Bayonet Charge

Question 1

“bullets smacking the belly out of the air-“

Answer 1

• whole quote is a Metaphor
• “smacking” is onomatopoeioa
• Personifed “bullets” and semantic bodyparts like “belly” are dehumanising the soilder as it blurs the lines between weapon and soilder

Question 2

“he lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm”

Answer 2

-“Smashed arm” blurs the lines between weapon and man dehumanises the soilder

Question 3

“patriotic tear”

Answer 3

• this idea of something sweet and noble contrasted with “sweating like molten iron” to dehumaises soilder into weapons

Question 4

“a yellow hare that rolled like a flame/ And crawled in threshing circle”

Answer 4

• metaphor asks the questions :is it a real hare? Or a coward?
• ## “yellow” colour of fear, “hares” are prey

Question 5

“king, honour, human dignity, etcetera”

Answer 5

Asyenductic Listing of the key motivations for war emphasises that here and now they are second to the rush of battle

Question 6

“Sweating like molten iron”

Answer 6

Juxtaposes ideas of a “patroitic tear” which further dehumaises soilder into weapons

Question 7

What is the context of Bayonet Charge?

Answer 7

• Ted Hughes was a former RAF Servicemen, and includes a great amount of natural and historical ideas in his poems
• The poem is about a soilder going over the top in the trenches.
• The soilder have bayonets at the end of the rifles and would charge at the enemy like a human weapon
• the nameless soilder becomes so primal and raw like a starving animal

Question 8

What are the themes of Bayonet Charge?

Answer 8

• clearly set around conflict and a soilder rushing out of the trenches to attack
• the poem explores the physical/emotional changes of the soilder
• contrast of human animalitic nature and weapons

Question 9

What is the structure of Bayonet Charge?

Answer 9

• Poem uses loads of caesura and enjambment to give efffect of bizare and erratic speed
• 3 stanzas with no structure but different line lengths to show the pace of the charge