Bayonet Charge Flashcards
“Suddenly he awoke”
Fast paced start - as if he is in a confused or venrable state.
Event seems like a nightmare but this confurms it is real.
“‘Hot”…“his”…heavy”
“h” signifies the heavy breathing.
“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air”
Violent imagery and onomatopoeia.
Describes the sound and impact of the shots.
“A rifle as numb as a smashed arm”
Suggests his weapon is useless and fore-shadows the injuries he is likely to get.
“In what cold clockwork of the stars and nations”
Soldiers insignificance and lack of control.
‘cold’ implies people in charge of the war don’t care about individual soldiers.
“His terrors touchy dynamite”
Soldiers seem to have become a weapon rather than a human being.
Purely driven by his terror.
‘Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest’
Simile shows that he is becoming similar to the robot of war.
‘Shot slashed’
Sibilant demonstrates pace.
‘Threw up a yellow hard that rolled like a flame’
Violent imagery of suffering demonstrates the extent of conflict.
‘King,honour,human dignity’
Listing of what is ‘important’ - notice the sequencing of king before personal dignity.
‘His terror’s touchy dynamite’
He’He has become a pillar of war - a machine of destruction.
