Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

Test yourself

Key Quotations in Bayonet Charge

Here are key quotations to remember for your exam:

“Suddenly he awoke and was running”

The poem begins in media res (in the middle of the action) – this creates a sense of urgency and highlights the chaos of war.

“Stumbling across a field of clods towards a green hedge..."

“Stumbling across a field of clods towards a green hedge / That dazzled with rifle fire”.
The verb "stumbling" indicates his lack of control as he is caught up in the chaos of war.

“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air"

Violent imagery.
Highlights the danger of the battlefield.

“He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm”

Simile.
The image suggests the rifle is useless and therefore emphasises how vulnerable he is.
It could also foreshadow the injuries he might gain because of war.

“The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye..."

“The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye / Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest”.
Simile.
The soldier’s patriotic ideals are useless now he is faced with the reality of conflict.
The contrast between “brimmed”, with its positive connotations of abundance and pride, and “sweating” highlights this contrast.
Comparing the tears to iron dehumanises the soldier and likens him to something mechanical.

“In what cold clockwork of the stars..."

Harsh alliteration.
Potentially a reference to fate governing the soldier and his powerlessness.

“The shot-slashed furrows..."

"the shot-slashed furrows / Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame...its mouth wide / Open silent, its eyes standing out”.
Gruesome image.
Highlights the brutality of war.

“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera..."

“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera / Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm / To get out of that blue crackling air”.
Listing.
Things that seemed important to the soldier before the war now seem futile when faced with death.
The pointlessness of these things is reinforced through the choice of the word “etcetera”.

Key Comparisons: Bayonet Charge

Here are some suggestions for texts you could compare in your exam. Of course, the list of possibilities is endless!

Reality of conflict

On the theme of the reality of conflict, you may want to compare Bayonet Charge to:
- War Photographer.
- Charge of the Light Brigade.
- Remains.
- Exposure.

Internal conflict

On the theme of the internal conflict, you may want to compare Bayonet Charge to:
- Kamikaze.
- Poppies.

Conflict between man and nature

On the theme of the conflict between man and nature, you may want to compare Bayonet Charge to:
- Storm on the Island.
- The Prelude.
- Exposure.

1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

1.1Ozymandias Analysis

1.1.1Summary

1.1.2Key Ideas

1.1.3Themes

1.1.4Irony & Rhythm

1.1.5Key Quotes & Comparisons

1.1.6End of Topic Test - Ozymandias

1.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining Caesura

1.1.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Identifying Caesura

1.1.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Analysing Caesura

2London - William Blake (1757-1827)

2.1London Analysis

2.1.1Summary

2.1.2Themes & Structure

2.1.3Themes & Structure 2

2.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons

2.1.5Exam-Style Questions - London

2.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining Repetition

2.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Identifying Repetition

2.1.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Analysing Repetition

3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

3.1Storm on the Island Analysis

3.1.1Summary & Structure

3.1.2Themes

3.1.3Themes 2

3.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Blake & Heaney

3.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Fear

4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

4.1Exposure Analysis

4.1.1Summary

4.1.2Personification

4.1.3Themes

4.1.4Structure, Key Quotes & Comparisons

4.1.5End of Topic Test - Exposure

4.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Define Personification

4.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Ident. Personification

5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)

5.1War Photographer Analysis

5.1.1Summary

5.1.2Themes

5.1.3Imagery

5.1.4Comparisons & Key Quotes

5.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining Similes

5.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Identifying Similes

6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

6.1My Last Duchess Analysis

6.1.1Summary

6.1.2Characterisation & Themes

6.1.3Structure, Key Quotes & Comparisons

6.1.4End of Topic Test - Duffy & Browning

6.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Cheating Wife

7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

7.1Extract from The Prelude Analysis

7.1.1Summary

7.1.2Personification & Imagery

7.1.3Themes

7.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons

7.1.5End of Topic Test - The Prelude

7.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - "Her"

8Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

8.1Charge of the Light Brigade Analysis

8.1.1Summary

8.1.2Themes

8.1.3Rhetorical Techniques, Key Quotes & Comparisons

8.1.4End of Topic Test - Charge of the Light Brigade

8.1.5Exam-Style Questions - Charge of the Light Brigade

8.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Tennyson a Soldier?

9Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

9.1Bayonet Charge Analysis

9.1.1Summary

9.1.2Themes

9.1.3Themes 2

9.1.4Structure & Key Comparisons

9.1.5End of Topic Test - Bayonet Charge

9.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - NOT COTLB

9.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Soldier Running Away

10Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

10.1Poppies Analysis

10.1.1Summary

10.1.2Theme of Motherhood

10.1.3Imagery

10.1.4Form, Structure & Key Comparisons

10.1.5End of Topic Test - Poppies

10.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining Enjambment

11Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

11.1Tissue Analysis

11.1.1Summary

11.1.2Themes & Symbolism

11.1.3Religion & Conflict

11.1.4Form, Structure & Key Comparisons

11.1.5End of Topic Test - Tissue

12The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)

12.1The Emigree Analysis

12.1.1Summary & Structure

12.1.2Themes

12.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

12.1.4End of Topic Test - The Emigree

12.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Emigrant vs Immigrant

13Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)

13.1Kamikaze Analysis

13.1.1Summary & Structure

13.1.2Themes

13.1.3Themes 2

13.1.4Structure, Quotes & Comparisons

13.1.5End of Topic Test - Kamikaze

13.1.6Diagnostic Misconceptions - Defining NP

13.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Identifying NP

14Checking Out Me History - John Agard (Born 1949)

14.1Checking Out Me History Analysis

14.1.1Summary

14.1.2Themes

14.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

14.1.4End of Topic Test - Checking Out Me History

15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

15.1Remains Analysis

15.1.1Summary

15.1.2Themes: Desensitisation &Trauma

15.1.3Themes: Guilt

15.1.4Themes: Nature of War

15.1.5Structure

15.1.6Key Quotes & Comparisons

15.1.7End of Topic Test - Remains

15.1.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Casual Tone

16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

17Recap: Main Quotes

17.1Recap: Main Quotes

17.1.1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

17.1.2London - William Blake (1757-1827)

17.1.3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

17.1.4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

17.1.5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)

17.1.6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

17.1.7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

17.1.8Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

17.1.9Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

17.1.10Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

17.1.11Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

17.1.12The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)

17.1.13Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)

17.1.14Checking Out Me History - John Agard (Born 1949)

17.1.15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

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