I'd been tired, under the weather, but the ansaphone kept screaming.

1. LO: explore and analyse key poetic devices, comment upon effect and develop own opinion of poem supported with evidence. I'd been tired, under the weather, but the ansaphone kept screaming. One more sick-note. mister, and you're finished. Fired. I thumbed a lift to where the car was parked. A Vauxhall Astra. It was hired. I picked him up in Leeds. He was following the sun to west from east with just a toothbrush and the good earth for a bed. The truth, he said, was blowin' in the wind, or round the next bend. I let him have it on the top road out of Harrogate -once with the head, then six times with the krooklok in the face -and didn't even swerve. I dropped it into third and leant across to let him out, and saw him in the mirror bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge. We were the same age, give or take a week. He'd said he liked the breeze to run its fingers through his hair. It was twelve noon. The outlook for the day was moderate to fair. Stitch that, I remember thinking, you can walk from there. Summarise each stanza in no more than one sentence. What happens in this poem? What are the similarities and differences between the Hitcher and the voice in the poem?

2. 3. Why the use of italics? LO: explore and analyse key poetic devices, comment upon effect and develop own opinion of poem supported with evidence. 1. What evidence is there that the speaker is stressed? 2. Stock phrase: what does this tell us about them? I'd been tired, under the weather, but the ansaphone kept screaming. One more sick-note. mister, and you're finished. Fired. I thumbed a lift to where the car was parked. A Vauxhall Astra. It was hired. 5. What type of poem is this? Do you feel sympathy for the speaker? 4. What is the effect of the first person narrator?

3. LO: explore and analyse key poetic devices, comment upon effect and develop own opinion of poem supported with evidence. The poem is arranged in five stanzas, each of five lines. Each has a regular shape with the third line being the longest in each… I picked him up in Leeds. He was following the sun to west from east with just a toothbrush and the good earth for a bed. The truth, he said, was blowin' in the wind, or round the next bend. Sounds romantic. The hitcher has freedom and no responsibilities 7. The third line seems to push out… making an ‘arrow’ shape. Is there anything significant or symbolic about this? 6. What famous song is this a reference to? Why include it here?

4. LO: explore and analyse key poetic devices, comment upon effect and develop own opinion of poem supported with evidence. Why does the events of the previous stanza cause such a violent reaction? 8. Why does he take his frustrations out on the hitcher? I let him have it on the top road out of Harrogate -once with the head, then six times with the krooklok in the face -and didn't even swerve. I dropped it into third • Why do many of the lines run over into the next? Is the effect to make the poem sound as though someone really is talking? To show how disturbed the speaker is? To create a sense of speed?

5. 9. Why are the similar ages interesting? LO: explore and analyse key poetic devices, comment upon effect and develop own opinion of poem supported with evidence. The enjambment between the stanzas keeps the tone calm and relaxed – making the report of violence even more chilling. and leant across to let him out, and saw him in the mirror bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge. We were the same age, give or take a week. He'd said he liked the breeze

6. 11. Why the mention of of time and weather? LO: explore and analyse key poetic devices, comment upon effect and develop own opinion of poem supported with evidence. 10.Personification: what effect does this create? to run its fingers through his hair. It was twelve noon. The outlook for the day was moderate to fair. Stitch that, I remember thinking, you can walk from there. 12. What is the effect of using the joke on the final line? Colloquial language is also used, such as ‘Stitch that’ which adds to the realism – as does the lack of imagery in the poem/. The repetition of the personal pronoun ‘I’ helps us understand how psychotic and self centred the character really is.

7. LO: explore and analyse key poetic devices, comment upon effect and develop own opinion of poem supported with evidence. FINAL THOUGHTS: Why do you think the poet has chosen the title ‘Hitcher’? Both of the people in the poem are hitchers – look at line 4. DRAWING CONTRASTS: The narrator hitches to a specific place for a specific reason; the other …. The narrator is going to work; the hitcher ... The narrator navigates by town and city names; the hitcher by… The narrator presents himself as a victim of his work; the hitcher has ____________ attitude. The narrator learns about weather from the forecast; the hitcher loves…

8. LO: explore and analyse key poetic devices, comment upon effect and develop own opinion of poem supported with evidence. Review • In reading the poem do you agree with the views of the hitcher or do you share the driver's annoyance at them? • How does the poem suggest the selfishness of the driver? What other qualities does it show him to have? • What do you think of the way Armitage uses contrast in this poem? • What is the effect in the poem of • proper nouns - places (Leeds and Harrogate) and brand names (ansaphone, Vauxhall Astra, krooklok) and of • quoting from the radio (the weather forecast)? • Is this is a serious poem or is the violence meant to be comical? Why do you think this? • What is the effect of the references to the sun and wind in the poem? What do the hitcher and the driver think of them? • What might be the sequel to this story (what happens next)? Why has the poet not told the reader this? Is the poem complete without it?