic language to emphasise the link between voice and culture. ‘Singh Song’ is written in phonetic Indian English. This is seen through the quote “on di squeak ov di girls dat are pinching