Bayonet Charge

• Who wrote Bayonet Charge?

  • Ted Hughes
  • Father fought in the war and grew up in post war society - this may have influenced his thoughts and feelings on war as he saw the direct impact that it had on society and soldiers
• How does HUghes present the reality of war?

  • Hughes uses the poem to expose how fast the patriotism which usually compels the soldier to join the war, leaves them on the battle field once they witness the brutality and violence of it all.
  • We see the reality of war dissipate all heroism and patriotic attitudes of the solders
• 'Patriotic Tear'

  • Conveys the inner conflict and saddness which the soldier experiences
  • Hughes suggests how the soldiers may feel betrayed and let down by the reality of war as they where perhaps tricked into joining in order to fight for their country, only to discover the brutality and harsh violence which they are forced into, suggesting they now must fight for their survival rather than their country
• 'Cold Clockwork'

  • Hughes uses alliteration of harsh and plosive sound 'C' in order to emphasise the brutal reality of war.
  • Hugh may use the adjective 'cold' to suggest that the soldiers are expected to act emotionless in war despite the tragic and brutal nature of battle, emphasizing the lack of care and compassion society has for those on the battle field.
  • Furthermore, Hughes also uses the noun 'clockwork' to underscore the mechanical and reserved nature of war. He objectifies the soldiers, comparing them to machinery in order to critique society's treatment and lack of humanity in war.
• 'Suddenly he awoke and was running, raw'

  • Hughes opens the poem in media res in order to immediatly immerse the reader in the chaos and confusion of war, which he may do to mirror the soldier's experience of being in batte in order to expose the reality of war and suggest it is dehumanisign for the men as they are constantly being launched into violent and brutal situations
  • Furthermore, Hughes uses the adjective 'raw' to perhaps allude to the young and innocent soldiers who where 'raw' and freshly entering the world when they joined the army, only to be brutally killed and forgotton
  • Alternitavly, 'raw' may also suggest the soldier's 'raw' emotion and fear he is experiencing in battle
• 'Bullets smacking the belly'

  • 'Smacking' is a graphic and harsh sounding verb which Hughes perhaps uses in order to emphasize the violence of war on the soldier
  • Hughes uses personified graphic imagery
• what structural technique does Hughes use in the first stanza?

  • emjambemtn - in order to reflect the fast pace and uncontrolled chaos of the moment
• 'Threw up a hare'

  • The graphic verb 'threw up' creates a powerful image which depicts the violence and turbulant nature of war
  • 'Hare' - animal which connotes innocence and purity, which juxtaposes with the rest if the violent stanza to suggest that war and conflict disrupts peace in nature
  • Hughes may be critiquing this
• What is the purpose of the hare?

  • It serves as a metaphor for the devastating impact that war had on nature