Tom Leonard - 6 O'Clock News
A comment by Rendell Harris at www.englishresources.co.uk © 2000 English Resources, University of Wales
This poem has a comic tone. It is written phonetically in a Scottish accent. The poem is begins with a narrative voice reading the news. The main thrust of the poem is that people will not believe the truth if it is not read out to them in a "BBC accent", i.e. Standard English. The poet is not only mocking the insistence on Standard English but also attacking his own people for not having enough pride in their own culture.
KEY POINTS
 | Think about what the writer is saying about language: do you think he believes that the way you talk, spell and punctuate matters? If he doesn't then why not, what point is he making about language and "trooth"? |
| Who is the poem directly addressed to and who might the other audiences for the poem be? |
| Look at the structure of the poem. Is the narrow way it is laid out commenting on the way the poet feels that his language is being constricted? |
http://www.newi.ac.uk/englishresources/workunits/ks4/poetry/rhpfocat.html