Poetry Bayonet Charge Flashcards
‘Suddenly he awoke and was running – raw’
‘Suddenly he awoke and was running – raw’
‘Suddenly’- Begins in media res. Dramatic adverb used to open poem. Frantic and fast paced. This is probably a metaphorical way of saying that the soldier suddenly becomes acutely aware of the horror and chaos around him like never before. This sudden awakening also foreshadows the soldier’s epiphany that comes later in the poem, in which it dawns on him that patriotism is a hollow concept that means little in actual war—that he has, in some way, been duped.
‘awoke’-He has literally woken up but it is also, perhaps, a metaphorical reference to how he is no longer blinded by propaganda. He is now aware of the true reality of war.
‘–’-Use of the caesura creates the effect of breathless action. It forces the reader to reflect on who is running and why
‘raw’-The adjective ‘raw’ suggests pain and injury. It is repeated to intensify its effect. Perhaps pain causes as realizations he’s been lied to.
‘Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame’
‘Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame’
‘Threw’…..’Rolled’-Negative and violent verb choices suggest the pain and physical torture of war on the human body.
‘yellow hare’-. At this point of high fear, time slows for him to notice the hare thrown up violently away from its natural habitat, paralleling how he is out of his natural habitat. It may be suggested that it is almost like the soldier is looking at himself – the hare is a metaphor for what will happen to him and its singular presence reflects his own isolation.
‘like a flame’-The simile conveys the frantic movement of the hare. The circular motions implies that the hare is trapped. Both the hare and the soldier are caught up in a deadly situation – in someone else’s battle.
‘His terror’s touchy dynamite’
‘tt’-Alliteration shows he is unstable as the reality of war has crashed against him. He feels insignificant and betrayed because of the lies of propaganda. He is overcome with fear as he knows he will most likely die and his death will be insignificant.
‘touchy dynamite’ -Metaphor is striking and violent. Emphasises the ‘unhinged’ nature of the soldier. All of the reasons for war become meaningless as he effectively becomes a human bomb running towards the enemy. His nerves are fraught and jumpy with fear – he’s explosive and reactive. And in this moment of intense drama, the poem abruptly ends—just like the soldier’s life could well be about to do. Perhaps this is why it ends with an end stop – sense of finality.
Structre?
Irregular stanzas – 1st and 3rd are full of action but the second slows down. This is because in the 2nd he is thinking about his actions/realising what is happening.
Free verse – lack of order in the soldier’s emotional charge.
Enjambment and caesura emphasise the contrast between his movement and his fear.
