Bayonet Charge and Remains Flashcards
In Bayonet Charge, what is the poem about?
The poem is about a nameless soldier going over the top in the trenches. They would have bayonets attatched to the end of their guns using them to stab opposition.
In Bayonet Charge, what does the shift in tone create?
The letters ‘r’ and ‘h’ reflects the soldiers and exhaustion (human) then his actions start to get very raw and primal, juxtaposition of ideas like ‘patriotic tear’ and ‘molten iron’ dehumanises him implying that he’s a machine (non-human).
In Bayonet Charge, what is the key quotation?
‘Dropped like luxuries’ - similie to portray the contrast between the ideas and the reality of the battle.
In Bayonet Charge, what is the link to another poem?
Remains, both poems are violent, war poems. Have dehumanising effects and images of death.
In Bayonet Charge, what does the structure of the stanzas create?
Three stanzas, that are filled with vocabulary and imagery, could suggest the thick mud that the soldiers have to walk over.
In Remains, what is the poem about?
From the perspective of a soldier stationed in a war zone, the poem looks at how the soldier cannot leave the memory behind and carries this dead man with him in his mind.
In Remains, how is the title a homophone?
The title is a homophone because the word remains - means the dead, and the memories are both left behind (remained).
In Remains, what is the key quotation?
‘His bloody life, in my bloody hands’ - pun (dark humour bloody) an expression of anger/hate. The soldier is at conflict with this dead man, but more with his own mind. Ends the poem with a sense of despair and open ended, no resolution.
In Remains, what is the link to another poem?
War photographer - both narrators experience PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), they’re traumatised from modern conflict. War photographer’s purpose is to show the futility of expressing war (the dangers of the photographers) - as the public do not appreciate them.
In Remains, what does the sibilance convey?
Sibilance used to convey the ongoing nature of the guilt and sinister tone. Almost spat out.
In Remains, what does the enjambment create?
‘And I swear-‘ enjambment speeds up pace reflecting the rush of the event as consuming thoughts rush through the narrator’s mind.
