The Manhunt (War and Conflict) Flashcards
Who wrote The Manhunt?
Simon Armitage
What is the story of The Manhunt?
-Soldier, Eddie, comes back from Bosnian war suffering from PTSD.
-His wife traces path of bullet - Armitage (poet) uses this to show effects of war.
-The problem Eddie needs to deal with is in his mind.
-His wife starts to become closer to him but he is not the same man he once was.
-The title could represent wife trying to find his true self in his fractured shell
What does ‘the frozen river which ran through his face’ mean? (second stanza)
-Theme of scars
-Literal reference to scar
-Physical representation of damage caused by Bosnian war
-Impact of war frozen on face
-Impact of war always be with him
-Metaphorically ‘frozen’ shows can’t move on/is cold to those around him
What does ‘the damaged, porcelain collar-bone’ mean? (fourth stanza)
-Theme of damage
-Both literally and mentally he has been ‘damaged’ by experiences
-Metaphor of ‘porcelain’ could suggest severe damage from war so much so he has hard/cold nature and state of mind is damaged/fragile like porcelain
-Has been shot near his heart
What does ‘the fractured rudder of shoulder-blade’ mean? (fifth stanza)
-Theme of damage
-‘fractured’ shows Eddie not quite broken but unable function properly, Armitage shows literal damage Eddie has suffered
-‘rudder’=used to steer a ship, metaphor shows damage Eddie sustained how it left him lacking direction- doesn’t know how to move forward
What does ‘the parachute silk of his punctured lung.’ show? (sixth stanza)
-Full stop shows that, after repetition of commas due to list of damages Eddie has suffered, all of damages caused by war have completely changed Eddie’s life
-War=life changing
-‘silk’ is beautiful/delicate material but easily torn= metaphor for his torn/scarred lungs
-‘punctured’ could show literal damage to lung
-‘parachute’ is used in military, metaphor represents Eddie is broken/useless, reflection of how he feels about himself
What does ‘a sweating, unexploded mine’ show? (12th stanza)
-literal term ‘sweating’ shows he is in broken/dangerous mental state due to trauma he suffered- life changing event
-‘unexploded mine’= metaphor gives impression Eddie is waiting for mine to go off in mind- ongoing life changing threat-dangerous mental state
What does ‘every nerve in his body had tightened and closed.’ show? (last stanza)
-Enjambment from previous stanza shows impact of war is ongoing/will never cease
-Life changing theme
-Armitage shows Eddie as metaphorically holding on to life with metaphor of nerves ‘tightened and closed’- represents his fight against anxiety
-metaphor ‘closed’ could represent Eddie being emotionally closed towards his wife
-Armitage uses full stop to show magnitude of impact of war
What is the context of The Manhunt?
-Eddie, who poem about, was soldier in violent Bosnian war, Simon Armitage wrote poem to highlight damaging effects of war.
-Shot three times, one of which going through multiple bones and organs -poem is written showing route the bullet took through his body.
-Eddie also had mental injuries - PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which had a big affect on his relationship with his wife.
What is the structure of The Manhunt and what does it represent?
-Enjambment=effects of war always present
-Broken/fractured structure (many stanzas broken up)=war breaks people mentally/physically
-Some rhyming couplets=damage caused by war causes damage/problems later on in life (‘trace’ and ‘face’, ‘thumb’ and ‘lung’)
-Repetition of commas=list format due to many problems from war
-Equal amount of lines each stanza (two lines)=effects of war are always present
-Tone is emotional and sorrowful from his wife
Who is the perspective from in The Manhunt?
A wife dealing with the effects from war that her husband has sustained
