Our English students are being failed by dead poets

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

‘My English students looked at the scansion in pop, rap and rock music’ (PA)

Good man, Anthony Anaxagorou! His article on how pupils are being failed by the teaching of English GCSE is dead right (“GCSE English is too pale, male and stale – I have an idea to change all that”, Monday 9 December).

As a former English teacher for over 30 years, I discovered the only approach to the problem of poetry revulsion was to ask students what they were listening to.

I dared to examine their canon, chock full of juicy rap rhymes and rhythm. I let them arbitrate. We looked at the scansion in pop music, rap, rock and anything they listened to or sang all day and night.

They wrote and performed their poetry in class and at local poetry events. In some cases, despite average marks in their exams, some went on to write and perform after they’d left school.

But then the decision to remove listening and speaking from GCSE English shot these wonderful views out of the sky.

I’m sure Michael Gove will have his excuses, but removing speaking and the ability to listen well – and sacrificing all that rich street view for dead poets – was a massive mistake.

There’s an old Irish saying: “It is your own way, you must do it.” Tough enough, but that’s what the writers who we still read and love did.

Bernard MacDonagh

Address supplied

Jaguar’s electric shock

It has become evident to me why the public are not buying electric vehicles (“Charging ahead or falling behind? Independent readers debate the UK’s electric vehicle dilemma”, Tuesday 10 December).

My EV has now been off the road for 12 weeks, the first six weeks taken up by the Jaguar technicians identifying the fault on my car.

A replacement internal charger was then ordered, but Jaguar was not able to provide a delivery date for this replacement part. So far, I have been waiting three months off the road, and counting.

This is my personal experience, but I know I am not the only driver who is suffering after having converted to an electric vehicle.

I find it incredulous that a brand like Jaguar – who is currently promoting their new luxury electric range – is unable to even provide a date for the supply of a replacement part. How long am I expected to wait with my car off the road?

Until electric vehicle manufacturers properly organise their supply chains for replacement parts – as well as better infrastructure on the roads – I doubt we will see people abandoning their petrol vehicles any time soon.

Stephen Thorington-Jones

Duloe, Cornwall

Feud for thought

It would seem Cain and Abel had nothing on the Murdoch family (“Rupert Murdoch loses Fox News ‘Succession case’ in bitter family row”, Tuesday 10 December).

While Lachlan Murdoch may be his father’s favourite, it has led to his siblings killing the very deal he was set to inherit.

There is a strong likelihood that Rupert Murdoch will try again, appealing to a higher court – but rather than hiring legal counsel, it might be best to go to a family counsellor.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne, Australia

Railing against

The majority of train travellers will no doubt be delighted that our profit-orientated private train companies are to be renationalised as their franchises run out (“What will nationalisation mean for Britain’s rail network and passengers?”, Wednesday 4 December).

It’s now abundantly clear that Margaret Thatcher’s concept of privatising utilities to put profits and dividends into the hands of the public, while initially quite successful, hasn’t worked as planned.

It has now run its time, demonstrated by a widespread selling off of essential utilities to overseas companies. So much for possession by British shareholders!

Ironically, not long ago, there was much chatter about selling off parts of the NHS – a cause of worry to the public, who could imagine a charge being introduced to see a doctor, if you could get an appointment.

Is it not time now to review the ownership of all utilities, be they gas, electricity, national grid, toll motorways, estuarial bridges or any other distributed publicly owned essential national infrastructure?

It is the purpose of government to provide the aforementioned infrastructure to enable the country to be effective and efficient without being loaded with vast amounts of debt and above all, profits going to grossly overpaid chief executives and shareholders. It is the taxpayer who should own and the taxpayer who should take the financial hit or make the profit. 

Is this not why we pay our taxes?

Dr Richard Grant

Address supplied