The Manhunt Flashcards
Context?
Start of the poem too
- I’m his poem the manhunt , Simon admits he explores the different themes of war in Eddie baddies injuries and the effect that has on him and his marriage later.
2007 he made a documentary for Chanel 4 called “forgotten heroes: the not dead”. This was a documentary about the way armed forces faced difficulties and struggles when returning to normal civilian life.
- Here he focuses on post traumatic stree disorder and highlights how soldiers cope after war.
(2. In this poem he focuses on a soldier called Eddie bedowes and his wife Laura . Eddie bod does a soldier who returned from war in Bosnia faced HORRIBLE injuries that left him a changed man. In this poem “ the manhunt”, which is widened search of a missing person, laura is supposedly on a manhunt to find the Eddie she loved before he went to war, as now Eddie is missing as a result of trauma and injuries . - Laura is narrating poem )
The “manhunt”? (Context and analysis)
- Start with, a manhunt is the title and a manhunt is often a widened search for a missing individual
In this poem he focuses on a soldier called Eddie bedowes and his wife Laura . Eddie bod does a soldier who returned from war in Bosnia faced HORRIBLE injuries that left him a changed man. In this poem “ the manhunt”, which is widened search of a missing person, laura is supposedly on a manhunt to find the Eddie she loved before he went to war, as now Eddie is missing as a result of trauma and injuries .
- Laura is narrating poem
Possible ways of splitting poem up?
- violent imagery
- caring language of verbs
- physiological gamplay at the end
Or just start middle and end and those fall in those categories
Form and structure ?
Rhyme?
- 13 stanzas , some rhyme and some don’t
- the fact this happens how’s the journey of relationship that Eddie and Laura have: first stanza “days” and “phase” perfect rhyme and this continues, here Eddie Laura full of passion and nit,aids, love and affection so at this point Eddie and Laura are in full harmony and “RHYMING” together
- but as Eddie starts to keep emotions to himself and lush Laura away (blown door hinge frozen river), eventuakky rhyme scheme FALTERE and instead “attend “ and “blade”. Here they not as synct
- then Laura slowly understand Eddie pain, rhyme returns, some sting and some half .
- at the end the fact they are half suggests ALTHOUGH starting to rhyme, it is IMPROPER and not GUARNATEED- begs the question, will they ever rhyme again?
Form and structure
Anaphoric?
- throughout can see repeated phrase if “only then”, analhroa fice times
- emphasise SLOW INCRIMENTSK LROCESS in which it takes Laura to finally connect and understand Eddie .
- for example only after passionate nights and intimate days, only then Eddie let her trade, only then Eddie let her Explore
- starts slowly and surely but slowly opening up
- final only then , emphasised with “THEN”Z SUGGESTS this process has only just begun…
Form and structure ?
Full sentences full stop?
Structure (architecturally speaking)
Full stops at the 13th stanza paired with anaphoric
You could say full stops are used to symbolise the end of a hose. For example no full stop until end of 6 stanzas, and thst marks the end of a phase as the poem takes a different direction.
- architectully speaking you could say the first 6 stanzas are emphasising on primarily discovering eddies physical injuries, while the next 6 portray Laura desperately trying to come close yet realising these PHYSICAL wounds are FAR DEEPER THAN she thought “buried deep inside her mind”.
- again anaphora shows she gets closer and closer (as MORE FREQUENT PHASES), snd the poem ends on a one line sentence showing that she only came close after all these hoses, meaning MUCH MORE STILL TO COME
Summary =
-full stop = end of one phase and start of other as poem co tunes from last phase
- first 6 = discovers physical, last 6= realised more psychological than she thought
- anaphoric shows how she gets close with frequent lashes, yet at same time 13th stanza has two full stops, suggesting even after all thst she “only came “ close and more is still to come
1st stanza and
“Passionate nights and intimate days “
Only then would he let me trace
The Frozen River which ran through his face
1) what does first stanza suggest, but “phase”?
2) what frozen mean. How relate to relationship, expressing , firgustigely actually etc
- what looks like , and why hope?
- how Laura delicate
- 1st stanza shows what happened when Eddie got back from war, passion and “initaimate’ suggest at this point the couple were functioning and healthy.
- but use of “phase” gives forbaording time, suggesting these is limited time and more was to come
- then uses images of violent injury to show effects in 5 stanza - “Frozen River” has literal meaning, zigzag like scar through his face also shaped like mirror
- but use of “frozen” connoted of not being able to flow freely, suggesting 1) INABLITY TO EXPRESS EMOTIONS FREELY
- 2)connection between them not as free as before - After first phase they enter a “frozen one”, here is as if they standing at two opposite ends of a frozen river , with COLDNESS separating them . Contrasts starkly to “initiate “
X continuing on extended metowhir underneath the frozen river there is fluidity and still movement , and all it takes is a crack for her to enter meaning STILL HOPE AND POTENTIAL FOR CONNECTION TO RETURN
-Laura is trying to understand the project Eddie has been through as she lovingly “traces” through , shows delicately and lovingly she is (find in other stanzas).
