Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes

“bullets smacking the belly out of the air” (2)

Violent imagery

Highlights the danger of the battlefied

“the patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye/sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest” (4)

Simile

The soldier’s patrotic ideals are useless now he is faced with the reality of conflict

Contrast between “brimmed” (positive connotations of abundance,pride) and “sweating” highlights contrast

Comparing tears to iron dehumanises the soldier and likens him to a machine

“Stumbling across a field of clods towards a green hedge..." (1)

The verb "stumbling" indicates his lack of control as he is caught up in the chaos of war

“In what cold clockwork of the stars..." (3)

Harsh alliteration

Potentially a reference to fate governing the soldier and his powerlessness

Could insinuate the repetitive nature of conflict

“Suddenly he awoke and was running” (2)

The poem begins in media res (in the middle of the action)

Creates a sense of urgency and highlights the chaos of war

“The shot-slashed furrows..." (3)

Gruesome image

Highlights the brutality of war

Highlights how war affects nature as well as humans

“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera..." (3)

Listing

Things that seemed important to the soldier before the war now seem futile when faced with death.

“human dignity” makes him seem animalistic; the primal instinct of survival takes over

The pointlessness of these things is reinforced through the choice of the word “etcetera”

“He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm” (3)

Simile

The image suggests the rifle is useless and therefore emphasises how vulnerable he is

It could also foreshadow the injuries he might gain because of war