Remains v. bayonet charge

Question 1

THEMES IN BOTH

Answer 1

1. psychological impacts of being an active soldier in war.
2. violence, suffering and the harsh realities of war
3. criticisms of war, propaganda and authorial orders

Question 2

STRUCTURE OF BAYONET CHARGE

Answer 2

free verse structure that contains a wide use of enjambment caesuras and rich complex imagery which makes the poem feel hard to read at times. The true meaning is hidden under a plethora of literacy/structural techniques that fragment the poem and create sense of chaos.

Question 3

STRUCTURE IN REMAINS

Answer 3

dramatic monologue with largely unrhymed quatrains
uneven stanzas that create a conversational feel that highlights the chaotic structure.

Question 4

PERSPECTIVE IN BOTH

Answer 4

remains- present tense with flashbacks, almost feels like a therapy recounting with constant changes in perspective, almost like a stream of consciousness centred on emotion (very common in modern english lit)
creates a sense of detachment

2. bayonet c- 3rd person singular, gives a limited narrative perspective and allows readers to focus on the individual impacts of war through on person. it emphasises the isolation of conflict

Question 5

THEME 1- psychological impacts of being an active soldier in war
QUOTES

Answer 5

1. bayonet c- “suddenly he awoke and was running- raw In raw-seamed hot khaki- his sweat heavy”
   “ hes here in my head when i close my eyes, not dug in behind enemy lines”

Question 6

why does the writers in both choose to talk about psychological impacts of being an active soldier in war?

Answer 6

its important in terms of acknowledging how war can have lasting consequences
both poems are more modern, where there is more recognition and discussion of trauma in media but at the times of the conflicts the poems are set it there was an attempt to privilege notions of honour and courage.
both show a side of male vulnerability that is important to highlight.

Question 7

THEME 2- violence, suffering and the harsh realities of war

Answer 7

remains- “tosses his guts back into his body. then hes carted off in the back of a lorry”

bayonet c- “threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame, and crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide open silent”

Question 8

why do both writers include themes of harsh realities, suffering and violence?

Answer 8

it shows the injustice of war on the innocent. and in bayonet charge it shows injustice of war on not only fighters but nature too.
makes it hard for readers to view war favourably, shows how no one can hide from the truth of it.
in bayonet charge- it takes an innocent creature caught up in violence to break a desensitised trance- helps readers associate hare’s suffering with the soldiers.

Question 9

THEME 3- criticisms of war, propaganda and authorial orders.
QUOTES

Answer 9

1. bayonet c- “in what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations. was he the hand pointing that second?”
   “he lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm”
2. remains- “ we get sent out”
   “all three the same mind so all three of us open fire”

Question 10

why do both poems explore criticisms of war, propaganda and authorial orders?

Answer 10

it highlights the calculated nature of war and how soldiers are tools and a small part of a bigger machine
they dehumanise them, they lose individuality and humanity and they are made to become aggressive
it blurs the lines between humans and weapons.
shows how easily they can be painted and disillusioned by the idealism of war.
it is only afterwards that they are allowed to question the implications of what they have done.