1. Hitcher

2. 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. First person narrative; immediacy Fed up with his job? colloquial Sounds romantic. The hitcher has freedom and no responsibilities Echo of Bob Dylan song “blowin’ in the wind” Rhyming words reinforce his dissatisfaction personification

3. 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. Takes his frustrations out on the hitcher. The narrator envies him Stark violent images Enjambment Echo of the Hitcher’s voice, different language from the narrator Colloquial Return to normality, details of time and weather

4. Links to Other Poems Violence O What is that Sound, Belfast Confetti, Our Sharpeville, The Drum Conflict between people: Catrin, Parade’s End, Our Sharpeville, Your Dad did What?, Cousin Kate

5. Exam Style Questions… 1. Explain how Armitage presents conflict and violence in the poem “Hitcher”. Use examples from the poem to support your ideas. 2. Compare how the writers of Hitcher and one other poem of your choice present actions against others. (model essay hand- out)