Bayonet Charge

• AO3:

  • Ted Hughes was born in Yorkshire, in the North of England, and grew up in the countryside. HE served in the RAF for two years.
  • The themes of the countryside, human history, and mythology therefore already deeply influenced his imagination by the time he started writing poetry as a student.
• Overview:

  This poem follows the journey of a single soldier as he goes from sleeping in a camp to running either from or towards sudden battle. The poem emphasises the soldiers' terror, shock, and confusion at finding himself in such a horrific scene. Much of the poem's imagery centres on the destruction of the once peaceful and natural scene of a green field. The poet questions the idea of blind patriotism as this soldier questions what his purpose in this war is.
• "Bullets smacking his belly out of the air - He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm".

  • Metaphor
  • Simile

  The bullets puncture the air and the imagery of 'smacking refers to the winded feeling the soldier has as he runs for his life across the field. His 'numb' rifle and 'smashed arm' have a dual meaning: he could feel numb to thhe pain he has to cause with his rifle. He could have literally smashed his rifle into his arm in panic. This highlights both the soldier's inexperience and trauma at wht he has to do in war.
• "In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations / Was he the hand pointing that second?"

  • Rhetorical Question
  • Metaphor

  The soldier questions his purpose. His reference to 'clockwork' could suggest that these conflicts happen regularly and possibly arbitrarily. He refers to himself as 'the hand; which could refer to clock hands. He feels like a part of a machine. Is he in control? Is this what he wanted when he signed up to the army?
• "Then the shot-sashed furrows Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame"

  • Alliteration
  • Imagery
  • Enjambment

  The alliterative 's' sounds mimics the sound of the bullets destroying the soil of the field. 'Slashed' creates violent imagery. The yellow hare represents the innocence of nature in conflict. The 'threshing circle' is a farming term but has connotations of violence and destruction. The enjambment in this section, and theoughout this poem, highlights the speed and panic of the situation and possibly the soldier's inability to complete his thoughts in time.
• Aspects of Power and Conflict:

  • Overpowered by the enemy and the soldier is powerless.
  • Conflict within himself/ inner turmoil.
  • Conflict of war and the trench warfare of WWI and the destructive power of war.
  • Soldier is in conflict with societal expectations.
• Poems that can be linked:

  • The Charge of the Light Brigade
  • Exposure