The Manhunt Flashcards
Summary
Simon Armitage is exploring the long lasting physical and mental effects of war to raise awareness for the issues soldiers face and the trauma they bear as a result of conflict.He shows how mental healing is overlooked for physical healing, by referencing the physical scars that hint at deeper psychological injury.
Context
Poem written for channel 4 documentary ‘The Not Dead’ about the impact of war on soliders returning home. Created to raise awarness about PTSD.
-Written from viewpoint of Laura, the wife of a soldier (Eddie) who was discharged due to physical and mental injury.
Structure/form
- Rhyming couplets reflect how it takes two people to complete a relationship, shows love as a union of two people, both are working to recover past relationship.
- Inconsistent rhyme scheme creates a sense of fragmentation, reflects soldier’s mental state and feelings of the wife as she seeks to understand her husband.
Themes
- Relationships
- Love
- Loss
- Conflict
‘The Manhunt’
-A manhunt is a search for a missing person - Laura is looking for the man she married before the injuries and trauma of war, and the relationship they shared.
‘only then’
-Phrase written five times - repetition - use of anaphora to stress the gradual way she explores his injuries and helps him recover and how he slowly opens up.
‘fractured rudder’
-Metaphor - rudder guides a boat allowing it to navigate, so suggests Eddie’s unable to move forward and find his way in life after the conflict.
‘sweating, unexploded mine buried deep in his mind’/’foetus of metal’
-The words ‘unexploded’ and ‘foetus’ implies that there is potential for more future devastation and damage. There’s a play on the words ‘mine’ and ‘mind’ which shows the problem as a deep psychological consequence of his trauma. The phrase ‘buried deep’ could suggest that the problem has been attempted to cover up due to stigma, since this is a poem about lack of awareness of PTSD in society. The word ‘foetus’ could also be offering a contrast to the idea of war with the idea of birth and new beginnings, as their relationship is growing through a change and has the potential to grow anew.
‘only then did I come close’
-Phrase suggests that it’s a long journey of healing and reconciliation but she is finally closer to ‘catching’ him in this ‘hunt’. The phrase ‘come close’ suggests Laura wasn’t wholly successful and some parts of Eddie may be lost forever due to the trauma. It’s irreversible.
‘parachute silk of his punctured lung’/’porcelain’
-Porcelain is hard and brittle implying Eddie is tough but easily damaged.Silk and porcelain are both considered quite delicate, similar to Eddie’s mental state.Silk and porcelain are generally seen as beautiful and precious so this metaphor shows how she views him.The word ‘punctured’ though creates the idea of something no longer serviceable.
‘blown hinge of his lower jaw’
The phrase ‘blown hinge’ implies irreversible damage to his body, his mind and their relationship. The phrase could also suggest he can’t verbalise his emotions and mental state.
‘handle and hold’/’mind and attend’
-These phrases suggest very gentle and delicate care towards him. The alliteration of ‘handle and hold’ implies that Laura is trying to hold Eddie together like the alliteration holds the two words together.
‘frozen river’
-Use of a metaphor describing physical scar of war conveys the soldiers damaged emotional and psychological state. The word ‘frozen’ refers to something that can’t flow freely, so it suggests he can’t express his emotions, he’s numb.
Comparison
- Dulce et decorum est
- Valentine
