In my coursework i plan to argue that Morrissey's lyric's in this song deserve to be looked at as "literature". Looking at "Judgment and Value" from the critical anthology I will say how the song has most of the desired features for a piece of literature.
Complexity and Unity- The plot of the song is complex and like in the anthology "the more the reader studies the text, the more he or she is aware of the poet's skill in composing it in this way." When looking at the song, I think the song is about a teenage girl who has been involved with an older man who says she loves him, gets her pregnant then leaves. We hear the voice of a friend and then her own or a parents. "oh you did a bad thing" oh you did a good thing" The song's story shares some parallels with the Kitchen sink drama "A taste of Honey". I also think that the poems language is fairly complex and each word has been thought in a great deal. "In the river the colour of led, immerse a baby's head"
language-Morrissey's writing makes him worthy of being a "craftsperson" because every word flows perfectly and is elegant. "A grown man of twenty five, said he'd cure your ills, but he didn't and he never will"
Subject matter- The subject matter of the song is also like those of valued texts. It tackles a more modern issue-a girl facing the decision whether to lose her child or have the baby. The girl faces and "ethical choice. It also doesn't give a particular view, like less advanced texts which makes things more up for debate.
The Cannon- Taking a marxist view this could not be in the cannon because its a song but also because it doesn't show a positive view on abortion, so its doesn't serve a purpose; giving something a negative or positive slant.
