Flashcards
The Manhunt Key Facts
Cards in this deck (8)
- 1The title is a PUNA “manhunt” is a chase often after a criminal. Here, it is a wife who is “hunting” for the man who she once knew, who seems to have disappeared after his war experience.
- 2The poem consists of COUPLETS, some RHYME, some use ASSONANCE (vowel rhyme)This makes the poem seem fragmented which reflects both the soldier and the husband-wife relationship.
- 3The poem is full of METAPHORS (1)The soldier’s body is reduced to unloving objects –as though he no longer has a life: “frozen river”, “blown hinge”, “porcelain”, “parachute silk”. All the images are of things that are cold, delicate or broken, this reflects her husband’s state.
- 4The poem is full of METAPHORS (2)The remains of a bullet are described as a “foetus of metal.” A baby is something that will change parents’ lives forever, like the bullet. But a baby is normally thought of as positive –Something that brings people together. Maybe these wounds will bring the husband and wife closer. Referring to it as a foetus suggests it is unwanted.
- 5Important METAPHOR (1)While the husband clearly has physical injuries, his main problem is “a sweating, unexploded mine buried deep in his mind”. His mental scars are almost more dangerous –since they could still explode. It seems like a very negative metaphor, but perhaps it offers some kind of hope since mines can, with great care, be deactivated.
- 6Important METAPHOR (2)It is only when the wife discovers this “mine” that she “comes close” to finding her husband. The final line shows she still hasn’t completely found her husband, and the past tense suggests she may never find him.
- 7The poem uses REPETITION“only then” highlights how slow a process this is, and how gradually the wife is able to approach her husband.
Her actions are listed (“and handle and hold”, “and mind and attend”). The repetition of the word “and” highlights just how many processes the wife must go through to find her husband. It highlights the depth of her love. - 8ContextA soldier has returned home from war, having been injured badly. The poem's narrator is his wife. The poem deals with the difficulties faced by them both.
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- GCSE English (Poetry ) Flashcards on The Manhunt Key Facts, created by Mel Hughes on 01/05/2017.
- Created by
- Mel Hughes · May 2017
- Updated
- May 1, 2017
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