Simon Armitage - About His Person
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Lesson Objective:
We are going to explore Simon Armitage’s
poem About His Person, discover the poem’s
hidden meaning and imagine ourselves in the
life of this ‘Person’.
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Simon Armitage - About His Person
Five pounds fifty in change, exactly.
A library card on its date of expiry.
A rolled up note of explanation
planted there like a spray carnation,
A postcard, stamped,
unwritten, but franked.
but beheaded. In his fist
a shopping list.
A pocket-size diary slashed with a pencil
from March twenty-fourth to the first of April.
A giveaway photograph stashed in his wallet,
a keepsake banked in the heart of a locket.
A brace of keys for a mortise lock.
An analogue watch, self-winding, stopped.
No gold or silver.
But crowning one finger
A final demand
in his own hand.
a ring of white unweathered skin.
That was everything.
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 1:
Write down what you think the poem is about.
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 1: What the poem is about
• The poem lists the objects found on the body of a
man who has killed himself because his wife has
left him.
• The poem seems very formal, objective and
unemotional; almost like the sort of report a
police officer might read at an inquest.
• But this list does not tell the whole truth, Simon
Armitage leaves that for you to work out.
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 2: What the poem is about
The Clues.
Write down a list of 10 ‘clues’ from the poem,
one from each stanza, that help tell you what
it is about.
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 2: What the poem is about - The Clues
Five pounds fifty in change, exactly.
A library card
 Would have his name so his identity is known.
 Expired – finished – over .
on its date of expiry.
A postcard,
unwritten
 He has money on him so he has not been mugged.
 The picture shows a place where someone (his wife) is staying .
 No note on the postcard.
Stamped … but franked
 But it has been sent through the post.
diary slashed … from 24th March - 1st April.  Nine days crossed out. The days since she left
brace of keys
 Two Keys for the same lock. She has returned her house keys to him.
watch, self-winding
stopped.
 A watch that is wound by movement.
 There has been no movement for at least 12 hours.
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 2: What the poem is about - The Clues
 You must do something (like pay a bill) or else!
A final demand.
In his own hand
 The demand is written by him – it may read ‘come back or……’
note of explanation.
 A suicide note!
Carnation….beheaded
 A flower worn by men at weddings…..has he cut his throat?
In his fist a shopping list
 A list of things he must do before he kills himself.
giveaway photograph
 A small photo of his wife.
 His wife’s heart shaped locket. A love token she has returned.
heart of a locket
No gold or silver
 No jewellery.
a ring of white unweathered skin  A patch of white skin where his wedding ring used to be.
That was everything
 No it isn’t. There is more to this story than a list of items
found on a body.
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 3 : Key Feature
• Write down what you think the Key Feature of the
poem is
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 3 : Key Feature
• The key technical feature in this poem is imagery.
• In the poem, Simon Armitage creates a series of
‘snapshots’ that describe the objects found on this
body.
• From these objects we are able to piece together the
final few days of this tragic life.
• Even though Simon Armitage does not describe the
man at all, after reading the poem a few times you
begin to feel that you do know him.
• And all of this is just from a list!
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
How it is written – Form & Structure
• The Form of the poem is a list and/or a report. (Form=what
type of poem it is.)
• The poem is composed of ten rhyming couplets with irregular
line lengths, eg.
Five pounds fifty in change, exactly.
A library card on its date of expiry.
A postcard, stamped,
unwritten, but franked.
• However the last couplet chimes rather than rhymes:
a ring of white unweathered skin.
That was everything.
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
How it is written – Poetic Devices
• The poem also has some alliteration, eg.
Five pounds fifty
from March twenty-fourth to the first
but beheaded
• There are also several examples of enjambment, eg.
A pocket-size diary slashed with a pencil 
from March twenty-fourth to the first of April.
A rolled up note of explanation 
planted there like a spray carnation, 
but beheaded. In his fist 
a shopping list.
Because of the rhyme scheme, alliteration and
enjambment, this poem has a strong rhythm .
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 4 : Interesting words and phrases
Write down two or three examples of words and
phrases in the poem you find interesting. Then
try to explain what you find interesting about
them
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Mini Task 4 : Interesting words and phrases
For me these would be:
A postcard, stamped, unwritten, but franked.
A pocket-size diary slashed with a pencil
A brace of keys for a mortise lock.
An analogue watch, self-winding, stopped.
A final demand in his own hand.
A rolled up note of explanation
a keepsake banked in the heart of a locket.
a ring of white unweathered skin.
That was everything.
Note : ‘Brace’ means two
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About His Person – Simon Armitage
Your response to the poem – The task.
Write the diary entries for this man for Wednesday March 24th
to Thursday 1st April.
Remember to use the clues to help you write your entries and
try to show how the emotional pressure has built up on this
man so that he feels his only way out is to take his own life.
Some crisis points to consider are:
• The postcard
• The keys
• His demand
• The Locket
• The shopping list
• The ring
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