War Cluster Flashcards
The Manhunt context
The poem is based upon Eddie Beddoes and his return from being shot in the Bosnian War. However, the poem is written from his wife’s (Laura) perspective, as she tries to rekindle their relationship after the trauma Eddie went through.
Armitage wrote this poem, linking to a Channel 4 documentary called ‘Forgotten heroes: the not dead’, which described the difficulties that soldiers faced after returning from war.
Armitage worked in the prison service, so he may have had experience of dealing with people who were troubled previously.
Title (TM)
“The” - draws significance for the search of Laura’s husband only
Even though Laura isn’t talking about an actual manhunt, she is figuratively trying to find the Eddie she knew before the war, especially since he now has PTSD and is emotionally different.
1st paragraph (TM)
“After the first phase, after passionate nights and intimate days”
- Rhyming could suggest a happy return at first.
- The ‘first phase’ could show a honeymoon of intimacy and joy after Eddie’s return from war. However, it does show that they are changed people, who will have to get back together properly.
“trace the frozen river that ran through his face”
- The metaphor of the ‘frozen river’ could suggest that there is something different about Eddie that cannot be expressed freely, like before the war (could be due to PTSD). However, it could also suggest that there is something underneath Eddie, which is waiting to be shared with his wife.
- Verb ‘trace’ could describe the delicate nature of their relationship, as having PTSD could cause outbursts within Eddie. It shows that Laura will have to be patient in order to live with a normal relationship.
“Blown hinge of his lower jaw”
- Imagery of physical damage shows his own struggles in the war but also his inability to communicate his feelings to his own wife.
2nd paragraph (TM)
“and handle and hold
the damaged, porcelain collar bone”
- ‘Porcelain’ is a tough material. Speaker suggests that Eddie is tough as a soldier but also easily broken, like he was after the war.
- The alliteration of ‘handle and hold’ holds the words together, like Laura is trying to hold her relationship with Eddie together.
“the fractured rudder of shoulder-blade,”
- More imagery used to highlight physical damage, which shows how fragile Eddie is. Armitage may have used this line to show how war dehumanised soldiers due to the extent of damage towards them.
- The ‘rudder’ is a metaphor for Eddie not knowing where he’s going in life after the war, because rudders are used to steer boats. Laura’s role is to get Eddie back on track and repair this ‘fractured rudder’.
“feel the hurt of his grazed heart”
- The half-rhyme could reflect how Laura understands a bit of the emotional and physical damage caused to her husband but knows that there is a long way to go yet.
- Double meaning of verb ‘grazed’ as the bullet only grazed past his heart. However, it has also left emotional grazed behind.
3rd Paragraph (TM)
“foetus of metal beneath his chest” - the noun “foetus” implies that the relationship has been severely affected by the experience of war, like how a relationship is severely affected by childbirth.
“sweating unexploded mine” -the wife recognises the lingering effects of PTSD on a soldier, highlighting the mental damage with the phrase “buried deep in his mind” right after.
“Only then, did I come close” - anaphora of only then, displays the level of trust required from the husband, likely due to the many betrayals he has seen in his experience of war
Structure/Form (TM)
Poem contains 13 couplets, with some rhyming and some not. This brings the idea of a couple who are lost and are looking to find their true love again after emotional and physical challenges.
Enjambement across the stanzas gives a sense of movement across the poem, reflecting the speaker’s desire to keep making progress, even if it’s slow.
The Soldier context
Rupert Brooke travelled a lot with the Navy and saw many different countries.
He wrote the poem to reflect the idealistic attitude of men before WW1. Young men were quite keen to enlist in the army and support the war effort.
Brooke is very patriotic in this poem and praises the efforts of soldiers in the war and their sacrifices for their country. However, he never saw active service, unlike Wilfred Owen who knew exactly what warfare was like.
Title (TS)
The title draws importance and significant pride to even being a soldier, since the poem is essentially dedicated to them.
‘The’ indicates that each individual soldier should be held in high regard and that their individual efforts have helped to make their country proud.
1st paragraph (TS)
“If I should die, think only this of me”
- Imperative is used to address the reader directly and make them feel responsible for carrying out the soldiers request.
“there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England”
- Fricative alliteration used to reaffirm the strong tone of the poem and Brooke’s belief that England is superior and that it will dominate any small ‘foreign field’ (in this case other countries).
- ‘for ever England’ has a double meaning. Could mean that the land is literally English because they won the war. However, it could also mean that because the soldier is buried there, a part of England lies there too.
“In that rich earth a richer dust concealed”
- The land is only ‘richer’ because the body that lies there is English. Reaffirms his patriotism.
- Noun ‘dust’ could echo ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust’, which is recited from the Book of Common Prayer at English burials.
2nd paragraph (TS)
“A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware”
- Tricolon is used to highlight the maternal and loving qualities that England possesses, as a country.
- Brooke personifies England as a nurturing mother, to reflect how England shapes the soldiers as people and why making your country proud is a source of comfort for people.
Brooke repeats words linked to his country (‘England’, ‘English’, ‘England’s’) to show his overwhelming love for his country and how he cannot contain his emotions when talking about it.
Semantic field of nature is used (‘flower’, ‘air’, ‘rivers’, ‘suns’) to make the tone positive and give the soldier a sense of well-being, even after dying in the war.
3rd paragraph (TS)
Religious imagery is used (‘all evil shed away’, ‘eternal mind’, ‘English heaven’) to show that death purifies the soldier and sends him closer to God, in return for his services to his country.
“Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given”
- Change from ‘gives’ to ‘back’ to ‘given’ shows a cyclical nature and represents how the soldier will die and give back whatever England gave to him in life.
Alliteration used (‘sights and sounds’, ‘dreams[…]day’, ‘laughter, learnt’) to represent happy memories which will be echoed forward and won’t be lost later on.
Structure/Form (TS)
Poem is a sonnet which usually dedicated love to a person. Brooke elevates this idea and uses personification to justify the form of the poem, dedicating his love to England.
Commas used in the 2nd stanza slow the pace down and create a reflective mood within the poem.
Brooke follows conventions by presenting one idea in the first stanza and another idea in the second. He talks about England enriching his life in the first stanza and mentions returning things back to England in the second stanza.
