Bayonet Charge Flashcards
4 key quotes?
- ‘bullets smacking the belly out of the air’
- ‘cold clockwork’
- ‘shot-slashed furrows’
- ‘king ,honour, human dignity, etcetera dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm’
What’s the perspective of the poem?
Third person, focuses on individual impact of war, shows that although war was beneficial nationally soldiers suffered.
Structural features?
- chaotic structure, mirrors the chaos of war
- enjambment quickens pace
- caesura makes the poem, feel disjointed and confusing.
- Suggests humans are weapons of war
Analysis of ‘bullets smacking the belly out of the air’
- personification, the bullets are given agency and seem to be acting violently of their own will.
Analysis of ‘cold clockwork’
Mechanical imagery is emphasised by the harsh alliteration, dehumanising the soldiers
Analysis of ‘shot-slashed furrows’
- juxtaposes nourishing conditions of farming and life being taken away in the same place
Analysis of ‘king, honour, human dignity, etcetera, dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm’
Hughes uses asyndetic listing to show how the soldier gains honour but when faced with war, values are ‘dropped..’ when the reality of war is revealed. ‘Etc.’ Creates a sense of being sick of it and mocking people of power for not helping soldiers
What is Bayonet Charge about?
A soldier, desperately charging to battle
Context?
Hughes was a child during WWI and grew up in a post-war era that dealt with its consequences
How does Hughes use language?
semantic field of body parts and violence combined with metaphors dehumanise soldiers.
What does the verb ‘lugged’ suggest?
Not physically adept enough to carry
What does the verb ‘smacking’ suggest?
Aggression and violence targeted at nature
What does the simile ‘he lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm’ suggest?
The soldier is uncomfortable holding the weapon and seems disconnected, showing his unsuitability. The rifle is numb showing how unnatural the soldiers feel committing acts of violence.
