Bayonet Charge Flashcards
Structure
1st: Begins ‘in media res’ (“suddenly”)
2nd: Time freezes, begins to think about his actions
3rd: Gives up his ideals and patriotism
LA: Plosive imagery to describe the impact of the shots
“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air”
LA: Rifle is useless, questions justifications of war, war is dehumanising
“A rifle numb as a smashed arm”
LA: His patriotism has been turned into fear and pean
“Patriotic tear”
“Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest”
Form: Caesura to return to reality
“Statuary in mid-stride. Then the shot-slashed furrows”
LA: War is dehumanising
“His terror’s touch dynamite”
The soldier has become a weapon rather than a human, driven by his terror
LA: Questioning patriotism
“Kind, honour, human dignity, etcetera / Dropped like luxuries”
Implies patriotism is useless, “etcetera” implies the rest aren’t worth listing
LA: Natural imagery, war is a crime against nature
“His bayonet toward the green hedge”
Contrasts war to nature
