New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Analysing how Armitage presents the effects of war in 'The Manhunt'

I can analyse how Armitage presents the harrowing effects of war.

New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Analysing how Armitage presents the effects of war in 'The Manhunt'

I can analyse how Armitage presents the harrowing effects of war.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Armitage uses figurative language to illustrate the severity of the soldier’s injuries - both physical and mental.
  2. Armitage’s use of figurative language portrays the soldier as fragile and delicate, showing his vulnerability.
  3. The use of rhyming couplets arguably reflect the unified approach the couple are taking to the soldier’s recovery.
  4. Armitage's repetition could illustrate the constant and repeated support and care the wife demonstrates for her husband.
  5. Armitage’s use of enjambment could reflect the couple’s continuous journey or rehabilitation and reconnection.

Keywords

  • Harrowing - very distressing and/or traumatising

  • Vulnerable - able to be easily physically or mentally hurt

  • PTSD - a mental illness resulting from trauma, in which the patient might experience flashbacks, depression, anxiety or hallucinations

  • Rhyming couplet - a pair of successive lines of verse, rhyming and typically of the same length

  • Enjambment - the continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line, stanza or couplet

Common misconception

Students think that the entire poem is in rhyming couplets.

Only the beginning of the poem is written in rhyming couplets. The couplets fade to pararhymes and then to non-rhyming couplets by the end of the poem, possibly to reflect the soldier's pain fading and the healing process.

The soldier who inspired 'The Manhunt' has spoken about his experiences in a video.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
is language that is meaningful, but not literally true.
Correct Answer: figurative language
Q2.
Rhyming couplets are...
Correct answer: a pair of successive lines of verse, rhyming and typically of the same length
a pair of alternating lines of verse, rhyming and typically of the same length
lines of verse from the start and end of a poem, rhyming and a similar length
Q3.
The word 'vulnerable' means...
flashbacks, depression, anxiety or hallucinations
very distressing and/or traumatising
Correct answer: able to be easily physically or mentally hurt
Q4.
What is a metaphor?
a comparison of two things using 'like' or 'as'
Correct answer: a direct comparison using 'was' or 'is'
giving human emotions to non-human objects
Q5.
Who is the speaker in 'The Manhunt'?
Correct answer: wife
soldier
poet
Q6.
The injuries the soldier has in 'The Manhunt' are both and psychological.
Correct Answer: physical

6 Questions

Q1.
If you are able to be easily physically or mentally hurt you are...
Correct Answer: vulnerable
Q2.
What kind of figurative language does Armitage use most frequently in 'The Manhunt'?
personification
Correct answer: metaphor
simile
Q3.
Armitage’s use of __________ in 'The Manhunt' could reflect the couple’s continuous journey or rehabilitation and re-connection.
Correct answer: enjambment
repetition
figurative lanugage
Q4.
In 'The Manhunt', what does Armitage compare the bullet to?
porcelain
parachute
Correct answer: foetus
Q5.
Armitage compares the soldier’s PTSD to a in 'The Manhunt'.
Correct Answer: land mine, mine, land-mine, landmine
Q6.
Armitage repeats the word frequently throughout 'The Manhunt' to reflect the wife's patience and resilience.
Correct Answer: and