The Manhunt by Simon Armitage (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
What is the poem about?
‘The Manhunt’ is written by the contemporary British poet Simon Armitage and was published in 2003. The poem explores the emotional aftermath of war and its impact on personal relationships, particularly focusing on a partner or wife’s perspective as she tries to reconnect with her husband who has returned from conflict. Using intimate and tactile imagery, Armitage illustrates the physical and psychological scars left by war and the process of healing. The poem suggests that the effects of war extend far beyond the battlefield, deeply affecting those who must “hunt” for the person they once knew in the changed individual who has returned.
Language, structure and form revision | What happens in the poem? |
Language:
Form:
Structure:
| Stanza One to Four
Stanza Five to Eight
Stanza Nine to Eleven
Stanza Twelve to Thirteen
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Poems for comparison:
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Key words
Context: | Post-modern | Realism | PTSD |
Themes: | War | Love and relationships | Healing |
Poem analysis
‘The Manhunt’ by Simon Armitage
After the first phase,
after passionate nights and intimate days,
only then would he let me trace
the frozen river which ran through his face,
only then would he let me explore
the blown hinge of his lower jaw,
and handle and hold
the damaged, porcelain collar-bone,
and mind and attend
the fractured rudder of shoulder-blade,
and finger and thumb
the parachute silk of his punctured lung.
Only then could I bind the struts
and climb the rungs of his broken ribs,
and feel the hurt
of his grazed heart.
Skirting along,
only then could I picture the scan,
the foetus of metal beneath his chest
where the bullet had finally come to rest.
Then I widened the search,
traced the scarring back to its source
to a sweating, unexploded mine
buried deep in his mind, around which
every nerve in his body had tightened and closed.
Then, and only then, did I come close.
Language
A metaphor compares the man’s repressed pain and his scars with a “frozen river” as well as conveying the barriers in the relationship
Alliteration (across lines) is used to describe the man’s injuries. For example, “porcelain”, “parachute silk” and “punctured”. The sensory language alludes to his fragility
Tender present tense verbs highlight the sensual nature of shared moments with words like “trace” and “handle” contrasted with more physical, dynamic verbs like “bind” and “climb” to reflect their separation
Armitage juxtaposes military language with sensory language to show links between injury and trauma: his heart is “grazed”; the speaker can “feel the hurt”; the man’s mind is a metaphorical “unexploded mine”, implying his repressed trauma
Armitage uses references to time to highlight the gradual process of healing: “After”, “Only then” and “then” combine with repetitive couplets to reflect the slow pace of recovery
The use of alliteration and assonance in “mine” and “mind” reflects how tightly-bound his mental trauma is with his experiences as a soldier
Structure
Enjambment is used across some stanzas to increase pace to reflect the speaker’s emotions, and to mirror the movement of hands as they explore the soldier’s wounds. Armitage exposes the desperation in the speaker’s voice as they try to maintain control despite their urgent need to reconnect
Repetition of “only then” and “then” reflects lect the many steps that the speaker must take to become closer to the soldier: understanding somebody takes time
End-stop lines reinforce the severity of injuries
Form
The poem consists of couplets that form 13 short stanzas which symbolically reflect the ladder, the “rungs” the speaker must “climb” to renewed intimacy.
