The Manhunt Flashcards
who wrote ‘The Manhunt’?
Simon Armitage
What is the context for ‘The Manhunt’?
Written for a documentary about war, Bosnian war 1992-95, Eddie Beddoes a peacekeeper was injured and discharged, suffered from PTSD, from his wife Laura’s perspective
What does the title ‘The Manhunt’ suggest?
‘The’ - definite article, the manhunt is very important to Laura
‘Manhunt’ - noun, implies someone has been lost, establishes the poem is about finding/reclaiming someone
‘_____ the first phase, after __________ nights and ________ days,’
‘After the first phase, after passionate nights and intimate days’
“After” - time phrase, suggests loving reunion is short lived
“passionate…intimate” - emotive adjectives, a strong and loving relationship
Rhyming couplets - first 3 stanzas, indicative of love
What does the anaphora of ‘let me’ suggest in the first 3 stanzas of ‘The Manhunt’?
Implies permission, there is a tension in their relationship
‘the _______, _________ collar-bone[…]the _________ ______ of shoulder-blade[…]the _________ ____ of his punctured lung’
‘the damaged, porcelain collar-bone[…]the fractured rudder of shoulder-blade[…]the parachute silk of his punctured lung’
Semantic field of delicacy shows Eddie’s body is fragile during healing
enjambement in 4th, 5th, and 6th stanzas - healing process is slow and long
caesura - shows there are barriers to the healing process
‘climb the ____ of his broken ribs, / and feel the ____ / of his grazed _____’
‘climb the struts of his broken ribs / and feel the hurt / of his grazed heart’
“struts” - ribs compared to a ladder, repairing him is strenuous
half-rhyme - relationship is strengthening
“heart” - only by repairing Eddie’s physical wounds can Laura comprehend his mental scarring
‘a ________, unexploded ____ / buried ____ in his ____’
‘a sweating, unexploded mine / buried deep in his mind’
“sweating” - anxiety from PTSD
“buried deep” - Eddie’s PTSD is hidden but all-consuming, impact is mental and physical
What is the meaning, mood, and motivation of ‘The Manhunt’?
Meaning - A wife, Laura Beddoes, helping her husband, Eddie, to recover from the PTSD he suffered after acting as a peacekeeper in the Bosnian war
Mood - loving, caring, “struts” show she is putting him back together, hopeful at the end with half-rhyme “closed/close”
Motivation - highlight devastation war can cause on people mentally and physically, celebrate Eddie and Laura’s love despite the difficulties they have had
What poem should you compare ‘The Manhunt’ with?
Mametz Wood - horrors of war compared
“frozen river which ran through his face”
“blown hinge of his lower jaw”
“fractured rudder of shoulder-blade”
“parachute silk of his punctured lung”
