Bayonet charge

Question 1

Poem’s form

Answer 1

The poem uses enjambment and caesure, and has lines of uneven length. This creates an irregular rhythm, which mirrors the soldier struggling to run through the mud. The narrator uses the pronoun ‘he’ rather than naming the soldier to keep him anonymous. It suggests that he is a universal figure who could represent any young soldier.

Question 2

Poem’s structure

Answer 2

The poem starts in media res and covers the soldier’s movements and thoughts over a short space of timee. The first stanza sees the soldier acting on instinct, but time seems to stand still in the second stanza, where the soldier begins to think about his situation. In the final stanza, he gives up his thoughts and ideals and seems ot have lost his humanity.

Question 3

Poem’s themes

Answer 3

• Effects of conflict
• Reality of war