Bayonet charge Flashcards
(9 cards)
Lines 1-8
Suddenly he awoke and was running - raw
In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweat heavy,
Stumbling across a field of clods towards a green hedge
That dazzled with rifle fire, hearing
Bullets smacking the belly out of the air -
He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm;
The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye
Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest,-”
Translation of lines 1-8
The poem opens in media res - in the middle of the action
He is described as “suddenly” awake, suggesting that he could have been asleep or daydreaming
However, it is more likely that this is a metaphorical way of saying that the soldier suddenly became aware of the horror and chaos around him
The figure is clearly a soldier, as he is dressed in his khaki uniform, which can rub his skin raw
“Raw” probably also references the raw emotion of fear he is experiencing
The soldier stumbles across lumps of earth towards a hedge
Even though the hedge is lit up with rifle fire, he continues to run towards it anyway, with bullets flying all around him
He struggles to run with the weight of his rifle
The final two lines suggest an actual tear in the soldier’s eye, from the pain, fear and exertion
But this could also refer to the loss of his sense of patriotism, painfully leaving his body like molten iron
Intentions of lines 1-8
The fact that Hughes deliberately starts the poem in the middle of the action foreshadows the soldier’s realisation that comes later in the poem: that patriotism and fighting for one’s country is actually a hollow concept that means little in reality
It also is a device designed to confuse the reader, reflecting the atmosphere of confusion and disorientation the soldier is experiencing
The repetition of the word “raw” emphasises the discomfort and pain of the experience, as well as the soldier’s emotions, which are strong and undisguised
The description of the rifle fire that “dazzled” suggests the soldier’s vision is blurred to begin with
The fact that the hedge is “green” seems out of place, reflecting the idea that this war happened in fields and out in the countryside, which does not feel natural
Hughes personifies the bullets as violent and terrifying
The change in the way the soldier feels about his position begins to be symbolised by the weight of his rifle
The fact that the “patriotic tear” was no longer in his eye, but coming “from the centre of his chest” in the form of sweat, reveals that while the soldier was once proud to wear his uniform and carry his weapon held high, with a tear of patriotism in his eye, he was now not feeling any sense of patriotism or pride
He can only feel the weight of his bayonet and the hot sweat on his chest, as though he were numb
Lines 9-15
In bewilderment then he almost stopped -
In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations
Was he the hand pointing that second? He was running
Like a man who has jumped up in the dark and runs
Listening between his footfalls for the reason
Of his still running, and his foot hung like
Statuary in mid-stride. Then the shot-slashed furrows”
Translation of lines 9-15
In his confusion, the soldier nearly stops
He wonders what cold and unfeeling forces, be they fate or politics, are governing his actions, as if he were nothing more than the hand of a clock
He runs like a man suspended in the dark, hoping to find the answer in the act of running itself
Time seems to slow down, and his foot hangs in the middle of his stride as if it were a statue
The “shot-slashed furrows” are the trenches dug into the battlefield
Intentions of lines 9-15
In this stanza, the soldier suddenly comes to his senses
He stands in “bewilderment” as he begins to wonder why he is there
Hughes’s reference to “cold” suggests something that is emotionless and unfeeling, and his reference to “clockwork” indicates timing
This suggests that it is nothing more than bad timing that has brought him to this place
“The stars” refers to fate or destiny, implying that it was simply the way the stars were aligned at the time of his birth that determined his place in this current war
“The nations” could refer to politics or the countries at war with one another
Ultimately, the soldier believes he is nothing more than a cog in the machine
The answer to why he is there does not come to him, so his feet simply stop mid-stride
Hughes here is commenting on the reality and futility of war, especially to those actually involved in it
Lines 16-23
“Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame
And crawled in a threshing circle, its mouth wide
Open silent, its eyes standing out.
He plunged past with his bayonet toward the green hedge,
King, honour, human dignity, etcetera
Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm
To get out of that blue crackling air
His terror’s touchy dynamite.”
Translation of lines 16-23
The previous stanza continues, personifying the furrows as throwing up a “yellow hare” frightened from its hiding place by the gunfire
The creature is clearly terrified, as it “rolled like a flame” and “crawled in a threshing circle”
The soldier pushes on, pointing the blade fixed to his rifle towards the green hedge
All notions of patriotism, fighting for the king or honour, fall away from the soldier, who cannot afford to entertain such luxuries in the chaos of battle
All that matters for him is to get out of the gunfire
The air explodes with blue light all around him, as he nervously reaches for his dynamite
Intentions of lines 16-23
The hare is the only other living creature that Hughes mentions in this poem
This innocent animal is caught up in the horror, reminding us that war is the opposite to what is natural and good
Hughes suggests, with its mouth “open silent” and “its eyes standing out”, that the hare’s last moments are spent in pain, terror and fear, much like the soldiers themselves
Therefore, the hare serves as a metaphor for the devastating impact war has on the natural world
Hughes could have also used the hare as a euphemism of the actual horror of death on a battlefield in World War I
Green as a colour is often used as a symbol of hope, so maybe if the soldier makes it there, he believes he will be safe
The “crackling” air suggests there is gunfire all around him
Hughes ends the poem on a cliff-hanger, with the soldier on adrenaline-fuelled alertness, feeling for his dynamite
His dynamite could also mean his bayonet - ultimately a weapon which has the ability to kill
It could also imply that the soldier himself has been dehumanised and turned into nothing more than a killing machine
We never learn of his fate
