The Manhunt

• Context / content/ structure

  Armitage= poet Laureate

  poem response to c4 documentary

  Eddie Beddows was a peacekeeper during Bosnian war

  Bullet entered face/ ricocheted through body

  Laura voices slow painful journey- tries to heal him and his PTSD

  poem shows personal cost of war

  written in thirteen two line stanzas shows each small step to recovery
• "Trace the frozen river which ran through his face" - first quote

  verb "trace" = depicts soothing touch as she searches for answers to pain he suffered

  metaphor "frozen river" suggests shape of scar or the numbness he experiences - he as lost all feelings he once had
• "And handle and hold the damaged, porcelain collar bone" - second quote 


  repetition of verbs "handle and hold" shows care and gentleness of wife this contrasts with the brutal description of injuries

  "porcelain" = he is vulnerable - she must handle with care
• " Fractured rudder of shoulder-blade" - third quote 


  metaphor "fractured rudder"- struggling to steer himself to who he once was

  he has lost his way and cant control his reactions due to PTSD
• "Traced the source, A sweating unexploded mine" - fourth quote

  metaphor mirrors unpredictable nature

  source= PTSD

  "sweating" emphasises anxiety

  "unexploded" illustrates how dangerous mental scars are

  his emotions could explode at any time like a "mine"
• "Then and only then did i come close" - last quote

  repetition of "then" emphasises her struggle

  adverb "close"- she almost found and healed him