(Not use in Essay it ) Some disabled functions
“Explore/ blown hinge of his lower jaw”
1)
2) fractured rudder of a shoulder blade
- violent descriptions showing horrors of war- body broken into several separate pieces and suggests war DEHUMANISES PEOPLE
- the jaw diesn’t work anymore , and like a broken hinge if a door, he can’t and isn’t letting her in to his thoughts -
again lack of articulation like before (unable to express feelings because frozen remember “
2) again shows how smoked body is and dehumised.
- connotes image of broken ship, which is figuritveky Eddie, and he csn’t steer himself back in life anymore - can’t sustain himself without collapsing
InEssay
“Handle and hold”
“The damaged , porcelain collar bone
Admit age uses verbs to show …
- literal = damaged collar bone
- but “porcelain “ is type of ceramic used in many product: VERY HARD but also VERY BRITTLE
- implies while Eddie tough, he can at any point become broken (emotionally fragile “
- used “Handel and hold” with alliteration of verbs, not only shows delicate and gender love , but SOFT sound in H shows soft touch of Laura and delicacy involved ,
- as alliteration holds two words together, Laura holds Eddie together; a porcelain structure that can crack at any time…
“Only then could I… climb the rungs of his broken ribs “
“Grazed heart”
Half rhyme?
- literal. Ribs are broken
- but word “rings! Compares Eddie’s ribs to s step ladder. —> the ladder could be referring to his progress in ahciebijf a normal life- a Slow step by step process in which Laura has to find Eddie she once loved (like climbing a ladder ).
STRUCTURE- here a poem looks architecturally like a ladder too in which the way stanzas arenorgaijsed .
- The ladder here also took slate to Eddie’s “GRAZED HEART”
- literal= grasen as physcllay in war but also heart Other EMOTIONAL SITE ! So what once used to be full heart with no pain ks now grazed and in pains- emotional and physical
- finally heart also being grazed means Eddie and Laura moving relationship has been compromised due to war, grazing it and not what it used to be - Suggests one that relationship not rhyming but also she only briefly understood link between physical pain and mental, but still long way to go
(Not in eassy)
“Foetus if metal beneath chest “
“Where bulltet had finally come to rest”
What foetus mean?
How link to mine (I protect )
— here picturing the “scan” Laura acts as a raidoligier intelreinf a scan de Eakins internal damage bucket caused .
- “foetus” metaphor to the bullet could show how like a foetus this experiment is in him forever .
- life changing like bloc ign a parent
- uncertain outcome with immense damage that could develop and grow , LINKS TO MINE BURIED DEEP INSIDE HIS MINE “
- does TuS also potential sign of renewed life growing if rehab successful
Rhyme shows how quickly bullet came to rest
“To a sweating , I exploded mine, buried deep inside his mind”
“Widened search trace back to source “
“Source”?
1.what does sweating unexplored mine mean (wordplay, sweating, burried deep) (unexplored)
2. Laura role? Context?
3?
1? Word play in “mind” and “mine”, suggests actual problem lies mentally in the shape of unexplored mine.
- word “sweating” related to the mine, as it is known mined often sweats when getting hotter and about to explode. This suggests that the “mine” in Eddie’s head is a bout to go off at any point , he is at tipping point
- “ burried deep “ suggests problem is very serious and it refers to his actual SANITY as it is in the root of his mind
- fact that it is unexplored shows potential damage to Eddie if it ever does- can be FATAL IN THE FORM of him completely losing his mind.
- link to porcelain collar bone, string but can break at any moment
Context
= mine came as a result f physchokigicsl consequence of Bosnia war. This is main issue in poem and Laura has a part to play here too
Laura role
- she has to ensure the bomb doesn’t explode, thus throughout poem it is found her using verbs suggesting intricate care and elicay so mine is not set off and has to be careful because it is sweating
X stuff like “trace” “handle hold” “mind attend! Shows delicacy and love
- Laura has just found the source of the frozen river from before- lhsyclogicsl dsmsge, she getting closer and as it is holistic it root of all problems
Summary
-mine threatening tio explode which would make him insane% product of pshyclogicsl consequence of war . Could go off any moment
-Laura just found out this acc problem
- as a result Laura throughout poem try nit to detonate this by being careful
-
End?
Enjambment?
What does it mean
How Laura determined? Shown by structure
Shows again after all this work phases and everything only just begun and Laura only scratched surface .
Rhyme also gives muted ending, made progress but nit much .
Shows injuries more ohsychokigcsl too now, and all connected “via the nerves”
“Tighten and closed” suggests rehab will have ups and downs but with Laura care it could work
- Enjambment gives sense of movement here, suggesting reader wants to progress even though this could be extremely small, so Laura determined to make it work .
The,es?
Love and patience by Laura
- psychological pain due to after effects of war and how it have ruined relationship
- physical too
