Starter quiz
- If something is 'harrowing' what does this mean?
- it is very gentle
- it is very distressing ✓
- it is very confusing
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- What do we mean by 'perspective' in poetry?
- the point of view of the speaker in the poem ✓
- the writer themselves and not their characters or the voices they create
- the reader's emotional response to a text
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- If something is psychological it relates to...
- the body
- the mind ✓
- the spirit
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- What does it mean to comprehend something?
- to explain something
- to understand something ✓
- to teach something
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- Which of these relates to physical injuries?
- broken bones ✓
- bullet wound ✓
- vivid nightmares
- punctured lung ✓
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- What does PTSD stand for?
- pre-traumatic stress disorder
- post-traumatic stress disorder ✓
- pre-traumatic stress dialogue
- post-traumatic stress dialogue
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Exit quiz
- The poem 'The Manhunt' appears in a collection of poetry written by Simon Armitage. What is the collection called?
- 'The Lost Dead'
- 'The Still Alive'
- 'The Not Dead' ✓
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- 'The Manhunt' is written from the perspective of a soldier's wife. Why might Armitage have chosen to use her perspective?
- represents the idea that the soldier is unable to speak about his experiences ✓
- shows the impact of war on not only soldiers but also their loved ones ✓
- suggests her experiences are more valid than her husband's
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- ______ is a mental illness resulting from trauma, in which the patient might experience flashbacks, depression, anxiety or hallucinations.
- 'PTSD' ✓
- In 'The Manhunt' how does the speaker feel about her husband?
- she resents him because he has changed
- she feels hurt for him because she can see how much he has suffered ✓
- she feels sorry for him because he has been discharged from the army
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- In 'The Manhunt', the wife tenderly explores her husband’s ______ injuries, discovering his considerable mental scarring in the process.
- 'physical' ✓
- In 'The Manhunt' how does the wife “handle” her husband’s injuries?
- clumsily
- gently ✓
- hesitantly
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- 'The Manhunt' is from a collection of poems, *The Not Dead*, which explores the effect of recent conflict on soldiers.
- The speaker in the poem is a wife looking to reconnect with her husband who has returned from war.
- The wife tenderly explores her husband’s physical injuries, discovering his considerable mental scarring in the process.
- The poem is based on the relationship between a soldier and his wife that Armitage interviewed as part of a documentary.
- The poem explores the harrowing physical and psychological effects of war on both soldiers and their loved ones.
Common misconception
Students often fail to appreciate the significance of the speaker being the soldier's wife.
The perspective the poem is written from is deeply significant. Perhaps Armitage chose to write the poem from the perspective of the wife because the soldier is too traumatised to speak of his own experiences.
Keywords
Harrowing - very distressing and/or traumatising
To caress - to touch or stroke gently and lovingly
Adversity - challenging circumstances or hardship
To comprehend - to be able to fully understand or appreciate something
Ptsd - a mental illness resulting from trauma, in which the patient might experience flashbacks, depression, anxiety or hallucinations
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