Objectives

• Analyse how Armitage uses the extended metaphor of the body as a damaged landscape to convey the effects of trauma on Eddie and on Laura's relationship.
• Explain how the poem's couplet form and enjambment enact Laura's slow, tentative search.
• Identify and interpret the shift from physical to psychological injury across the poem, using specific quotations including 'the frozen river which ran through his face' and 'the unexploded mine.'
• Write a full, evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds quotation and comments on language, form and context.
• Compare Armitage's presentation of the consequences of war with at least one other poem from the AQA Power and Conflict cluster.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Body as Landscape: Reading the Extended Metaphor in The Manhunt

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Without looking at your notes, jot down three things you know about the speaker of the poem, the subject matter, and its structure. Next, read the first six couplets quietly and underline any word that could describe both a physical landscape and a human body. You have four minutes to complete this task.

   Teacher input

   Using the couplet "the frozen river which ran through his face / and the blown hinge of his jaw" (in the area of stanzas 7-8), illustrate how Armitage combines a landscape image ("frozen river") with a facial scar to achieve two effects: depict Eddie's literal disfigurement and imply that his warmth and expressions have been halted. Annotate live on the board: identify "frozen" as an adjective acting like a past participle — indicating that something has impacted him; analyze the verb "ran" in the past tense — suggesting it used to flow; and explain "blown hinge" as a mechanical failure, implying that Eddie's face no longer opens easily to Laura. Highlight how the couplet's shortness — consisting of two brief lines and a pause — reflects the hesitancy of touch.

   Independent task

   Working through the entire poem, students fill out a structured annotation sheet organized into three columns: QUOTATION | LANGUAGE / FORM TECHNIQUE | EFFECT ON THE READER. They need to include at least six couplets, starting from 'the frozen shoulder blade' and going to the final lines, 'the sealed and signed.' For each entry, they should write a minimum of two full sentences analyzing the text. The finished sheet is submitted at the end of the lesson and graded on the accuracy of technique identification and the quality of their comments on the effects.

   Exit ticket

   In exactly two sentences, explain what the phrase 'the foetus of metal' tells us about the bullet lodged near Eddie's spine — what does the word 'foetus' add that a word like 'fragment' would not?

2. Lesson 2: From Wound to Word: Writing a Comparative Exam Paragraph on Trauma

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Laura has discovered the depth of her partner's trauma. She has not found complete closure.

   Teacher input

   Armitage presents psychological trauma as more dangerous and less accessible than physical injury, emphasizing the profound impact that mental scars can have on individuals. He captures this idea in the couplet, "the bullet's casing, / a foetus of metal, the mind's / mine." Here, the word 'mine' serves as a pun, suggesting both possession and a hidden weapon waiting to explode. The term 'unexploded' highlights that the danger from these psychological wounds is ongoing, rather than something that has been resolved. This resonates with the context of the Channel 4 documentary, which sheds light on the PTSD experienced by returning Bosnian peacekeepers and underscores the lasting effects of such trauma. The effect of Armitage's portrayal is striking; it forces readers to confront the insidious nature of mental health issues, illustrating that psychological injuries can linger and pose a continuous threat, much like an unexploded mine.

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   PEEL Labels:

   • Point: Armitage presents psychological trauma as more dangerous and less accessible than physical injury, emphasizing the profound impact that mental scars can have on individuals.
   • Evidence: He captures this idea in the couplet, "the bullet's casing, / a foetus of metal, the mind's / mine."
   • Explanation: Here, the word 'mine' serves as a pun, suggesting both possession and a hidden weapon waiting to explode. The term 'unexploded' highlights that the danger from these psychological wounds is ongoing, rather than something that has been resolved.
   • Link: This resonates with the context of the Channel 4 documentary, which sheds light on the PTSD experienced by returning Bosnian peacekeepers and underscores the lasting effects of such trauma.
   • Evaluate: The effect of Armitage's portrayal is striking; it forces readers to confront the insidious nature of mental health issues, illustrating that psychological injuries can linger and pose a continuous threat, much like an unexploded mine.

   Independent task

   Students are required to write a complete comparative exam paragraph (at least 150 words) addressing the question: 'Compare how poets present the lasting consequences of conflict in The Manhunt and one other poem from the Power and Conflict cluster.' They should mention their second poem in the opening sentence, include at least two embedded quotations from The Manhunt (with one being 'the unexploded mine' or 'sealed and signed'), and use one quotation from their selected poem. Additionally, they must provide at least one comment on the form or structure of each poem. The finished paragraph will be submitted and assessed according to the AQA four-AO mark scheme.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining why Armitage ends the poem with the word 'signed' rather than, for example, 'hidden' or 'closed' — what does 'signed' suggest about the nature of Eddie's psychological trauma?

Activities

Assessment

• Body-map annotation checked for accurate quotation placement and at least one emotional inference per body part, showing students can move between literal and figurative meaning.
• Couplet re-lineation task checked for whether students can articulate why white space between couplets enacts Laura's hesitancy — looking for the connection between form and meaning, not just correct line breaks.
• Metaphor tracking table checked for full-sentence figurative readings of 'foetus of metal' and 'unexploded mine,' confirming students understand the body-as-landscape extended metaphor.
• Exit ticket from Lesson 1 ('foetus of metal') checked for whether students identify the connotations of new life, vulnerability and something unwanted growing inside — a phrase answer is insufficient.
• Exit ticket from Lesson 2 ('signed') checked for whether students connect the legal/bureaucratic register of 'signed' to the idea that Eddie's trauma has been officially closed off, inaccessible even to Laura.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events, and manipulate time create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
• W.11-12.9 — Draw evidence from literary texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and figurative language in a literary text.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Identify and explain the function of an extended metaphor across a complete poem.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain how a speaker's perspective shapes the meaning of a poem.
• Comparison (LAN-1.E) — Compare the ways two texts use literary techniques to develop a shared theme.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.
• AO4 — Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation (applied in the written comparative paragraph).

Edexcel

• AO1 — Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between texts and the contexts in which they were written, and make connections across texts.
• AO2 — Analyse and evaluate how writers use language, form and structure to create meaning and impact, selecting and applying relevant concepts and terminology.

Eduqas

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts, using textual references including quotations to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology.
• AO4 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.