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 into third
and lent 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 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.
‘Hitcher’
Simon Armitage
First person
narrative;
immediacy
Hitcher
Fed up with his job?
I'd been tired, under
the weather, but the ansaphone kept screaming:
Stock
phrase
Why the use of
italics?
Sounds
romantic. The
hitcher has
freedom and no
responsibilities
Why the unusual
spelling?
One more sick-note, mister, and you're finished. Fired.
I thumbed a lift to where the car was parked.
People putting
pressure on him
A Vauxhall Astra. It was hired. Matter of fact
tone
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.
Echo of Bob
Dylan song
“blowin’ in the
wind”
Takes his
frustrations out
on the hitcher.
The narrator
envies him
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.
Stark violent
images
I dropped it into third
Enjambment
and leant across
to let him out, and saw him in the mirror
bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down the verge.
Echo of the
We were the same age, give or take a week.
Hitcher’s voice,
He'd said he liked the breeze
different
language from
Personification, what effect
the narrator
to run its fingers does this create?
through his hair. It was twelve noon.
The outlook for the day was moderate to fair.
Colloquial
Stitch that, I remember thinking,
you can walk from there.
Why are the
similar ages
interesting?
Return to
normality,
details of time
and weather
The Speaker/Driver
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Unreliable
A ‘shirker’
Tired, stressed.
Frustrated with life.
Brutal
Violent
Lack of guilt of conscience
Gloating
No regard for human life
The Hitcher
• Carefree
• Lack of responsibilities or
obligations.
• Enjoys life.
• Takes pleasure in nature.
• A hippie.
How do the speaker and the
Hitcher differ? What could be the
reasons behind the speaker
murdering the Hitchhiker?
In the poem a man confesses to murder. The speaker in the
poem is at some point alike, and yet unlike, his victim. Briefly,
the narrative voice in the poem has been taking time off work and not answering his phone. Being threatened with the sack ,
he goes in to work again.
He gets a lift to his hired car. As he drives out of Leeds he picks
up a hitchhiker who is travelling with no set destination. Some
little way later, he attacks his passenger, and throws him out of
the still-moving car. The description of his actions are
understated and could easily be missed. The last he sees of the
hitchhiker, he is “bouncing off the kerb, then disappearing down
the verge” - we do not know if he is dead or just badly injured. It
is clear that the driver does not care.
Themes
• Disturbed Characters: The violence and
unpleasantness of the speak is clear.
• Danger: Violence – the vulnerability of the
hitchhiker.
• Can you think of any other significant
themes?
ITLFTO - Language
‘One more sick note, mister.....’.
He was following the sun from east to
west
‘I thumbed a lift.’
‘I’d been tired.’
‘The ansaphone kept screaming.’
‘just a toothbrush and the good
earth for a bed.’
‘The truth, he said, was blowin’ in the wind.
‘I let him have it.’
‘Once to the head and then six times
with the krooklok to the face’
‘bouncing off the kerb.’
‘He said he liked the breeze to run
its fingers through his hair.’
‘Did n’t even swerve.’
‘we were the same age, give or take
a week.’
• What is PEE?
• Point
• Evidence (quote)
• Explain
• PEE Model
• Point: Description is used in the poem to
amplify the violence of the speaker.
• Evidence (quote) “Bouncing off the kerb”
• Explain: enables the reader to imagine
the hitcher’s body falling from the car –
with the effective use of the verb
bouncing.
Form
The poem is written in
free verse. This enables
his thoughts to change
rapidly.
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?
Tone
The tone is quite matter of fact in parts…
It is clear that the speaker feels under
pressure.
Simple relaxed life of the hitcher contrasts
with the stress of the speaker.
Hippy Vs Yuppie
Plenary
Which of the following statements do
you agree with and what is the evidence
for your decision?
1. It’s a poem about how stress
can lead to random acts of
violence.
2. It’s a poem which presents a
deeply disturbed man in both
a serious and comic way.
3. It’s an insight into the mind of
a cold, calculating murderer.
4. 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.
Hitcher
• What are the main ideas in the poem?
The narrator is not happy with his life and picks up a
hitchhiker who appears to have all the freedom that he
desires. The narrator commits an unprovoked violent
attack on the hitchhiker and shows no remorse for his
actions.
• What is the tone of the poem?
The tone is very casual and laid back.
• What details do we get about the speaker in stanza one?
He does not appear to like his job as he appears to take a
lot of sick days. He does not own his own car, so perhaps
does not earn much. He is “tired” and “under the weather,
suggesting a general unhappiness with life.
Hitcher Continued….
• Which three words in stanza one emphasise the
speaker’s dissatisfaction with life and how does the poet
emphasise these?
“tired”, “fired”, “hired” – the use of rhyme helps them to
stand out.
• How does the poet emphasise the contrast between the
speaker and the hitchhiker?
“He was following….good earth for a bed” – this creates an
idyllic image of someone who has no responsibilities.
• Why does the poet include the words “The truth he said,
was blowin’ in the wind”
This is rather a “hippy” idea and is also the name of a Bob
Dylan song about carefree living.
Hitcher Continued….
• What does the phrase “I let him have it”?
He inflicted violence on the hitchhiker.
• Where is language used to show violence?
“once / with the head, then six times with the krooklok / in
the face”
• How does the poet show that the speaker is unfeeling?
“didn’t even swerve” – suggest he is more affected by his
driving skills. “Stitch that, I remember thinking, / you can
walk from here”.
• How does the poet draw a link between the two
characters?
“we were the same age, give or take a week” – suggests
that the speaker realises that is life could have turned out
like this.
Examination Practice
1. Explore how Armitage presents conflict
between two people in “Hitcher”.
2. Now compare this to how the poet
presents the conflict between two people
in “Cousin Kate”.
OR
3. Now compare this to how another poet
presents the conflict between two people.