Bayonet Charge

What is the overview of Bayonet Charge?

A soldier who has been clumsily thrown into a war and he has no experience

Who is the author of Bayonet Charge?

Ted Hughes

Give me 3 contextual points about Ted Hughes

• Was the son of a WW1 veteran 

• Secondary victim of war

• Was fascinated with mythology

Give me 2 contextual points about Bayonet Charge

• Yellow hare - a symbol for danger

• Soldiers importance had been reduced to virtually nothing by the government

What is the form of Bayonet Charge + its effects

• Enjambment in stanza 1:

  Quickens the pace of the poem which matches the tension + momentum of the bayonet charge allowing reads to empathise with the fear felt by the soldier

• Irregular rhyme scheme:

  Depicts the unpredictability of war + the emotional struggle

Language Quote 1
“____ tear”

“Patriotic tear”

Metaphor emphasises the reason why the soldier came to war + as the patriotism is leaving him via the tear he grasps an understanding of what he is doing + retreat

Language Quote 2
“King, ____, _____, etcetera”

“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera”

Asyndetic listing to list out the common reasons as to why people go out to war, which builds up an exhaustive list

“etcetera” creates a mocking tone

Language Quote 3

“____ like ____”

“Dropped like luxuries”

Emphasises the futility of the reason previously states + highlights how the reasons pale in comparison to the barbaric nature of war

Language Quote 4

“____ up a _____ _____ “

“Threw up a yellow hare”

Metaphor which symbolises the collective suffering of soldiers

The “hare” is the only thing that the soldier notices

Structure Quote 1

Medias reus — “Suddenly he awoke”

Emphasises how the soldier was thrown into the heat of the battle, reflecting the thrust in a threatening situation

Structure Quote 2

3rd person

He had never been to war but had heard of experiences

What is the key idea of the poem?

The abuse of war and how a soldier has to use himself as a weapon