Perspectives

It is very important for you to be able to put the poem “The Commission” by Roger McGough into perspective. This way, you can have a better grasp of the message the poet was trying to convey and you will be able to analyse the poem in a new light.

Periodical perspective

The poem was written in 1969, about 24 years after the end of the Second World War. As you probably know, the war brought desperate measures in all parts of the world. Food was scarce and used with great care and responsibility.

Do you think that the poem tries to blame the ones who, after the war, decided to take advantage of their new-found possibilities? Is the poem a reminder of the fact that war brought famine and disease? Was it right for people to take advantage of food once it was sufficient?

Relevance today

While the poem was written in 1969 and represented an important...