to be able to fully understand or appreciate something

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

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

English

In 'Poetry anthology', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems. In 'Poetry anthology continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils explore how poets presents the atrocities of World War One through their poetry. In 'Poetry anthology', pupils analyse how a variety of different wars have been presented through poetry.

In this unit, pupis explore 14 of the 18 poems from the Eduqas poetry anthology. Pupils complete two lessons about each poem: one on understanding and one on analysis.  Pupils study the poems in a thematically linked order so they can complete comparative and thematic lessons during the unit.

Poetry anthology: first study

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of serious mental health issues including eating disorders, self-harm, suicide or attempted suicide, or the aftermath of such an event.

Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Depiction or discussion of sex or sexual body parts, including sex education.

Depiction or discussion of sexual content

The poem 'The Manhunt' appears in a collection of poetry written by Simon Armitage. What is the collection called?

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

'The Manhunt' is written from the perspective of a soldier's wife. Why might Armitage have chosen to use her perspective?

{{}} is a mental illness resulting from trauma, in which the patient might experience flashbacks, depression, anxiety or hallucinations.

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

In 'The Manhunt' how does the speaker feel about her husband?

In 'The Manhunt', the wife tenderly explores her husband’s {{}} injuries, discovering his considerable mental scarring in the process.

In 'The Manhunt' how does the wife “handle” her husband’s injuries? 

If something is 'harrowing' what does this mean?

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

What do we mean by 'perspective' in poetry?

If something is psychological it relates to...

What does it mean to comprehend something?

Which of these relates to physical injuries? 

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Adult supervision required

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.