Bayonet Charge Flashcards
1
Q
Quotes p.1.
A
“Suddenly he awoke”
“his sweat heavy”
“Stumbling”
“green hedge” which “dazzled with rifle fire”
“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air”
“lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm”
“patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye”
“Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest”
2
Q
Quotes p.2.
A
“In cold clockwork of the stars and the nations
Was he the hand pointing that second?”
“shot-slashed furrows”
“yellow hare that rolled like a flame
And crawled in a threshing circle”
“its mouth wide Open silent, its eyes standing out”
“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera”
“Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm”
“His terror’s touchy dynamite”
3
Q
STRUCTURE
A
- Starts in middle of action
- Covers soldiers movements and thoughts over a short space of time
- First stanza sees soldier acting on instinct, time seems to stand still in second when he begins to think about his situation. In final he gives up his thoughts and ideals; seems to have lost his humanity
4
Q
FORM
A
- Enjambment, caesura And uneven length lines creates an irregular rhythm; mirrors soldier struggling to run through mud
- Narrator uses pronoun “he”; unnamed soldiers to keep him anonymous
—> suggests he’s a universal figure who could represent any young soldier
