Summary and composition

In this section of the study guide, you can read the summary and our discussion regarding the composition of the poem “Mr and Mrs Xenophobia” by John Agard.

Summary

Mr and Mrs Xenophobia have retired to the suburbs. They are nostalgic over the former British Empire and dislike foreigners. Being old, they started suffering from amnesia and are now treated by Dr Abdullah who is the only one that can tell them whether their memory can be restored.

Composition

Looking at the structure of the poem in terms of inner and outer composition is a good way to start your analysis, as it can offer you an overall idea about the poet’s style and the themes of the text.

Outer composition

“Mr and Mrs Xenophobia” is formed of five stanzas of different lengths with generally short lines. The longest stanza is comprised of ten lines (stanza 3) while the shortest of one single line (stanza 5). In the same way, the shortest lines are made up of a single word while the longest one has seven words (p. 73, l. 3).

The poet uses both rhyming lines and blank verses. The rhyme combines blank verses with couplets, tercets, and alternate rhymes. 

For instance, lines 1 and 3 rhyme alternatively, while line 2 is a blank verse because it does not rhyme with any other in the poem:

Mr and Mrs Xenophobia 
moved
to...