What do we know about Simon Armitage?

Simon Armitage was born in 1963 in the village of Marsden and lives in West Yorkshire. He is a graduate of Portsmouth University, where he studied Geography. He is Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds and was elected to serve as Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford for 2015-2019.

What does Simon Armitage usually write about?

His poems particularly bring to life the experiences of adolescence and his work has featured widely in the school curriculum. The lively energy of his poetry is signaled by the titles of his collections like Zoom! and Tyrannosaurus Rex Versus the Corduroy Kid. Armitage has continued to bring poetry to fresh arenas.

What kind of poet is Simon Armitage?

Simon Armitage, in full Simon Robert Armitage, (born May 26, 1963, Huddersfield, Yorkshire [now in Kirklees], England), British poet, playwright, and novelist whose poetry is attuned to modern life and vernacular language and has been regarded as both accessible and revelatory.

What inspires Simon Armitage?

Known for his deadpan delivery, Armitage’s formally assured, often darkly comic poetry is influenced by the work of Ted Hughes, W.H. Auden, and Philip Larkin. As a reviewer for the PoetryArchive.org observed, “With his acute eye for modern life, Armitage is an updated version of Wordsworth’s ‘man talking to men.

What is Simon Armitage’s most famous poem?

10 of the Best Simon Armitage Poems Everyone Should Read

• ‘I Say I Say I Say’.
• 4. ‘ You May Turn Over and Begin …’
• ‘The Shout’.
• ‘Chainsaw versus the Pampas Grass’.
• ‘To His Lost Lover’.
• ‘About His Person’.
• ‘The Catch’.
• ‘Give’.

Why does Simon Armitage have PTSD?

He suffered severe PTSD as a result of his experiences and the poem recalls one particular event where the soldier shot the looter of a bank and was left with horrendous flashbacks reliving the moment of the man’s death.

Why did Simon Armitage write out of the blue?

Simon Armitage reads his own poem ‘Out of the Blue’, and talks about why he wrote it. He explains the narrator’s voice, and how it was inspired by a real-life image of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. He analyses the poem’s structure and language, over documentary footage of the attack.

Did Simon Armitage go to war?

‘He probably wasn’t at the Somme. He survived [the war] but apparently it’s much easier to find out about people who were killed than those who survived. He was the only member of our family to fight in the trenches. He came home, but he was scarred, mentally and physically – he’d been gassed.

What is the poem exposure about?

Wilfred Owen’s poem focuses on the misery felt by World War One soldiers waiting overnight in the trenches. The poet has a sense of injustice about the way the soldiers are being treated. If being ‘exposed’ to gunfire does not kill them, then exposure to the brutal weather conditions might do.

What is the message of the poem out of the blue?

Two key themes within the poem are a loss of hope, and loss of control, both of which are portrayed through the structure and language of the poem.In terms of structure, Armitage uses a childlike rhyme scheme (ABAB) to portray an initial sense of hope, and potentially to contrast with the dire subject matter of the …

What is Wilfred Owen saying about nature vs conflict?

The war seems to be a backdrop for the suffering, as Owen says it is “like a dull rumour of some other war” Nature is personified and acts as a threat in Owen’s Exposure poem. The wind “knive us” and the “mad gusts” are likened to the writhing pain of the soldiers.

Who is the poet Simon Robert Armitage?

Simon Robert Armitage CBE (born 26 May 1963) is an English poet, playwright and novelist.

Where did John Armitage live most of his life?

Early life and education. Armitage was born in Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire and grew up in the village of Marsden, where his family still live.

Who is the father of Emmeline Armitage’s daughter?

Armitage is married to radio producer Sue Roberts. They have a daughter, Emmeline, born in 2000. Emmeline won the 2017 SLAMbassadors national youth poetry slam for 13-18-year-olds. Continuing in both her father’s and grandfather’s tradition, she is a member of the National Youth Theatre and a singer.

When did John Armitage get the Hay Medal?

In 1999 Armitage was named the Millennium Poet. In 2004 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Armitage was awarded the CBE for services to poetry in 2010 and presented with the Hay Medal for Poetry at the 25th Hay Festival in 2012.