Bayonet Charge Flashcards
What is the main emotion depicted in ‘Bayonet Charge’?
Fear
The poem explores the intense fear experienced by a soldier during combat.
What individual experience is highlighted in the line ‘Suddenly he awoke and was running’?
The abrupt realization and instinctive reaction to danger
This line illustrates the soldier’s sudden transition from a state of rest to active engagement in battle.
What does the phrase ‘He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm’ suggest?
A sense of physical and emotional detachment
The comparison emphasizes the weight of the rifle and the soldier’s numbed state in the chaos of war.
What feeling does the line ‘In bewilderment … almost stopped-‘ convey?
Confusion and hesitation
This reflects the soldier’s momentary pause to process the overwhelming situation.
What concepts are represented by ‘King, honour, human dignity, etcetera’?
Ideals and values often associated with warfare
These terms highlight the contrast between noble ideals and the brutal reality of combat.
What does ‘His terror’s touchy dynamité’ imply?
The explosive nature of fear
This line suggests that fear can trigger intense and unpredictable reactions, similar to dynamite.
What is the quote ‘bullets smacking the belly out of the air’
Personification and onomatopoeia of violence
What is the significance of ‘a patriotic tear brimming in his eye’
Shows the reasons he came to fight are now the only thing pushing him to keep going at this point in the poem
What is the significance of ‘cold clockwork ‘
Alliteration and how he is surrounded by power and that power doesn’t care about soldiers lives only victory for them
What is the quote ‘like a man who has jumped up in the dark and runs’
Simile creates image of blindly running at the unknown not knowing what is going to happen to you
What is the significance of the quote ‘was he the hand pointing that second’
Shows his insignificance like the hand that points second on a clock it means very little for one second in a whole day
How does ‘king, honour, human dignity, etcetera dropped like luxuries show a change in mind from the beginning of the text
He now has nothing to be fighting for expect his own survival no patriotism left just the will to survive
What does the quote ‘his terrors touchy dynamite ‘ about his state of mind at the end of the poem
Simply driven by his terror and will to survive showing the horrors of war first hand
