The Manhunt Flashcards
What is the context of the Manhunt?
Written By Simon Armitage.
Written for a 2007 documentary about military service people returning to normal life and lingering life long effects of sustained exposure to violence (PTSD)
Written in the perspective of a soldier’s wife - deals with the idea of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and its impact on the soldier and those around him / her.
How is the Manhunt Structured?
The Manhunt is structured into couplets.
Initially these couplets rhyme perhaps reflecting the couple’s harmony when they were first reunited.
However as the poem progresses the rhyme scheme falters reflecting the increasingly disjointed nature of their relationship.
What does the title “The Manhunt” suggest
Suggests a chase or searching for something or that he is lost.
What does the images of delicate materials “porcelain” and “silk” suggests?
Implies that he is fragile and delicate and needs to be handled with care. “Porcelain” is often hard but can chip easily
What does the images of broken body parts “grazed heart” “broken ribs” suggest?
Suggests human casualties of war and the vulnerability of mind and body.
“grazed heart” is a metaphor possibly showing that he is unable to connect with his wife unwilling to speak of his experiences so their relationship has been affected.
What does “foetus of metal” and “unexploded mine” suggests?
Suggests the pain is still growing mentally and physically.
Describes the image of the bullet still inside him as a “Foetus” suggests that having like having a baby, the couple’s relationship will be changed forever.
It may also suggest the “foetus” is still eating away at him.
Final words - “Only then did i come close”
What does this suggest?
Suggest it is a journey through his pain and healing and their reconciliation as a couple. There relationship is slowly healing.
This emphasises the impact that war has on relationships. “Then and only then” suggests her search is not fully successful yet.
“Only then would he let me trace”
What does this suggest?
The verb “trace” reflect the activities of the wife as she conducts her search.
Suggests careful treatment of her husbands injured body and mind.
It may also imply that he is no longer familiar to her.
What does the repetition of “only then” suggest?
“Only then” repeated four times suggests that is is a slow process to get him to open up.
