Poetry: The Manhunt Flashcards
Which themes are present in this poem?
Love and relationships
Pain and suffering
Effects of war
Which poems can be linked with this poem?
Mametz wood
A wife in london
Dulce et decorum est
Cozy apologia
Context Point 1
Originally aired as part of a television documentary , read by Laura, wife of Eddie Beddoes (injured in the army)
Context Point 2
Eddie suffered from depression and PTSD as result of his experiences. PTSD affects many soldiers
Whys: 1
Highlight the physical and emotional scars left on soldiers, focusing how traumatic experiences affect relationships and personal well-being.
Whys: 2
The poem was inspired by real life experiences of soldiers, emphasising how violence can linger far beyond the battlefield, affecting both the individual and their loved ones
What is the form like in the poem?
Couplet long stanzas
Varying lengths
How can the form of the poem relate to the content of the poem?
The varying lengths of the couplets represents the fluctuation in the relationship between Eddie and Laura after the war trauma
What is the structure like in the poem?
Different injuries are introduced in different couplets, gradually moving furhter into the soldiers’ body. This allows the reader to explore his body and mind as slowly as Laura
What is the poem about?
A wife of the soldier get to know her husband again after his injuries of the war. Her husband has physical and emotional scars left from war aftermath. Poem progresses from describing his physical scars to his mental scars and how they affect him.
What is the rhyming like in the poem?
Intially rhyme with AA BB
Later on the rhyme breaks down
Reflects on theme of brokeness of Eddie
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of pain/suffering:
“After the first phase, after the first bullet”
Reflects immediate onset of pain after the soldier is injured
The use of ‘after’ suggests the pain is ongoing: signifying that the trauma of war extends beyond the initial injury and continues to affect the soldier physically and emotionally
Repetition of ‘after’ - emphasises stages of trauma and repetitive nature of the suffering. Pain doesnt stop but continues to unfold.
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of effects of war:
“After the first phase, after the first bullet”
The ‘’first bullet” is a direct reference to the violence of war
The root of the soldiers suffering in the violence he experienced
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of love/relationships:
“Only then, did i come close”
Shows how the wife feels distant from her husband as she tries to connect with him after his return from the war
The ‘closeness’ is not just physical but emotional, it illustrates the difficulty of maintaining a relationship when one partner is emotionally scarred.
Caesura: the pause by the comma mirrors the emotional distance and the time it takes to mend the fractured relationship
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of effects of war:
“Only then, did i come close”
The war has created a barrier between the couple.
The wife’s realisation that she’s only now ‘coming close’ suggests the emotional distance caused by the soldiers trauma, highlighting how war disrupts not just the individual but also relationships.
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of pain/suffering:
“The frozen river which ran through his face”
The frozen river metaphor shows the emotional numbness and internal pain the soldier feels
His face, which should be a mirror of his feelings, is now cold and inaccessible, suggesting how trauma has frozen his emotional responses
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of effects of war:
“The frozen river which ran through his face”
The physical changes and the emotional detachment that the soldier experiences are symptoms of the long lasting effects of war
His trauma is so profound that it alters how he presents himself to others, especially his wife
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of pain/suffering:
“Unexploded mine”
The unexploded mine [ metaphor ] represents the soldiers unresolved trauma and the potential for psychological harm to surface at any moment
It highlights the lasting pain that hasnt been fully dealt with and is still dangerous, just beneath the surface
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of effects of war:
“Unexploded mine”
The line demonstrates how the emotional and psychological consequences of war dont simply disappear when the soldier returns home, they remain unexploded, waiting to disrupt his life at any time
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of pain/suffering:
“And the parachute silk of his punctured lung”
The vivid description emphasises the physical pain the soldier endures, using the delicate image of ‘parachute silk’ to contrast with the brutal reality of a ‘punctured lung’. Vivid picture of fragility, deepening the sense of vulnerability.
The softness of the silk contrasts sharply with the violence of his injury
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of effects of war:
“And the parachute silk of his punctured lung”
The soldiers injuries serve as a constant reminder of the violent events he experienced during the war. The juxtaposition of softness and injury shows how war can irreparably damage both the body and the psyche (soul)
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of pain/suffering:
“He was a man who had lost his face”
This line conveys the emotional and psychological transformation of the soldier. The wife is left to confront a version of her husband she does not fully recognise.
The loss of his ‘face’ signifies not only a physical change but also an emotional one, which affects their intimacy and connection.
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of effects of war:
“He was a man who had lost his face”
The loss of the face symbolises the profound internal suffering the solder experiences.
It reflects how trauma can strip a person of their identity and sense of self, making it harder for both the soldier and his loved ones to cope
Analyse this quote and how it’s significant to the poem with the theme of love/relationships:
“He was a man who had lost his face”
Illustrates the dehumanising effects of war. The soldier has physically and emotionally chaged so drastically he feels liek a different person, underlining how war can transform someone beyong recognition.
This metaphot of the profound change suggests the loss of his physical appearance and identity due to the effects of war dont
