Contrasting Responses: Despair vs Hope
Here's where the poems really differ - Blake paints a picture of complete hopelessness, while Agard fights back with celebration and rebellion. Blake's London feels trapped, but Agard refuses to stay defeated.
Blake's metaphor "mind-forged manacles" is brilliant but depressing. These mental chains suggest that people have been so brainwashed, they've basically imprisoned themselves. The word "mind-forged" makes these chains sound unbreakable, which is pretty bleak.
Agard takes the opposite approach with his motif of light. When he describes Mary Seacole as "a healing star" and "a yellow sunrise," he's fighting back against the darkness of oppression. Stars guide people through dark times, and this metaphor suggests that even after these heroes die, their influence continues.
The reference to Mary Seacole is especially smart - she was a brilliant nurse who helped British troops but got forgotten whilst Florence Nightingale became famous. Agard's basically saying "look at the amazing people you've been taught to ignore!"
Agard's use of free verse and Creole dialect shows he's rejecting the rules imposed on him. The verb "carving" in "carving out me identity" suggests hard work and permanence - he's creating something that will last.
Remember: Blake exposes problems to inspire change, while Agard shows people they have the power to fight back.