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

1. Hitcher 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.

2. The poem is about a person, who is stressed out at work. He gets a lift in a hire car and somewhere near Leeds, picks up a hitcher who is a hippie. He takes out all his frustration on the hitcher by hitting him with a ‘krooklok’ and then throwing him out of the moving car to his death. What Is the poem About?

3. Alternative Interpretation In the poem, Armitage uses italic writing to make the poem seem like the subject’s boss is speaking to him on an ansaphone recording - “one more sick-note, mister, and you're finished. Fired.” This could show his frustration with work because he takes days off. However, it could also show his jealousy of the hippie because he doesn’t have to worry about work. “He was following the sun to west from eastwith just a toothbrush and the good earth for a bed. The truth,he said, was blowin' in the wind,” Any other interpretation?!

4. ‘Hitcher’ By Simon Armitage LO: to understand the poem ‘Hitcher’ using TSLAP.

5. Home learning For Monday, compose an analytical critique of the poem ‘Hitcher.’ (min. 2 sides of A4 page.) Research the background to the poem , ‘Our Sharpeville’ by Ingrid de Kok. We have 8 poems to complete in 3.5 weeks- one poem per lesson…ahhhh. HOMEWORK must be complete!

6. Themes The themes that feature in the poem are: • Violence – when he hits the hippie with the krooklok. • Death – when he kills the hippie and lets him bounce off the kerb. • Jealousy - when he picks up the hippie and realises he is not tied up with work like him. He is ‘free’. • Loneliness – when he is stressed out with work and stays off sick on purpose by himself. • Anger – when he ‘flips’ and kills the hitcher. • Conflict-

7. The Speaker/Driver The Hitcher • Unreliable • A ‘shirker’ • Tired, stressed. • Frustrated with life. • Brutal • Violent • Lack of guilt of conscience • Gloating • No regard for human life • Carefree • Lack of responsibilities or obligations. • Enjoys life. • Takes pleasure in nature. • A hippie. What do you think is the Speaker’s motive for killing the Hitcher?

8. Language The poem is written in the first person which gives it a realistic voice. 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.

9. Takes his frustrations out on the hitcher. The narrator envies him Echo of the Hitcher’s voice, different language from the narrator Why are the similar ages interesting? Personification, what effect does this create? Return to normality, details of time and weather 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. Stark violent images- effect? The enjambment between the stanzas keeps the tone calm and relaxed – making the report of violence even more chilling. Enjambment- effect? Colloquial language- effect?

10. Takes his frustrations out on the hitcher. The narrator envies him Echo of the Hitcher’s voice, different language from the narrator Why are the similar ages interesting? Personification, what effect does this create? Return to normality, details of time and weather 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. Stark violent images Enjambment Colloquial

11. Structure • I let him have iton the top road out of Harrogate - oncewith the head, then six times with the krooklokin the face - and didn't even swerve.I dropped into thirdand lent acrossto let him out, and saw him in the mirrorbouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge.We were the same age, give or take a week.He'd said he liked the breezeto 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. The enjambment between the stanzas keeps the tone calm and relaxed – making the report of violence even more chilling.

12. Technique This poem has an unusual structure of five stanzas with five lines of short, medium, and long lengths. Why do you think Armitage chose to use this structure? Why do many of the lines run over into the next? What effect does this have? The poem is a ‘monologue’. Written in the first person in the form of continuous speech the character often leaves clues about themselves and their story. What effect does this have?

13. Summary (Personal Response) • It’s a poem about how stress can lead to random acts of violence. • It’s a poem which presents a deeply disturbed man in both a serious and comic way. • It’s an insight into the mind of a cold, calculating murderer. • It’s an extended metaphor: there is no real victim – the speaker comes to realise that dreams have no place in the real world and he ‘kills’ his freedom loving, imaginative side. Which of the following statements do you agree with and what is the evidence for your decision?

14. Close Text Analysis • “saw him in the mirrorbouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge.” • This quote shows the character casually reporting on his violence, which shows how psychopathic he is. He also uses the word ‘bouncing’ in his description, which gives the poem a casual, almost humorous tone. • This makes the report of the violence even more chilling.