The Manhunt by Simon Artimage

Question 1

The Manhunt
Person?
Structure?
Structure?

Answer 1

1st person- personal, emotive, understanding
13 couplets, first rhyming then falters- unlucky number, represents couple, disjointed relationship
Different line lengths- stream of consciousness

Question 2

The Manhunt
Context?

Answer 2

-Laura Beddoes’ perspective of husband Eddie, part of a documentary
-Eddie suffered PTSD after Bosnian War

Question 3

The Manhunt
5 quotes

Answer 3

‘frozen river ran through his face’
‘parachute silk of his punctured lung’
‘climb the rungs of his broken ribs’
‘sweating, unexploded mine’
‘Then, and only then, did I come close’

Question 4

The Manhunt
‘frozen river which ran through his face’

Answer 4

-Metaphor, tears that can’t flow, painful, psychological injury’
-Pre-modifying adjective, cold, numb, scar is stuck in time
-Fricative, labiodental alliteration, frustration to revive him

Question 5

The Manhunt
‘parachute silk of his punctured lung’

Answer 5

-Metaphor, fragility of vital organs, low chance of survival
-Juxtaposition of delicate, luxury noun and violent verb
-Irreversible damage

Question 6

The Manhunt
‘climb the rungs of his broken ribs’

Answer 6

-Semantic field of ladders, gradual search
-Verb, slow progress, overcome obstacles
-Closely observed detail of hands exploring his body, intimate

Question 7

The Manhunt
‘sweating, unexploded mine’

Answer 7

-Personification, mine is fused with his body, psychological trauma
-Danger of causing problems
-Wife’s care and delicacy to not trigger PTSD, help to diffuse bomb to heal

Question 8

The Manhunt
‘Then, and only then, did I come close’

Answer 8

-Final use of anaphora, desperate patience of speaker
-Embedded clause, slow steps of journey
-Lack of finality, anti-climax, search not over
-Half rhyme, never ending journey, slight glimmer of hope