The Manhunt

Question 1

Poet

Answer 1

Simon Armitage

Question 2

context

Answer 2

• Armitage wrote the poem for a documentary called “forgotten heroes: the not dead” about soldiers who have returned to civilian life who experience lifelong effects of sustained exposure to violence
• Laura and Eddies Beddoes- dramatic monologue, written from a perspective of the documentary’s participant’s. Her husband discharged from war due to poor mental health, PTSD.
• After being discharged from hospital- Beddoes described feeling “disabled, useless”.

Question 3

whys

Answer 3

Through his portrayal of the soldier’s psychological trauma, Armitages highlights the ways in which our society often neglects mental health by prioritising addressing physical and visible scars. He stresses the desperate need to improve our mental health provision for soldiers suffering with PTSD, for whom the re-integration into civilian life is already incredibly challenging.

· Through the turmoil of Eddie Beddoes, Armitage places the construct of masculinity under scrutiny, stressing a vital need for validating an emotional outlet for men rather than the repression of feelings.

· Through the depiction of the relationship between the speaker and her partner, Armitage rejects idealised notions of love and relationships, instead suggesting that it is endurance, resilience and commitment in the face of adversity that constitutes true love.

· Through the use of a female speaker, Armitage reveals how widespread the effects of war can be, leaving indelible scars on relationships and families.

Question 4

The Manhunt

Answer 4

‘The’- Shows this soldier is important to the speaker.

‘Manhunt’- someone has been lost- reclaiming someone

Question 5

‘After’

Answer 5

The loving reunion is short lived

Question 6

‘Let me trace the frozen river’

Answer 6

• repetition of ‘let me’ implies permission, suggesting a tension in their relationship.
• ‘frozen river’- symbolic of the scars and ruins on his face from the war. It could also refer to his emotions, they are ‘frozen’ in place as he battles his PTSD

Question 7

‘Blown hinge’

Answer 7

Violent image- suggests fragility and damage and pain. Laura couldn’t comprehend the extent of Eddies wounds.

Question 8

Structure in 1st 3 stanzas

Answer 8

Rhyming couplet- indicative of love and strength of their relationship

Question 9

‘handle and hold’, ‘mind and attend’, ‘finger and thumb’

Answer 9

double verb constructions indicate a sense of care

Question 10

‘damaged procelain’, ‘fractured rudder’, ‘parachute silk’

Answer 10

Eddies body is compared to fragile thing, emphasising how much of a significant impact war has had on Eddie.

Question 11

Enjambment and caesura

Answer 11

• ‘hold’/’this’-suggests healing process is slow and long.

- ‘damaged,procleain’- indicates there are barriers to the healing process.

Question 12

‘I bind the struts and climb the rungs of his broken ribs’

Answer 12

• ‘bind the struts’- she is putting Eddie back again, making him strong
• ‘rungs’- suggests repairing him can be a strenuous task since he’s been affected so badly.

Question 13

‘buried deep in his mind’

Answer 13

• Eddie’s PTSD is hidden, yet all consuming. Its impact is both mental and physical.

Question 14

‘Close/closed’

Answer 14

• Half rhyme, eddies healing process is not yet complete.

Question 15

Themes

Answer 15

Power, Love,War, Man