The Manhunt - Simon Armitage Flashcards
when was this poem published?
2007
themes?
- power - Eddie is powerless and the PTSD has great power over him
- love - the love that Laura and Eddie share and the love Laura uses to take care of Eddie
- war - shows the impact of war has on a veteran and his wife
- time - how Eddie feels over time
- man - the effects on war on surviving soldiers
what is the meaning of this poem?
- this poem is about a wife, Laura Beddoes, trying to help her husband, Eddie Beddoes, deal with the PTSD he suffers from, as a result of serving as a peacekeeper during the Bosnian War
- he is weak both physically and mentally, and their relationship suffers somewhat as a result
what is the mood of this poem?
- a loving and caring tone appears in this poem as Laura Beddoes ‘binds the struts’ of Eddie’s body, putting him back together as he suffers from PTSD
- the half-rhyme ‘closed/close’ ends the poem on a hopeful tone, as it suggests that Eddie is on the road to recovery
what is the motivation for the poet to write this poem?
- writing this poem for a documentary about war veterans, Armitage may have written this poem to commemorate the sacrifices that they have made
- furthermore, he may have wanted to highlight the devastation that war can have on soldiers, even if it does not claim their lives, and also highlight the lack of medical care soldiers are given
- finally, he may have wanted to celebrate the love shared between Laura and Eddie, and how this helps him to heal
title: ‘The Manhunt’
LANGUAGE:
- ‘The’ is a definite article which suggests the manhunt is very important to the poem’s persona
- ‘Manhunt’ is a noun which implies someone has been lost; this immediately establishes that the poem will be about finding or reclaiming someone
‘After’
LANGUAGE:
- temporal marker
- suggests that the loving reunion is short lived
‘passionate nights and intimate days’
LANGUAGE:
- a strong and loving relationship is suggested
- joy of reconnecting and happiness of being together
‘let me’
STRUCTURE:
- repitition
- implies how Laura needs permission, suggesting a tension in their relationship
‘frozen river’
IMAGERY:
- large scar that meanders down his face
- could be symbolic of Eddie’s emotions as they are stuck in place as he battles with his PTSD
‘blown hinge’
IMAGERY:
- first violent image in the poem
- suggests fragility, damage and pain
- could suggest that before this, Laura could not see or comprehend the extent of Eddie’s wounds
- mechanical imagery shows he lost part of his humanity in war
‘handle and hold’
‘mind and attend’
‘finger and thumb’
LANGUAGE:
- doubled verb constructions indicate a sense of care
- soft, gentle actions
STRUCTURE:
- enjambment used to suggest the healing process is slow and long
- the weakening of the rhyme scheme in these lines also shows the difficulty of the healing process
‘damaged, porcelain’
STRUCTURE:
- caesura indicates there are barriers to the healing process
‘damaged, porcelain’
‘fractured rudder’
‘parachute silk’
IMAGERY:
- Eddie’s body is compared to fragile things
- this emphasises how weak his experiences of war left him
‘bind the struts’
LANGUAGE:
- Laura is putting Eddie back together piece by piece making him strong
‘rungs’
IMAGERY:
- describes the ribs as a ladder which could symbolise how Eddie may have lost weight or is unwell
- could suggest that repairing Eddie can be a strenuous task
‘hurt’
‘heart’
STRUCTURE:
- half-rhyme could imply that Laura begins to understand Eddie’s pain and trauma
- their relationships strengthens again
‘Skirting along’
LANGUAGE:
- light or casual in tone
- suggests loving Eddie is easy for Laura; that understanding his trauma is not a chore for her
- normalises Eddie’s PTSD and shows how Laura is used to it and how she is aware of how dangerous it can be
‘the scan’
‘the foetus of metal’
IMAGERY:
- Eddie’s PTSD is being compared to a baby in this extended metaphor
- having a baby is life changing which emphasises the effect of war on Eddie
- could show how war has infantilised Eddie and Laura has to look after him
- the bullet is still inside of Eddie
‘finally come to rest’
LANGUAGE:
- the bullet is close to Eddie’s heart
- could suggest that Eddie was close to death
‘sweating’
LANGUAGE:
- could relate to feelings of anxiety and PTSD
‘unexploded mine’
IMAGERY:
- Eddie’s PTSD is hidden, dangerous and unpredictable and not immediately visible
- Laura is trying to defuse him
‘buried deep in his mind’
‘every nerve in his body had tightened and closed
LANGUAGE:
- Eddie’s PTSD is hidden, yet all-consuming and its impact is both mental and physical
- Eddie’s is in a passive role; the PTSD is doing things to him that he cannot control, he is powerless
‘closed’
‘close’
STRUCTURE:
- half-rhyme suggests that the healing process is not yet complete
- could also suggest Eddie and Laura’s relationship is closer to completeness
- could symbolise how Eddie is shut off from his wife and she is working hard to break down barriers
poet context
- highly celebrated contemporary English poet
- current poet laureate
- Armitage wrote this poem for a documentary called ‘Forgotten Heroes: The Not Dead’
general context
- the Bosnian war was between 1992-1995
- it was a very violent war
- UN peacemakers were sent to protect civilians
- Eddie Beddoes was a British soldier, turned peacekeeper
- Eddie suffered from PTSd
- this poem is also sometimes called ‘Laura’s poem’ after Eddie’s wife
wider reading
consider:
- where Eddie was shot, and how the poem replicates this
- how Eddie treated Laura when he was suffering, and how her feelings about this might be reflected in the poem
- the importance of giving Laura a voice
form?
- 1st person perspective
- written through Eddie’s wife, Laura
