Bayonet Charge Flashcards
violent imagery and onomatopoeia perfectly encapsulate the sound and impact of the shots
“bullets smacking the belly out of the air-“
simile suggests that the rifle is useless and foreshadows the future injuries
“he lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm”
terror has utterly engulfed the soldier and his survival instincts makes his love for his country is gone and it is now replaced with fear and pain - his heroic ideas has been replaced by the painful reality.
“patriotic tear”
simile perhaps for the soldier
yellow indicate cowardice and rolled suggests danger
“a yellow hare that rolled like a flame/ And crawled in a threshing circle”
dismissive tone and suggests that the typical reasons for going to war is completely invalid
“king, honour, human dignity, etcetera
Dropped like luxuries”
content, meaning, purpose
-ĞƐĐƌŝďĞƐƚŚĞƚĞƌƌŝĨLJŝŶŐĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞŽĨ͚ŐŽŝŶŐŽǀĞƌƚŚĞ
ƚŽƉ͛͗ĨŝdžŝŶŐďĂLJŽŶĞƚƐ;ůŽŶŐŬŶŝǀĞƐͿƚŽƚŚĞĞŶĚŽĨƌŝĨůĞƐ
and leaving a trench to charge directly at the enemy.
-Steps inside the body and mind of the speaker to
show how this act transforms a soldier from a living
thinking person into a dangerous weapon of war.
-Hughes dramatises the struggle between a man’s
thoughts and actions
context
-Published in 1957, but most-likely set in World War 1.
-,ƵŐŚĞƐ͛ĨĂƚŚĞƌŚĂĚƐƵƌǀŝǀĞĚƚŚĞďĂƚƚůĞŽĨ’ĂůůŝƉŽůŝŝŶ
World War 1, and so he may have wished to draw
attention to the hardships of trench warfare.
-He draws a contrast between the idealism of
patriotism and the reality of fighting and killing. ;͞King,
ŚŽŶŽƵƌ͕ŚƵŵĂŶĚŝŐŶŝƚLJ͕ĞƚĐĞƚĞƌĂ͟)
Form and Structure
-dŚĞƉŽĞŵƐƚĂƌƚƐ͚ŝŶŵĞĚŝĂƐƌĞƐ͛͗ŝŶƚŚĞŵŝĚĚůĞŽĨƚŚĞ
action, to convey shock and pace.
-Enjambment maintains the momentum of the charge.
-Time stands still in the second stanza to convey the
ƐŽůĚŝĞƌ͛ƐďĞǁŝůĚĞƌŵĞŶƚĂŶĚƌĞĨůĞĐƚŝǀĞƚŚŽƵŐŚƚƐ͘
-Contrasts the visual and aural imagery of battle with
the internal thoughts of the soldier = adds to the
confusion.
Natural imagery corrupted by war
“Green hedge/ That dazzled with rifle fire”
He lugged his rifle as a smashed arm
Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest
Cold clockwork of the stars and nations
His foot hung like staturary in mid stride
Oxymoron
Its mouth/ open silent
Blue crackling air
His touchy dynamite
