bayonet charge

• a rifle numb as a smashed arm


  extended simile, compared to a war machine, dehumanised throughout the poem
• king, honour, human dignity, etcetera


  lists all the reasons he is fighting

  concludes with etcetera - shows their insignificance now, not even enough to name
• cold clockwork


  alliteration emphasises inhumanity of war

  continued imagery of soldier as a machine

  he is the second hand of the clock so he is one small part of a much larger whole- therefore insignificant
• terror's touchy dynamite


  alliteration of t sound reminds you of the ticking of a clock

  his terror is dynamite, he is about to lose control
• suddenly


  starting the poem in media res throws the reader straight into the action with the soldier

  adverb emphasises soldiers state of shock as he wakes up metaphorically- waking up to reality
• rolled like a flame


  war and nature imagery combined to show devastating effect
• context


  written by Ted Hughes 1930-1998

  bayonet charge- when a bayonet is fixed to a soldiers musket