Bayonet charge. Flashcards
Where was Ted Hughes born and where did he grow up?
Ted Hughes was born in Yorkshire and grew up in the countryside.
When and how long was Hughes Poet Laureate for?
Hughes was poet laureate from 1984 until his death from cancer in 1998.
What does the poem focus on?
A nameless solider in the First World War.
What were soldiers hiding in trenches ordered to do?
‘fix bayonets’ (attach the long knives to the end of their refiles) and climb out of the trenches to charge an enemy position.
How many stanzas is the poem written in?
Three stanzas.
What is the shown through the varying lengths in lines?
The quick and slow progress of the soldier.
What is the flow of the poem broken by?
The use of dashes ‘-‘.
This shows how the solider is waking up to what is happening and slowly starting to think.
“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air.”
Personified bullets and semantic body parts with ‘belly’ and
‘smashed arm’ blurs the line between weapon and man by
dehumanising the soldier and personifying the weapons.
“Sweating like molten iron.”
Juxtaposed ideas of patriotic tear, a beautiful and noble
thing full of emotion contrasted with ‘sweating like molten
iron’ which further dehumanises the soldier and likens
him more to a tank or machine.
