Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes

Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes

1. "Suddenly he awoke"

   • Which is the dream world?
   • He is waking into another nightmare
   • Reader is put straight into the action

2. "King, honour, human dignity, ecetera

   • Heard it all before
   • Dismissive of all of these things - They are no longer important
   • Suggests he is recalling all of the things that he was bombarded with by propaganda

3. "Lugged a rifle as numb as an arm"

   • Weapons are now part of his body
     • Shows the dehumanization of war - turning him in to a killing machine
     • Simile

4. Repetition of "h" sound

   • Reflects his heavy breathing

5. The poem tries to step inside the body and mind of a soldier experiencing one of the most horrific acts of war.

   • The soldier is going "over the top" and is using a Bayonet - (a long knife attached to the end of a rifle.
   • At the end of the poem he realises that all the moral justifications are ultimately unimportant. He is no longer a person but a weapon and a playing piece in the game of war.

6. Comparison

   • Futility
     • Uses the contrast between war and nature, to express their feelings
     • BC is about dying whereas F is about mourning.
   • Belfast Confetti
     • Both use form and structure to show energy and chaos of conflict.
     • Presents feelings of fear and confusion.