The Manhunt

Question 1

who is the writer?

Answer 1

Simon Armitage

Question 2

when was it written?

Answer 2

2007

Question 3

themes?

Answer 3

• love and relationship
• pain and suffering
• effects of war

Question 4

context?

Answer 4

• written for a documentary called ‘Forgotten Heroes: The Not Dead’
• a real story - written through his wife Laura
• Eddie is the name of the man who shot in the war in Bosnia

Question 5

form + structure?

Answer 5

• stanza’s are in couples to reflect their relationship
• rhyming couplets

Question 6

‘After the _____ _____’

Answer 6

first phase

Question 7

‘After passionate nights and _____ _____’

Answer 7

intimate days

Question 8

‘The _____ _____ which ran through his face’

Answer 8

frozen river

Question 9

‘The blown _____ of his lower jaw’

Answer 9

hinge

Question 10

‘The damaged, _____ collar-bone’

Answer 10

porcelain

Question 11

‘The _____ _____ of shoulder-blade’

Answer 11

fractured rudder

Question 12

‘The _____ _____ of his punctured lung’

Answer 12

parachute silk

Question 13

‘and climb the _____ of his broken ribs’

Answer 13

rungs

Question 14

‘of his _____ heart’

Answer 14

grazed

Question 15

‘the _____ of metal beneath his chest’

Answer 15

foetus

Question 16

‘tracing the _____ back to its source’

Answer 16

scarring

Question 17

‘to a sweating, _____ _____’

Answer 17

unexploded mine

Question 18

‘_____ _____ in his mind’

Answer 18

buried deep

Question 19

‘every nerve in his body had _____ and _____’

Answer 19

tightened / closed

Question 20

what does the line: ‘After the first phase’ show?

Answer 20

it shows the joy of reconnecting

Question 21

what does the line: ‘after passionate nights and intimate days’ show?

Answer 21

shows the happiness of the couple being together

Question 22

how many times is ‘Only then’ repeated throughout the poem?

Answer 22

5 times

Question 23

what is the phrase: ‘frozen river’ referring to?

Answer 23

the large scar that meanders down his face

Question 24

what does the line: ‘the blown hinge of his lower jaw’ show?

Answer 24

• the word ‘hinge’ shows how the soldiers are metaphorically mechanical showing how Eddie lost his humanity in the war
• ‘blown’ reflects on the explosives in war and how he lost part of his face to it

Question 25

what does the phrase: ‘handle and hold’ imply?

Answer 25

that Eddie’s wife was gentle with him - this phrase also uses alliteration

Question 26

what does the adjective ‘porcelain’ show?

Answer 26

that Eddie’s collarbone is fragile

Question 27

what does the noun ‘rudder’ symbolize?

Answer 27

a boat which is quite malapropic

Question 28

what does the metaphor ‘parachute silk’ show?

Answer 28

that his lung is very delicate

Question 29

what does the phrase: ‘rungs of his broken ribs’ show?

Answer 29

this phrase describes his ribs as a ladder - could show he lost weight and is unwell

Question 30

what does the metaphor: ‘grazed heart’ symbolize?

Answer 30

his mental health

Question 31

what does the metaphor: ‘foetus of metal’ show?

Answer 31

• that the bullet is an unborn baby
• and the bullet is still inside of him

Question 32

what does the phrase: ‘finally come to rest’ show?

Answer 32

the bullet is close to his heart and he was near death

Question 33

what does the phrase ‘unexploded mine buried deep in his mind’ show?

Answer 33

• he has PTSD, she is trying to ‘defuse’ his mind
• he has anxiety, guilt and trauma

Question 34

what does the verb ‘closed’ mean in the second to last line?

Answer 34

• tragic, he is shut off from his wife
• she is working hard to break down barriers

Question 35

from which perspective is this poem written?

Answer 35

from the eyes of Eddie’s wife