Britain in 2020 is a peculiar place. We are having an argument over an ancient piece of poetry in a patriotic song, “Rule, Britannia.” Written in 1740, the words include the idea that Britons “never never never shall be slaves,” but the verse was written at the peak of the slave trade, and there is an enormous row – inflamed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a distraction from his multiple policy failures – over whether to sing “Rule, Britannia” in a concert in the Royal Albert Hall.
Rather than wade into the politics of distraction, I am much more interested that the “Rule, Britannia” row comes as the study of poetry in England – the home of so many great poets – is being hit by a wrong-headed decision of the education authority known as “Ofqual,” the Office of Qualifications and Examination Regulation. Ofqual decided that next year, school children will no longer have to study poetry in order to pass exams in English literature. This is daft. Poetry is not for everyone. It can be difficult and off-putting. But so can algebra, geometry and the use of the subjunctive when speaking Spanish. And poetry is also extremely popular with children. According to the Children’s Literacy Trust reading and even writing poetry engaged half the children they surveyed. Poetry is often recited on TikTok and shared on other social media. Children love to play with words and enjoy making patterns of rhythm and rhyme.
As a teenager I was encouraged to recite poetry by heart. One favourite was “On His Blindness” in which the 17th century English poet John Milton laments his loss of eyesight, trying to understand why his one great gift – writing – is “lodged with me useless”.
The inventive poetic arrangement of language will always move the spirit, inspire and touch the soul
Later I was introduced to the works of the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi who followed Arabic models in writing, as did Omar Khayaam in his Rubaiyat, using a literary form which another poet, Sa'ib, says "thrusts the fingernail into the heart." He's right. It does.
This decision by a few Ofqual bureaucrats is supposed to be temporary, but it is also revealing of a mindset of educational defeatism – the belief that children will choose what they think is easy over something supposedly difficult. But how can anyone know whether poetry is difficult unless they study it first? Why – except for administrative convenience – not insist all children study a literary form found in all cultures and all ages?
From Japanese haiku to Persian and Arab verse to Goethe, Homer, Virgil and Wordsworth, to beautiful poems celebrating the world’s great religions, poetry will survive this bureaucratic blunder.
But what is at risk is that some children may miss out on enjoying the complexity of meaning in verse and the music of sounds and rhythm fitting together – a complexity which, you may conclude, underpins the row about the precise meaning of “Rule, Britannia”.
What is clear is that from the nonsense poetry of Edward Lear to the sharp lyrics of hip hop or country ballads, Shakespeare’s sonnets or patriotic but controversial songs, the inventive poetic arrangement of language will always move the spirit, inspire and touch the soul. And teachers know how to teach it.
My own English teacher very cunningly persuaded my (somewhat reluctant) class of 13-year-olds that compulsory lessons on poetry were worth our time by opening a lesson playing songs by Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan.
This was followed by the lyrics of some less distinguished pop songs. We discussed what the words meant and then were inspired to read other kinds of poetry. I thought of that inspiring teacher years later, in 2016 when the Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Bob Dylan for, as the Nobel committee put it, "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."
Rolling Stone magazine voted Dylan the greatest song writer of all time. Accolades from a music magazine to the Nobel committee suggest something worthwhile is being created by poetry which spans high art and popular culture.
And so perhaps the decision to make the study of poetry in England voluntary rather than compulsory may not be such a big deal. If you have ever instructed a teenager that something is not for them, you can be sure they will see it as a clear incitement to do the opposite, and jump into poetry.
The bizarre row over “Rule, Britannia” comes as Mr Johnson’s government faces one of the worst economic slowdowns in any rich country, one of the worst records on coronavirus in Europe, and amid concerns that his plans for Brexit will be implemented incompetently. Even if “Rule, Britannia” is as out of date as the British Empire sending gunboats around the world, poetry, like the human spirit, will win in the end. Bureaucrats and desperate political leaders can’t kill this common human need.
As that great American poet Maya Angelou put it, “You may tread me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I'll rise.”
Gavin Esler is a journalist, author and presenter
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
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England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20US%20Congress%20explained
%3Cp%3E-%20Congress%20is%20one%20of%20three%20branches%20of%20the%20US%20government%2C%20and%20the%20one%20that%20creates%20the%20nation's%20federal%20laws%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20Congress%20is%20divided%20into%20two%20chambers%3A%20The%20House%20of%20Representatives%20and%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%C2%A0The%20House%20is%20made%20up%20of%20435%20members%20based%20on%20a%20state's%20population.%20House%20members%20are%20up%20for%20election%20every%20two%20years%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20bill%20must%20be%20approved%20by%20both%20the%20House%20and%20Senate%20before%20it%20goes%20to%20the%20president's%20desk%20for%20signature%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20political%20party%20needs%20218%20seats%20to%20be%20in%20control%20of%20the%20House%20of%20Representatives%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20The%20Senate%20is%20comprised%20of%20100%20members%2C%20with%20each%20state%20receiving%20two%20senators.%20Senate%20members%20serve%20six-year%20terms%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20political%20party%20needs%2051%20seats%20to%20control%20the%20Senate.%20In%20the%20case%20of%20a%2050-50%20tie%2C%20the%20party%20of%20the%20president%20controls%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Company%20profile
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