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poetry > the manhunt > Flashcards

the manhunt Flashcards

1
Q

what is the connotations of the poem?

A

it sounds like he is being chases- he is being chased by his PTSD

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2
Q

what are the child-like connotations of the poem?

A

name of a children’s game- deliberate- the wife is trying to rediscover her man- to hunt/ find the man she fell for and the man he was before the war

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3
Q

what was the poem originally going to be called?

A

“Laura’s poem”

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4
Q

how many couplets are there?

A

13 couplets

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5
Q

is there a rhyming pattern?

A

a vague one- it is inconsistent- gives the poem a fragmented feel- to represent how their relationship has been

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6
Q

what is the reason for using couplets?

A

to show its a relationship- couples-pair

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7
Q

what is the initial romantic imagery juxtaposed by?

A

the violent imagery

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8
Q

what is the romantic imagery being juxtaposed by the violent nature a metaphor for?

A

the relationship’s dual nature

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9
Q

what perspective is the poem from?

A

the wife’s

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10
Q

what does the poem being from the wife’s perspective do?

A

invites empathy for both parties by providing a close description of the damage done to the soldier and the effect this has on those close to him

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11
Q

what does “passionate nights and intimate days” show?

A

reminiscent of a honeymoon period- euphoric early stage of a new relationship

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12
Q

what has happened to the speakers relationship with her husband?

A

it has changed- it has been redifined

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13
Q

what position has the soldier attempted to adapt to?

A

the discharged soldier assumes the position of a new lover after returning from war- the implication being that the subject’s experiences have changed him so much- he has become a different person

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14
Q

what is symbolic about her being able to “feel the hurt” of his heart?

A

the speaker is being allowed inside the emotional source of his pain and is able to empathise with her

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15
Q

how does the poem begin?

A

“After the first phase, after passionate nights and intimate days”

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16
Q

how does the beginning of the poem read as?

A

reads like a traditional love poem- written in trochee

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17
Q

what do the first syllables in the first 2 lines of the poem do for the poem?

A

gives the feeling of a continuous motion- head over heels feeling in the early stages of a relationship

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18
Q

“only then would he let me trace…

A

the frozen river which ran through his face”

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19
Q

what is the “frozen river”?

A

gives the image of a glacier- the stress and worry of his time in the military has caused deep lines- like a ravine on his face

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20
Q

“the blown…

A

hinge of his lower jaw”

21
Q

what does the “blown hinge of the lower jaw” suggest?

A

suggests the door of a house being blown by a bomb- the invasion of warfare into a domestic setting- just like how his domestic relationship has been interrupted by his scars of warfare

22
Q

what is the double meaning of the “blown hinge of the lower jaw”?

A

could be a physical description or a metaphor
could be a metaphor for how her partner has become extremely tight-lipped and monosyllabic or
he does not want to speak about his feelings

23
Q

what is significant about a “blown hinge” not being able to keep a door shut?

A

the inability to function echoes the soldiers inability to block out the trauma he experienced in combat- which has now invaded the speaker’s home life

24
Q

“and handle and hold…

A

the damaged porcelain collar-bone”

25
Q

“and finger and thumb…

A

the parachute silk of his punctured lung”

26
Q

what does the word “puncture” in “punctured lung” suggest?

A

makes the parachute useless- suggesting the soldier’s inability to escape from the horrors of combat

27
Q

what is the symbolism of the wife using the word “silk” to describe her man?

A

describes her man using adjectives that have a beauty, yet a delicacy to them

28
Q

what could the “parachute silk” link to about his occupation?

A

could be hinting at her husband’s military occupation of being a RAF piloy

29
Q

“only then could I…

A

bind the struts and climb the rungs of his broken ribs”

30
Q

what is the significance of the lung being made out of “parachute silk”?

A

parachute silk is extremely strong, yet finely woven
the comparison evokes the contrast between the tough outer persona often expected from military people and the soldier’s fragile mental state

31
Q

what are other examples of hints to his occupation?

A

“struts” “rungs”

32
Q

what are the comparisons she makes to her man like?

A

they are all manufactured items, rather than organic, living things- allusion to the idea that her partner has become mechanical- perhaps he has a robotic mannerism

33
Q

“the foetus…

A

of metal beneath his chest”

34
Q

what could the “foetus” be referencing to in regards of life?

A

the impact of the man being shot is compared symbolically to the process of childbirth- narrators way of highlighting the life- changing impact on the wound

35
Q

what could the “foetus” be referencing in terms of his pain?

A

foetus- will grow and develop- his pain and mental torment may grow even more

36
Q

“where the bullet…

A

had finally come to rest”

37
Q

what does “where the bullet had finally come to rest” mean?

A

the bullet caused pain everywhere in his body- finally decided to remain in his chest

38
Q

“then I…

A

widened the search”

39
Q

what kind of feel does “then I widened the search” have?

A

a military feel

40
Q

where is the source of the soldiers’ damage found?

A

“buried deep in his mind”

41
Q

what does the most significant scarring being “buried deep in his mind” convey?

A

the most significant scarring is mental
every nerve in his body has “tightened and closed” around the “unexploded mine” of his neurosis

42
Q

what is the nerves functions?

A

to convey impulses to and from the brain
the key pathways to communicate within the soldier have been impeded and inhibited by his experiences- reflect the limited capacity to communicate with his wife

43
Q

what does “sweating unexploded mine” convey?

A

his pain could explode at any minute and they could lose all of the progress they have made

44
Q

“then, and only then…

A

did I come close”

45
Q

what does “sweating, unexploded mine” also convey?

A

a piece of war has travelled back to his civilian life
if stored incorrectly, dynamite begins to sweat nitro-glycerine- its explosive component- this crystallises on the surface and can be detonated with one gentle touch- her touch could let it off one day

46
Q

what does the verb “sweating” convey?

A

heightens the sense of danger and volatility present in his mind and body
he is on the reactive sense rather than civilian life

47
Q

what does the imagery of warfare and mechanics do for the poem?

A

it is directly associated with brokenness- suggesting that those who come into contact with war are likely to be damaged by it
inanimate objects describe part of the soldiers’ body- make his body unfamiliar and inanimate
the soldier is passive as he lays there- his wife is active

48
Q

what does the passivity of the soldier link to?

A

the numerous broken elements with which he has returned from the war- which have paralysed him

poetry (16 decks)

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