The character in Education for leisure sees himself as a genius, and also has some strange ideas about certain concepts, for example when he says “Today I am going to play God” he sees God, to be a being that kills and causes pain and suffering compared to the usual image of a God how created the world. Although he starts off killing Animals, such as the fly he seems to be planning a murder from the very beginning “It is an ordinary day”, this leads us to believe that it san ordinary day for whoever he chooses as his next victim, who could be almost anyone. Also it is strange that usually when somebody plans a murder it is for a reason, for example revenge on a particular person however this murder seems to involve anyone. The character seem to want to kill somebody not because they have done wrong to him, but for recognition, he has never done anything outstanding and wishes to be noticed instead of just another person in the blur of modern day life. As for control he wants, like God to be the person who decides who lives or dies and he starts of with something small “I squash a fly against the window with my thumb”.
The character in stealing does not take his lonely life as far; he unlike the character in education for leisure seems to accept his lonely life and is not resentful of other people. He simply steals from peoples houses compared to planning murder. However the character in stealing is seems very selfish, he doesn’t care about the children crying over their snowman “Life’s tough” and even goes so far as to say that that was one of the reasons why he wanted to steal the snowman in the first place. At the start of the poem the character seems enthusiastic about stealing however this quickly dissipates as the poem progresses. The tone of both of the poems also differs, for example in Education for leisure it gives a cold, violent and almost icy feel compared to a more sinister and ominous tone in Stealing “I watch my gloved hand twisting the doorknob”.
The imagery in both poems although conveying a similar theme still manage to be quite different, in Education for leisure the character says in the first stanza “A sort of grey boredom stirring in the streets” successfully gives us an image of boredom, however Education for leisure also contains some rather strange imagery “I’m so bored I could eat myself”. Stealing contains similar imagery however It is used to describe feeling and is at times equally strange “A mate with a mind as cold as a slice of ice within my own brain” this quote conquers up an almost icy pain in the reader. Again “His torso, frozen stiff, hugged to my chest, a fierce chill piercing my gut” also makes the reader fell as though they can fell the pain the character is enduring as he drags the stolen snowman home. The word hugged in this quote is also strange; a word which usually means something positive is used here to create some strange imagery.
The form of both poems is also different however both successfully convey the feeling’s of the characters. In Education for leisure s written in iambic pentameter and as so consists of longer sentences to tell the story of the character, however in stealing the poem is written in iambic tetrameter and consists of mostly shorter sentences which help give the poem a more sinister and calculating feel. “Midnight, he looked magnificent”, “Boredom.” and “A stranger’s bedroom”. This helps the poem convey the ominous tone which gives it its full effect.
The character in each poem differs substantially, in Education for Leisure we see a desperate and sadistic character who enjoys causing pan and suffering to others and even goes so far as to plan a murder to get some attention and to be noticed and admired. In Stealing we see a childlike and innocent character in the first stanza; however this character develops into a sinister and ominous charter by the third stanza. “He looked magnificent” “I watch my gloved hand twisting the doorknob”. The character in stealing tells us that stealing makes him feel alive. “Part of the thrill was knowing that children would cry in the morning”. We learn from his actual violent destruction of the snowman that he didn’t really want it, it was just the fact that he was stealing and that it would cause pain and suffering to others.
The character in Education for Leisure shows both pride and arrogance. He believes himself to be a genius and blames everybody else for his lack of recognition. Throughout the poem he seems to want control. He likens himself to God, saying that he is going to choose whether something will live or die. He seems to have lived a “mentally alone” life, however it s suggested that he lives with someone “I get our bread-knife and go out”. He wants to be famous, or rather thinks that he s famous and yet seems to be crying out for people to recognise him and know him. “They don’t appreciate my autograph” “I dial the radio and tell the man he’s talking to a superstar”.
The form of both poems is different Education for Leisure is written in regular quatrains compared to the pentains of stealing. Education for leisure uses first person (like stealing) telling us about themselves with no regular rhyme or metre. Education for Leisure uses a substantial amount of enjambment, stealing does use enjambment but not as much. The look of the poem on the page is more or less the same. Education for leisure shows few features of a poem and could nearly be mistaken for a piece of prose.
It appears that the poet in Education for Leisure has some Education, he mentions doing Shakespeare at school, which helps us fully understand the title of the poem. Education for leisure in the sense that the poet’s Education has come to nothing. The poet in Stealing seems to have some Education, as he manages to recognise Shakespeare when he says “I nicked a bust of Shakespeare once, flogged it”. The poet in Stealing says that he steals things that he doesn’t need which helps to show us how selfish the character is. He also says that he just steals for the thrill, knowing that what he does will cause pain and dismay in the victims.
The language is Education for Leisure is surprisingly conversational for someone who is planning on murdering someone. The character in Education for Leisure is deliberately ambiguous. The writer uses this to help create the ominous and cold feel this also gives the reader the fell that this could be anybody; you don’t know who could be a sociopath like the character here. In Stealing the character also uses conversational language, which in this case would suggest that he is talking to somebody, a police officer or a doctor. This is echoed by the first and last line. “The most unusual thing I ever stole”, repeating an asked question, “You don’t understand a word I’m saying do you?” as the character deliberately sabotages communication with the person in question.
The character in Education for leisure seems to feel rejected, he cannot understand why he is not recognised or well known, and seems unable to comprehend that one must work hard if you want to do well in life, instead he sees himself as a superstar and genius “I am a genius” despite the fact that his Education has not got him very far in life. “Once a fortnight, I walk the two miles into town for signing on”. This quote proves to us that the character is unemployed and regularly has to walk into town to register for unemployment benefit. The character in Stealing seems to have no life either. He steals for fun, just because he gets thrill from it. “Sometimes I steal things I don’t need” “Part of the thrill was knowing that children would cry in the morning. After having stolen the snowman the character somehow realises that this snowman that he has coveted is no more than lumps of snow. “Reassembled in the yard, he didn’t look the same.”
The sound effects used in both poems are also interesting for example; in stealing the irregular rhymes and alliteration help focus the reader’s attention. “Breath ripped out in rags”.
As was the case in Education for leisure there is also some very strange imagery in the reader’s mind, for example “I’m a mucky ghost” which suggest that the narrator enjoys spoiling things, and “As cold as the slice of ice within my own brain” which almost suggests that the writer in emotionally frozen and completely oblivious to other people’s feelings. He also continues to say that he doesn’t really care about other people’s feelings, especially those whom he steals off. He says “Part of the thrill was knowing children would cry in the morning. Life’s tough”. This quote shows us how selfish the character is, he does not care about causing pain and suffering to others.
To conclude, it is obvious that although Education for Leisure and Stealing share common themes, there are vast differences to them.