The structure reflects the slow progression of the speaker exploring their lover’s injured body and also conveys the close bond between the pair
The first-person speaker adds intimacy and immediacy, in keeping with the poem’s themes of grief and love
The irregular rhyme scheme begins with three regular rhyming couplets (AA BB CC), but from stanza 4 onwards, stanzas end in half-rhymes that are only “close” in sound: the breakdown of the initially harmonious rhyme scheme indicates the soldier’s emotional distance, the discovery of his mental and emotional trauma, and the struggle of the speaker to “come close”
Overview of themes
Themes | Key quotations | Language, form and structure |
War | “the foetus of metal beneath his chest” “only then would he let me trace/ “to a sweating, unexploded mine/ buried deep in his mind …” | By describing the bullet as a “foetus of metal”, Armitage’s metaphor implies the soldier’s vulnerability, but also that something unnatural and painful is growing inside of him because of his combat experiences The enjambment alludes to the continuous nature of the healing process and the speaker’s determination to “trace” the soldier’s pain The alliteration, assonance and half-rhyme of “mine” and “mind” reflect how tightly bound the soldier’s mental trauma is to his experiences in war. This connection between the soldier’s mind and his suffering is compounded by the word “unexploded”, which implies repressed trauma (a metaphorical mine) |
Love and relationships | “After the first phase,/after passionate nights and intimate days.” “Then only then would he let me touch/the hurt of his grazed heart” “only then would he let me trace/the frozen river which ran through his face,” | The poem opens with a couplet, establishing a rhythmic structure that mimics the initial harmony in the couple’s relationship. The line break after “phase” signals a shift, foreshadowing the changes to come, though the couplet structure symbolically remains The repetition of “then” conveys the time and patience required to rebuild trust and intimacy. The phrase “let me touch” reveals a vulnerability and indicates a physical and emotional barrier, showing how war has changed the couple’s intimacy. The phrase “grazed heart” implies a painful wound but also indicates hope for future healing Armitage uses enjambment to create a sense of gradual revelation, mirroring the slow process of understanding the soldier’s trauma. The metaphor “frozen river” alludes to an emotional coldness or numbness, as well as describing his scar |
Communication | “the blown hinge of his lower jaw” “the fractured rudder of shoulder-blade” | The metaphor implies both physical damage and difficulty in speaking or expressing emotions. The fragmented structure of the poem, with its short, often incomplete lines, also reflects the broken nature of their communication and the necessity for healing The speaker metaphorically compares the soldier’s shoulder blade to a fractured rudder of a ship, which suggests that his injuries have impaired his ability to navigate physically and emotionally through his relationship and perhaps life. The verb “fractured” connotes damage but also implies that healing is possible |
Historical and literary context
Simon Armitage, who was previously Poet Laureate, often writes about intimate moments within relationships to bring relatable experiences to life
In the collection The Not Dead, the poem 'The Manhunt' is called ‘Laura’s Poem’, inspired by a 2007 television documentary about soldiers’ experiences in the Iraq War and their struggles returning to civilian life at home:
The poem’s speaker represents Laura, the wife of Eddie Beddoe, who was a peacemaker in the 1990s Croat-Bosniak conflict
Eddie Beddoe was shot three times, causing severe injuries to his face and body
In particular, this series of poems raises awareness of the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):
Armitage draws attention to how this disorder impacts many soldiers and other individuals who have served in military conflict zones
Armitage’s poem describes the symptoms of this disorder, such as isolation and anxiety:
The title suggests a man who is lost, someone who people are looking for, reflecting the distance in the relationship and the soldier’s isolation
The poem describes symptoms of anxiety in the man’s “tightened” nerves
Armitage illustrates the man’s hesitance to open up and reveal his feelings as a result of conflict: his face is a “frozen river”, reflecting his physical and psychological scars
The poem uses military language to contextualise his experiences:
The man’s mind is compared to “a sweating, unexploded mine”, implying repressed trauma from war, and there are other references to bullets and parachutes
While Armitage bases the poem on a real person, the poem’s depiction of an intimate moment between lovers can be considered universal:
The poem is a poignant depiction of a speaker wishing to help their lover heal
Exam Tip
Eduqas examiners repeatedly state that paying attention to “specific contextual factors” linked to the poems is “an effective way of pushing marks higher”, with top-band responses integrating contextual knowledge “into sustained discussion” of poems and their themes.
The word “specific” is all-important: remember that context does not mean providing unrelated factual information about a writer or a text. Instead, focus on information that helps you explain the poet’s ideas and perspectives on themes in “The Manhunt”.
In response to a question about love and relationships in ‘The Manhunt’, try to avoid writing contextual facts such as: “The poem was written for a 2007 poetry collection called “The Not Dead” and is about PTSD. It explores love and relationships by presenting a soldier and his wife…”
Instead, try the following approach, which integrates contextual detail into the analysis of the text: “The poem, taken from a 2007 collection exploring the emotional struggles of Iraq War veterans, displays the detrimental effects of PTSD on the relationship between a physically and mentally wounded soldier and his wife…”
By making your context directly relevant to your point, you will ensure that it earns you marks.
