Bayonet Charge - Context And Writer's Intentions Flashcards
how did ted hughes father influence his poem
- his father was a war veteran
- the stories he told him acted as inspiration for the poem
what did hughes describe world war one as
” a big, ever-present, overshadowing thing.”
when is bayonet charge set
world war one (1914 to 1918)
what is bayonet charge heavily influences by
- wilfred owen, another poet
- he also wrote about a bayonet charge called “spring offensive”
what is world war one especially remembered for when compared to other wars
- the trench warfare
- the use of chemicals and gas
- the slaughter of many men (16 million deaths and 20 million wounded)
what is a bayonet
- a knife shaped weapon
- designed to fit on the muzzle of a gun
- turning it into a make shift spear in close combat
what is a bayonet charge
- an attack by formation of infantrymen with bayonets
- it us used to cover short distances to capture enemy trenches or break up troop formation
what is the intention of hughes in this poem from the start
- he begins it with en media res to throw us straight into the battlefield
- we are already deep into the horrors of war as it feels like he has woken up in a nightmare
why does the poem have a fast pace
to reflect the charge of the soldier and promote the sense of confusion and chaos
what is hughes attitude towards the reasons for war and which lines shows this
- the line “ king, honour, human dignity, etcetera”
- these are reasons used to justify war
- but the use of etcetera at the end underminds these reasons
- hughes is being dismissive of the list and it loses its power in battle
- telling us that he believes these reasons arent valid enough
