Education for Leisure

... The poem 'Education for Leisure' by Carol Ann Duffy features an enigmatic character whose personality is gradually revealed throughout the poem. The poem explores a character disillusioned with the education system under Thatcher rule and the detrimental effect this has on the individual. The poet's clever structure and use of language help reveal to the reader the psychopathic, egotistical and deluded nature of this character which in turn helps augment the reader's understanding of the main theme isolation and the failure of the education system. The poet reveals to the reader at the very beginning of the poem the character's egotistical nature through the very first line: 'Today I am going to kill something. Anything.' The bold and blunt minor sentence 'Anything' is used by Duffy to make the reader take notice of the strange personality of the persona which is emphasised by the short minor sentence, heightening the impact.

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