Bayonet Charge Flashcards
(6 cards)
Structure and form
Voice:
The third person focus shows the soldier’s personal fear and isolation, making war feel real and terrifying. It highlights how each soldier is alone, even in a huge army. Hughes likely uses this perspective since he didn’t fight himself, letting him critique war from an outsider’s view.
Form and Rhyme:
The poem lacks any regular rhyme scheme, mirroring the chaos and unpredictability of battle. This absence creates unease for the reader, who cannot settle into a comforting rhythm—reflecting the soldier’s own constant anxiety and the disorder of war.
The first stanza is one long sentence with enjambment, creating a breathless, frantic pace that mirrors the soldier’s panic. The second stanza slows with caesura, showing his doubts and reflection. This mix of fast and slow rhythms captures the chaos and confusion of war, making the reader feel the soldier’s turmoil.
“Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame”
The verb “threw up” is abrupt and violent, suggesting a sudden, forceful ejection rather than a gentle movement, which reflects the chaotic and uncontrollable nature of war. The “yellow hare” is a vivid symbol: “yellow” implies sickness and cowardice, while the hare itself represents innocence and vulnerability—life caught helplessly in the turmoil of conflict. The simile “rolled like a flame” intensifies this image by likening the hare’s movement to a flame, evoking destruction, danger, and an unstoppable force. Hughes’s deliberate word choices create a powerful and disturbing visual that shocks the reader, highlighting how war ruthlessly consumes innocence and life in a sudden, overwhelming blaze.
“Patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye”
The phrase “patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye” captures the tension between idealism and harsh reality. The “patriotic tear” symbolizes a complex blend of pride and sorrow, revealing that the soldier’s initial noble intentions are deeply emotional but fragile. The verb “brimmed” suggests vulnerability, exposing the human beneath the heroic exterior who is overwhelmed by fear and doubt. This line contrasts the glorification of patriotism with the personal cost of war, reinforcing the poem’s critique of blind nationalism and the soldier’s inner turmoil.
context
Ted Hughes’ Anti-War Stance: Hughes was deeply disillusioned with war, rejecting its glorification and instead focusing on its psychological impact and dehumanizing nature.
• Post-War Trauma: The soldier’s experience in Bayonet Charge reflects the disillusionment and psychological trauma felt by those who fought in WWI and WWII, which Hughes explored in his poetry.
• The Cold War Context: Hughes wrote during the Cold War, a time of intense fear of nuclear warfare and global conflict, which is mirrored in the poem’s focus on the soldier’s lack of agency and existential fear.
• Animal Imagery and Dehumanization: Hughes often used animal imagery to represent the instinctive, primal reactions of individuals in extreme situations, suggesting that war reduces soldiers to a raw survival instinct.
• Literary Tradition: Hughes’ anti-heroic portrayal of the soldier in Bayonet Charge breaks with the romanticized war poetry tradition, offering a stark portrayal of the reality of war.
message
Ted Hughes’ message in Bayonet Charge is that war strips away humanity. It challenges the glorification of battle and patriotism, revealing how soldiers are driven by fear and survival instincts, not noble causes. The poem emphasizes the chaos and dehumanization of war, where idealism is destroyed by the harsh reality of combat.
“In what cold clock of the stars and the nations / Was he the hand pointing that second?”
The phrase “cold clock” merges human measurement of time with the indifferent universe, emphasizing how the soldier’s actions are part of a vast, uncaring system. The adjective “cold” suggests emotional detachment and the harsh inevitability of fate. The “stars and the nations” represent cosmic forces and political powers, indicating that the soldier is caught between impersonal, overwhelming systems beyond his control. Describing him as “the hand pointing” reduces him to a mere instrument, highlighting his loss of agency and the fleeting, fragile significance of his life in “that second.” Hughes’s metaphor invites the reader to question the meaning of individual sacrifice within the relentless, cold sweep of history, evoking a sense of existential helplessness and futility.
