The Manhunt
Context
2007
poet lauriete
about a couple, laura and eddie, after eddie was assigned as a peace keeper for the united nations in the war in bosnia
eddie was shot in the head, and other places, causing physical damage and also PTSD
Anti-War poem
Structure
AABB rhyme scheme
repetition throughout with "only then"
each stanza shows different injury
Strucutre physically mimes the step by step process with ladder imagery
Language
"Passionate nights and intimate days" - honeymoon phase of him being back
"the frozen river which ran through his face" - metaphor for his scars on his face
"handle and hold" "mind and attend" - caring, gentle
"Climb the rungs of his broken ribs" - explore him to better know him, ladder imagery
"the foetus of metal beneath his chest // where the bullet had finally come to rest" - death image, minefield imagery
"unexploded mine//buried deep in his mind" - ptsd
Themes
War & Conflict
Love
Grief
Impact of war
Relationships
Pain and suffering