The Manhunt - Exploring the Complexities of a Husband-Wife Relationship

1. Settler challenge • The poet uses enjambment to show the speed of the father’s actions. • The poet uses emotive language to show how vulnerable the son is. • The poet uses plosives to show his anger and frustration. • The end line is ambiguous. • The poet uses extended metaphors of the military throughout the poem. • The sentence runs on from one line to the next to show the speed of the father’s actions. • The poet uses touchy-feely words to show how vulnerable the son is. • The poet uses harsh sounding letters to show his anger and frustration. • The end line has two possible meanings. • The poet refers to the nettles as soldiers a lot throughout the poem. For 7/8/9 grades, you need to use the correct technical terms when you’re talking about poetry. Re-write these sentences in the back of your book, replacing the bold words or phrases with the correct poetic terms.

2. Paired enquirers These words are taken from a poem. In pairs, come up with an intelligent interpretation for what this poem could be about and justify why. Extension: Do these words all have something in common? Can you put the words into different categories?

3. LO: To investigate how the poet presents the relationship between husband and wife in ‘The Manhunt’. 8/9 - Explore several perceptive interpretations of a poem, analysing key aspects of language/structure in sensitive detail. 7 – Give several interpretations of a poem, describing key aspects of language/structure in some detail. 6 – Give a thoughtful interpretation of a poem, commenting on key aspects of language/structure.

4. ‘The Manhunt’ by Simon Armitage • ‘The Manhunt’ was originally aired as part of a Channel 4 documentary, Forgotten Heroes: The Not Dead, in which Armitage hopes ‘the painful truth of lives damaged beyond help is made meaningful for the rest of us’. • In the documentary ‘The Manhunt’ is read by Laura, wife of Eddie Beddoes, who served as a peace-keeper in Bosnia before being discharged and sent home due to injury and depression. • Simon Armitage has never been to war himself, stating: “never having been to the front line, turning the words, phrases and experiences of these soldiers into verse has been the closest I've ever come to writing “real” war poetry, and as close as I ever want to get’. • The poem describes the wife’s experience of her husband’s return from the war and the effect it has on their relationship.

5. Paired task – 10 minutes Working in pairs, you will be investigating either: • How the husband is presented in the poemor • How the wife is presented in the poem You must all annotate your paired ideas in your anthologies/copies of poem. On the sheet provided, there are some questions to guide your analysis. This is by no means an exhaustive list – note down any other ideas you have that may not be on the sheet.

6. Pair - Share • Share your ideas for the husband / wife with your peers and add annotations to your individual anthologies. Push yourself: Can you offer alternative interpretations that your peers may not have considered? 8/9 - Explore several perceptive interpretations of a poem, analysing key aspects of language/structure in sensitive detail. 7 – Give several interpretations of a poem, describing key aspects of language/structure in some detail. 6 – Give a thoughtful interpretation of a poem, commenting on key aspects of language/structure.

7. How does the poet present the relationship between husband and wife in ‘The Manhunt’? Choose one idea from the lesson and write a PEEA paragraph in response to the above exam question. Choose carefully – you will not be able to write about everything in the exam and you must choose points that demonstrate your ability. Try to finish your paragraph in the 10 minutes – timing is a vital skill you need to put into practice.

8. How does the poet present the relationship between husband and wife in ‘The Manhunt’? Success criteria: • Ensure your point is answering the question. • Support your interpretation with well-chosen quotes. • Explain in detail what the quote reveals about their relationship. • Look closely at key aspects of language or structure to develop ideas about themes, attitudes and feelings. • Try to offer alternative interpretations • Don’t be afraid to give imaginative detail – but ensure your theories are supported with a quote.

9. LO: To investigate how the poet presents the relationship between husband and wife in ‘The Manhunt’. 8/9 - Explore several perceptive interpretations of a poem, analysing key aspects of language/structure in sensitive detail. 7 – Give several interpretations of a poem, describing key aspects of language/structure in some detail. 6 – Give a thoughtful interpretation of a poem, commenting on key aspects of language/structure.