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tinaturnerbunsenburner
If you don't know, it's a poem in the anthology that refers to the using of a knife to murder someone/thing. AQA have removed it from next year's anthlogy because it 'glorifies knife crime' What do you think? Discuss.


Are you sure? In the article I read, it said it'd be left in the Anthology, but they wouldn't be asking questions on it in the exam - although centres could still teach it... :erm:
As if. I studied this poem years back at GCSE. That's really pathetic.
Muppety_Kid
Are you sure? In the article I read, it said it'd be left in the Anthology, but they wouldn't be asking questions on it in the exam - although centres could still teach it... :erm:
that's this years- they don't want to reprint the ones for this year's year group. We were told that the ones in the exam won't have E4L in, and why would a centre teach it if the students weren't examined on it?
tinaturnerbunsenburner
that's this years- they don't want to reprint the ones for this year's year group. We were told that the ones in the exam won't have E4L in, and why would a centre teach it if the students weren't examined on it?


Because you can link in other poems that aren't specifically referred to.
they ban this one, yet continue to allow poems like duffy's psychopath and stafford afternoons to be studied at a level? i don't even see anything particularly bad about education for leisure. :dontknow:
I don't get why AQA think that we even pay that much attention to the poem that we'd do what it said? That would require actually listening to it. It's hardly as if we worship the poetry. (Well, I'll speak for myself!)
Over-reaction. As is common these days.
You never know... People are easily influenced...
rainbow drops
they ban this one, yet continue to allow poems like duffy's psychopath and stafford afternoons to be studied at a level? i don't even see anything particularly bad about education for leisure. :dontknow:


Well, clearly you're not "literary" enough to appreciate the serious nature of the situation. I mean, the AQA spokeswoman said "The decision to withdraw the poem was not taken lightly and only after due consideration of the issues involved". The two (yes, two!) schools that complained have saved us all from the potential dangers posed by disturbed teens who have read this poem.

:rolleyes:

Two schools? What's wrong with them? I don't even know where to begin! :woo:

Anyway, this is the article.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/sep/04/gcses.english

It's nice to see that Carol Ann Duffy's written a poem in reply to the woman who sparked this (link below). :wink:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/06/poetry.gcses
Reply 9
This was a joke. If EforL is going to be banned, then Lord of the Flies which is also on the syllabus should be as well- a story of pre-teens awash an island who descend into barbarianism. EforL is just an accurate representation of the psychology behind knife crime- if anything amongst the most important issues that should be discussed in classrooms.
adilmorrison
You never know... People are easily influenced...


that may be true, but if you look at some of duffy's other poems like the ones i previously suggested, this really doesn't make much sense at all. it's pretty much nothing in comparison to some of the images conveyed in those two, amongst some other duffy poems that i studied at AS last year.

thanks for the rep nothingspek :smile:
Reply 11
It might have glorified knife crime if it was talking about Evisu tops and heroin beforehand but no, I think it's quite unlikely that a poem is likely to influence the kind of people that commit knife crime beforehand. No, these ******** are influenced far more by music.

The poem in response is quite a ******* good reply.
Muppety_Kid
...It's nice to see that Carol Ann Duffy's written a poem in reply to the woman who sparked this (link below). :wink:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/06/poetry.gcses


oh god, another duffy poem. remind me never to complain to any exam board about carol ann duffy in case she writes any more...
I'm pretty annoyed that it's been banned to be honest; what about the novels that we study at GCSE? Catcher in the Rye, for example, 'glorifying' teenage sex, drinking, smoking, whatever next :rolleyes:

And the poem isn't actually promoting knife crime, it's more a cautionary tale about what happens to people in society if they feel left out, and all that. I think 15/16 year olds are mature enough not to read it and feel they have to go out with a knife and 'touch your arm'.
rainbow drops
oh god, another duffy poem. remind me never to complain to any exam board about carol ann duffy in case she writes any more...


:confused:

I'm quite relieved that you're criticising her (although I'm not sure I understand why). I thought you might have missed my sarcasm before and taken offence. :s-smilie:
haha, no, i didn't miss your sarcasm. i just don't like carol ann duffy. :p:

this is all a bit strange really... like other people have said, novels like lord of the flies and catcher in the rye remain on the syllabus while this one poem has been taken off. it's a sad state of affairs when an exam board have to respond to the complaints of two schools in a way that's going to affect every single school using the AQA anthology in the country...
rainbow drops
haha, no, i didn't miss your sarcasm. i just don't like carol ann duffy. :p:

this is all a bit strange really... like other people have said, novels like lord of the flies and catcher in the rye remain on the syllabus while this one poem has been taken off. it's a sad state of affairs when an exam board have to respond to the complaints of two schools in a way that's going to affect every single school using the AQA anthology in the country...


We never studied her, but hell, I'd rather look at whatever she's written that's left in the Anthology - we did Seamus Heaney! I swear he's obsessed with potatoes... :no:
Reply 17
The line "The cat avoids me. The cat knows I am a genius, and has hidden itself" always amused me. It just sounds so retarded!

The poem doesn't 'glorify' knife crime - it makes the protagonist appear to be an absolute twit obsessed with himself and delusions of grandeur, it doesn't make him seem 'cool' or any of the other things that are supposed to make us impressionable teens go out and kill people. :rolleyes:

Oo, oo, and 'The budgie is panicking.' Is it just me or does it just sound hilarious?! Obviously I don't like the insinuation of animal cruelty, but the way it's written it just sounds mental.
Reply 18
ban it - everytime i've respected someones intelligence they've stabbed me.
How about they ban things which actually glorifiy knife crime? What about daytime movies which may have knife crime in it?