The Manhunt

Question 1

Who was The Manhunt written by?

Answer 1

Simon Armitage

Question 2

When was The Manhunt written?

Answer 2

2007

Question 3

What are some context points about Simon Armitage?

Answer 3

• Speaks through persona of Laura Beddoes
• Her husband was Eddie Beddoes who fought as a UN peacekeeper in the Bosnian War
• Eddie was discharged due to PTSD
• Balloons popping and children crying results in nervous breakdowns for Eddie

Question 4

What is significant about the title of The Manhunt?

Answer 4

“The” definite article suggests THIS manhunt is incredibly important from poem’s persona
“Manhunt” implies someone has been lost. Laura is trying to find Eddie

Question 5

“after…

Answer 5

…passionate nights and intimate days”

Question 6

“would he…

Answer 6

…let me”

Question 7

How many times is “only then” repeated in The Manhunt?

Answer 7

5

Question 8

“frozen…

Answer 8

…river which ran through his face”

Question 9

“explore…

Answer 9

…the blown hinge of his lower jaw”

Question 10

How is rhyme used in The Manhunt?

Answer 10

A mixture of rhymes, pararhymes and no rhymes shows the unpredictability of Eddie’s mental state

Question 11

“handle…

Answer 11

…and hold”

Question 12

“damaged,…

Answer 12

…porcelain collar-bone”

Question 13

“mind…

Answer 13

…and attend”

Question 14

“fractured…

Answer 14

rudder of a shoulder-blade”

Question 15

“finger…

Answer 15

…and thumb”

Question 16

“parachute…

Answer 16

…silk of his punctured lung”

Question 17

“bind…

Answer 17

…the struts”

Question 18

“climb…

Answer 18

…the rungs of his broken ribs”

Question 19

“feel the…

Answer 19

hurt of his grazed heart.”

Question 20

“skirting…

Answer 20

…along”

Question 21

“picture…

Answer 21

…the scan”

Question 22

“the foetus…

Answer 22

…of metal beneath his chest”

Question 23

“traced the scarring…

Answer 23

…back to its source”

Question 24

“sweating…

Answer 24

…unexploded mine”

Question 25

“buried…

Answer 25

…deep in his mind”

Question 26

“every nerve…

Answer 26

…in his body had tightened and closed.”

Question 27

“only then, did I…

Answer 27

…come close”

Question 28

Why is the structure of The Manhunt significant?

Answer 28

The short regular stanzas imitate a spinal column and symbolise how Laura is climbing up Eddie’s body to his mind, to heal him. It also suggests that Laura is Eddie’s backbone and supports him

Question 29

What is The Manhunt about?

Answer 29

Armitage wants to commemorate sacrifices, not just physically, but mentally, that soldiers have made to keep peace. He also wants to highlight the impact war has on those at home