Bayonet Charge Flashcards
what could be suggested for stanza 2 being the only 7 line stanza in the poem?
suggests a missing piece to his constant running or nationale for ebing apart of this madness of war
what effect does the DACTYLIC RHYTHM create?
a machine gun going off - ‘riffle fire’
what quote support that the poem begins IN MEDIA RES (middle of action)?
‘suddenly he awoke and was running’
what effect does beginning the poem in media res create?
coming out a trance to accept the fact that he must fight and shed his identity as human, as he becomes a mechanical fighter instead for war
what words support the use of KINESTHETIC IMAGERY (sensory perception of movement) and GERRUNDS (words ending in ing)?
‘running’ ‘smacking’ ‘stumbling’ ‘hearing’ ‘sweating’
what quote supports the reference to fate and politicians?
‘the stars and the nations’
what can be suggested about the quote ‘the stars and the nations’
referencing politicians and fate - forces that appear to dictate how our lives turn out, propelling him forward until his mind suspends for a moment to consider these forces that are propelling him to run
what quote references time?
‘in what cold clockwork’
what can be suggested about the soldier from the quote ‘in what cold clockwork?’
idea that he is running out of time so he must run even faster, however the clock imagery suggests no matter how quickly or desperately he runs, he is only ever running towards death or to escape his life which still ends up in the same place
what effect does the enjambment have?
reflects his blind frenzy of compulsive movement
what quote supports the REFERENCE TO THE SOLDIER AND NATURE?
‘he plunged past with his bayonet toward the GREEN HEDGE’
what is suggested by the quote ‘the green hedge’?
suggests he is trying to run towards a vision of hope despite it being unreachable, has he been running towards the same hedge since the beginning?
what quote supports the use of a CAVALIER TONE (offhanded tone) about the duties required of soldiers in war?
‘King, honour, human dignity, etcetera, / Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm’
what can be suggested from the use of a CAVALIER TONE (offhanded tone) in the quote ‘King, honour, human dignity, etcetera’?
these values in war of what one is told to hold onto, lose their importance immediately - if they are pursued they can jeopardise (putting someone into a situation in which they at risk of harm) one’s chances of survival
why does Ted Hughes compare ‘king, honour and human dignity’ to dropping ‘luxuries’
he is mocking the naivety of those who claim that war is fought for noble causes because in reality, soldiers are forced to abandon nobility and prize survival above all
