Poetry - Bayonet Charge

• Who is the poet of ‘Bayonet Charge’?

  Ted Hughes
• What is the significance of Ted Hughes' birth year in relation to ‘Bayonet Charge’?

  He was born in 1930, after WWI ended
• Where did Ted Hughes grow up?

  Yorkshire countryside
• What was Ted Hughes' relationship with animals and nature?

  He was passionate about them
• What types of writing did Ted Hughes produce?

  Poetry, plays, children's books
• What notable work did Ted Hughes write that was adapted into a film?

  The Iron Man
• What was Ted Hughes' father's experience in World War I?

  He served and survived Gallipoli
• How did Ted Hughes' father's war experience affect him?

  His father was emotionally traumatized
• Why did Hughes feel a connection to World War I despite not experiencing it?

  He felt its effects through his father
• What did Hughes say about the impact of World War I on his region?

  The region mourned its war losses
• Who did Hughes admire for their poetry about war?

  Wilfred Owen
• What is the title of Hughes' first published collection?

  The Hawk in the Rain
• Who typed up Hughes' poems for a competition?

  Sylvia Plath
• What is the structure of ‘Bayonet Charge’?

  It is broken into three verses
• What major theme does ‘Bayonet Charge’ focus on?

  The indescribable horror of war
• How does Hughes create a sense of confusion in the poem's opening?

  By starting in the middle of the action
• What effect does enjambment have in ‘Bayonet Charge’?

  It creates a disjointed, unordered effect
• What is caesura in poetry?

  Sentences ending in the middle of a line
• How does repetition function in the poem?

  It reflects the soldier's shock and stuttering
• What is the relationship between Hughes' ‘Bayonet Charge’ and Owen's ‘Spring Offensive’?

  There are deliberate similarities in themes
• What literary device is used when Hughes mirrors Owen's style?

  Allusion
• What does Hughes' embarrassment about his early poems indicate?

  He felt he could improve them
• What are the key structural devices used in ‘Bayonet Charge’?

  • Enjambment: Creates disjointed effect
  • Caesura: Forces pauses for reflection
  • Repetition: Reflects shock and difficulty in expression
• What are the main themes explored in ‘Bayonet Charge’?

  • Indescribable horror of war
  • Emotional trauma from war experiences
  • The impact of war on individuals and society
• What similar words related to temperature are found in 'Bayonet Charge'?

  'Molten', 'cold', and 'flame'
• What phrase from 'Spring Offensive' is mentioned in the analysis?

  'And crawling'
• What phrase from 'Bayonet Charge' is referenced?

  'And crawled'
• What does the phrase 'plunged and fell away past' signify in 'Spring Offensive'?

  It indicates a sense of loss and despair
• How does Ted Hughes feel about his early writing?

  He felt embarrassed upon publication
• What influence did other poets have on Ted Hughes?

  He mirrored their style in his work
• What theme does the poem 'Bayonet Charge' explore?

  The inexplicable horror of war
• What did Tim Kendall say about Hughes' poetry?

  It's a secondhand poem about a secondhand experience
• Why does Hughes use complex language in 'Bayonet Charge'?

  To reflect the soldier's struggle
• How does the structure of the poem relate to the soldier's experience?

  It mirrors the difficulty of reaching his goal
• What literary devices does Hughes use to express horror in war?

  Enjambment, caesura, and repetition
• How many similes are present in 'Bayonet Charge'?

  Six similes
• What is a simile?

  A comparison of one thing to another
• What does the use of similes indicate about the poem's subject?

  The subject is difficult to describe
• What does the line 'Bullets smacking the belly out of the air' personify?

  The air, as it has its belly knocked out
• What does the absence of enemy soldiers in the poem suggest?

  Focus on the soldier's experience and nature