Compare how a relationship is presented in ‘Manhunt’ and on another poem from ‘Relationships’
‘The Manhunt’ is read in first person in the perspective of the wife of Eddie Beddoes, who has just returned from war. Simon Armitage explores the physical effects of war and how it effects on soldiers returning from war and their family. However in ‘Quickdraw’ Duffy uses arrogant language to express the pain and pleasures of being in a romantic relationship in the modern world.
The structure of ‘The Manhunt’ is in the form of rhyming couplets. The use of this gives a sense that the relationship is fragmented and fragile. But it also shows that the wife patience as she is slowly repairing her husband bit by bit. The rhyming couplets give a sense of intimacy and togetherness. However the half rhyme of “mine” and “mind” gives a sense to the reader that the relationship is breaking down due to the war, or that the relationship is incomplete. Similarly ‘Quickdraw is a free verse poem this creates tension as we do not know what to expect. The first three stanzas are unorganized and disordered showing the displacement and arguing in the relationship, however the last stanza returns to a normal quatrain, reflecting that the relationship has turned back to normality. Duffy uses enjambment, assonance, alliteration and internal rhymes, to make the poem tense and unpredictable.