Comparing poems
Look at this exam-style question about ‘The Manhunt’:
‘The Manhunt’ is a poem about relationships. Choose one other poem from the anthology in which the poet also writes about relationships. Compare the way the poet presents relationships in your chosen poem with the way Simon Armitage presents it in ‘‘The Manhunt’. In your answer you should:
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How you could approach this question:
Thesis / Essay introduction: Both Simon Armitage’s ‘The Manhunt’ and Philip Larkin’s ‘Afternoons’ explore the complexities of relationships and the impact of time on personal connections. While ‘The Manhunt’ presents a deeply personal and emotionally charged exploration of a single relationship, ‘Afternoons’ provides a broader view of how relationships and roles change over time. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both poems explore the transformation of relationships over time. ‘The Manhunt’ portrays a relationship altered by war, where the wife carefully navigates her husband's physical and emotional scars. Similarly, in ‘Afternoons’ Larkin depicts relationships which have been dulled by routine and domestic drudgery | ‘The Manhunt’ offers an intimate and deeply personal account of a couple’s struggle to reconnect in the aftermath of war, focusing on the private and emotional journey of healing. In contrast, ‘Afternoons’ presents a detached, observational perspective of young families in a public setting, illustrating the collective experience of lost youth and freedom |
Both poems explore the theme of emotional distance within relationships. Armitage explores the emotional distance between a soldier and his wife, bridging the gap created by his physical and psychological wounds Similarly, Larkin explores the growing emotional gap between young mothers and their past selves, as well as their partners | Armitage’s poem portrays a relationship that while challenged by external circumstances, shows a determined effort towards healing and reconnection. In contrast, Larkin’s poem represents relationships as inevitably deteriorating due to societal expectations and the passage of time, with a sense of resignation and loss |
Thesis / Essay introduction: Both ‘The Manhunt’ by Simon Armitage and Hardy’s ‘A Wife in London’ by Thomas Hardy, present the impact of war on relationships. The speaker in ‘The Manhunt’ attempts to restore the intimacy between her and her husband, whose PTSD has closed him off emotionally. Hardy’s poem, on the other hand, presents the grief of a soldier’s widow as something that feels horribly normalised, emphasising the human cost of war. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both poems explore a speaker’s grief for their lost relationships and intimacy as a consequence of their husbands’ military service. In ‘The Manhunt’ the wife carefully examines her husband’s physical and emotional scars. Similarly, in ‘A Wife In London’ the wife struggles with the news regarding her husband’s fate in war | ‘The Manhunt’ explores the ongoing struggle within a relationship where both partners are present and are focused on the process of healing and reconnection. In contrast, ‘A Wife in London’ focuses on the abrupt and permanent loss within a relationship due to war |
Both poems use imagery and figurative language to convey the emotional impact of war on relationships. Armitage uses metaphors like “the parachute silk of his punctured lung” to describe the delicate nature of the husband’s injuries. Hardy meanwhile uses pathetic fallacy and the symbolism of “fog” to symbolise the wife’s growing despair | Both poems differ significantly in their portrayal of time and its effects on their relationships. ‘The Manhunt’ presents a gradual, ongoing process of healing and reconnection. In contrast, ‘A Wife in London’ depicts a much shorter timeframe, focusing on the immediate aftermath of receiving news about her husband’s death |
Both poems depict the resilience of women in the face of war’s impact on their relationships. | ‘The Manhunt’ uses intimate and tactile imagery to connote the couple’s connection, while ‘A Wife in London’ uses more distant and atmospheric descriptions to convey the couple’s physical separation and disconnect |
Predicted exam questions to prepare for
Compare the ways poets explore the theme of intimacy in ‘The Manhunt’ and in one other poem from the anthology.
Compare the way the potential for healing is presented in ‘The Manhunt’ and in one other poem from the anthology.
Choose one other poem from the anthology in which the poet also writes about conflict.
Compare the way the poet presents conflict in your chosen poem with the way that Armitage presents conflict in ‘The Manhunt’.
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