Discussion: School bullying

In the last part of your exam requirement, you are asked to discuss school bullying in a short essay.

In your essay, you can use as inspiration the short story you have to analyse, “You can’t touch me” by Blake Morrison, which explores school bullying through Campbell’s character and teacher’s attitude to such acts through Ian, the narrator.

The story shows that school bullying usually involves older, bigger children picking on smaller, frailer ones: “… he was the ringleader, having purloined a coat from the back of a boy in Year Two – or so I deduced from the boy’s pathetic efforts to snatch it back.” (ll. 18-20)

Furthermore, bullies are perceived as having no respect for authority, as Campbell has defying replies for Ian when questioned about picking on the other boy:

“He didn’t fall over,” I said, “you pushed him, Campbell.”
“Me, sir?”
“I saw you do it.”
“Youse always blaming me, sir.” (ll. 37-40)

Also, according to the narrator, school bullies usually come from a bad family environment, perhaps lacking a male figure in their lives. But as the story shows, Campbell had a father, who was m...