Understanding how Armitage presents the effects of war in 'The Manhunt'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand the story of the poem ‘The Manhunt’ and why it was written.
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.
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
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.
Teacher tip
The relevant clip from the documentary Armitage was involved in could be shown to the students to aid their understanding of why this poem was written.
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
Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.If something is 'harrowing' what does this mean?
Q2.What do we mean by 'perspective' in poetry?
Q3.If something is psychological it relates to...
Q4.What does it mean to comprehend something?
Q5.Which of these relates to physical injuries?
Q6.What does PTSD stand for?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The poem 'The Manhunt' appears in a collection of poetry written by Simon Armitage. What is the collection called?
Q2.'The Manhunt' is written from the perspective of a soldier's wife. Why might Armitage have chosen to use her perspective?
Q3. is a mental illness resulting from trauma, in which the patient might experience flashbacks, depression, anxiety or hallucinations.
Q4.In 'The Manhunt' how does the speaker feel about her husband?
Q5.In 'The Manhunt', the wife tenderly explores her husband’s injuries, discovering his considerable mental scarring in the process.
Q6.In 'The Manhunt' how does the wife “handle” her husband’s injuries?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding how Armitage presents the effects of war in 'The Manhunt', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding how Armitage presents the effects of war in 'The Manhunt', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the Poetry anthology (Assessment until summer 2026) unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.