Hitcher by Simon Armitage By the end of

‘Hitcher’ by Simon Armitage By the end of the lesson you will: • Understand the two characters in the poem • Understand the different meanings used by the poet AIM: to understand meaning in the poem. Copyright © 2008 www. englishteaching. co. uk

The Title: Hitcher 1. What is a hitcher? 2. Why do you think the

Stanza one Whose voice do you think is on the answer phone? Does the narrator own the car? How do you know this? How does the narrator feel? The poem is written in first person. It is a dramaticmonologue. What does this tell us about the narrator? (Think about what we have learnt about his car and job) Copyright © 2008 www. englishteaching. co. uk

Stanza two ‘Blowing in the wind’ is a famous line from a song by Bob Dylan. He sang folk songs in the 1960 s about freedom from material possessions. What tone do you think the narrator would say the last line and why? The hitcher is a free spirit. Find two examples that suggests this. What makes the hitcher different from the main character? Copyright © 2008 www. englishteaching. co. uk

Stanza three What does the line ‘didn’t even swerve’ suggest about the narrator? What does the line ‘didn’t even swerve’ suggest about the narrator’s journey? The first line stands out. Why do you think this is? Copyright © 2008 www. englishteaching. co. uk

Stanza four What does the fourth line suggest about the two men? Why do you think the narrator was angry with the hitcher? Stanza five The weather is mentioned in first stanza to show the narrator is feeling. How does the narrator feel in line 3? Copyright © 2008 www. englishteaching. co. uk

Task: use the poem to help you write one of the following… The police find the hitcher and they take a statement from him. From the perspective of the hitcher, write the statement given to the police. A man comes forward after witnessing the hitcher being thrown from the Vauxhall Astra. Write the narrator's statement given to the police. Copyright © 2008 www. englishteaching. co. uk