Bayonet Charge

Question 1

Bayont Charge context (Ted Hughes)

Answer 1

• Father fought in WW1
• Speaker is an observer (poem written in third person)
• Poem timeline - 1 : Starts mid action - movement, 2 : Time freezes - he thinks, 3 : He is part weapon - no longer human

Question 2

Bayonet Charge MUST mention

Answer 2

• The poem explores a soldiers charge through a mix of physical and emotional exploration
• The language of the poem seems to juxtapose natural animal images and human machine, they are at conflict
• The mix of caesura and enjambment in the poem adds a chaotic tone to show the confusion of war and the inner turmoil of the solider

Question 3

Bayonet Charge Structure

Answer 3

• There are three stanzas and the work is largely blank verse with no set structure. In part the different lines help show the pace of the charge, sometimes fast, sometimes stumbling.
• Towards the end it picks up speed, perhaps as he approaches his destination or doom.
• The poet uses a lot of enjambment and caesuras to give a bizarre and erratic speed to the poem. This helps again give a structure to the speed of the charge but also the confusion and intensity of the battle with explosions and gunfire as well as the jumbled thoughts of the soldier.