Hitcher By Simon Armitage

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Hitcher By Simon Armitage

• Written By Adam, Javan and Kofi

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What Is The Poem About?

• The poem is about a person, who is stressed out,
  at
• work. He gets a lift a hire car and somewhere
  near Leeds picks up a hitcher who is a hippy.
• 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.

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Themes

• The themes that feature in the poem are
• Violence Features in the poem when he hits the
  hippy with the krooklok.
• Death Features when he kills the hippy and
  lets him bounce off the kerb.
• Jealousy - Features in the poem when he picks up
  the hippy and realises he is not tied up with
  work like him.
• Loneliness Features when he is stressed out
  with work and stays of sick on purpose by
  himself.
• Anger Features when he flips out.

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Language

• The poem is written in 1st 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
  centered the character really is.

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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. It also uses the word bouncing in his
  description, which gives the poem a casual,
  almost humorous tone which makes the report of
  violence even more chilling.

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Alternative Interpretation

• In the poem, it uses italic writing to make the
  poem
• seem like his 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 how he feels jealous of the hippy because he
  doesnt 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,

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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.
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In comparison

• The Laboratory psychopathic character using
  inappropriate tone to report on violence.
• Havisham violence.
• My Last Duchess calculated, cold violence.

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Thanks to

• Adam, Javan and Kofi

Philip Alan Updates GCSE Student Text Guide