9.1.1

Summary

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Summary of Bayonet Charge

Bayonet Charge describes the thoughts and actions of a WW1 soldier as he charges towards the enemy in battle. The poem was written by Ted Hughes and published in 1957.

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Summary

  • The poem describes the thoughts and actions of a WW1 soldier as he charges towards the enemy in battle.
  • He is “going over the top” (emerging from the trenches onto the battlefield) armed with a bayonet (a long knife attached to the end of a rifle)
  • The poem depicts his transformation into more of a machine than a human.
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Ted Hughes

  • Hughes' father served in WW1.
  • Hughes himself spent 2 years working as a mechanic in the RAF.
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Meaning of poem

  • The poet challenges the rhetoric of war (promoting ideas of bravery, patriotism and courage) and instead presents it as chaotic and terrifying.

Key Ideas in Bayonet Charge

The poet challenges the rhetoric of war (promoting ideas of bravery, patriotism and courage) and instead presents it as chaotic and terrifying.

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Negative portrayal of war

  • The poet depicts the terrifying, chaotic and unpredictable nature of war.
  • This is intensified through focusing on the thoughts and feelings of one individual as he goes ‘over the top’.
  • He is presented as confused and disorientated in the second stanza as he questions his actions for a moment and his place in the conflict.
  • Readers are encouraged to consider the destructive elements of war in terms of the human sacrifice and the impact of war on nature.
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Challenging patriotic ideals

  • Traditional patriotic ideals are challenged and undermined.
  • Glory, honour, and serving one’s country are shown to be irrelevant and meaningless when faced with the horrific reality of conflict.
  • The soldier’s overwhelming emotion is fear.
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Machine-like soldiers

  • The soldier seems conditioned to fight.
  • Much like the soldiers in ‘Charge of the Light Brigade', his personal agency is lost, and he becomes machine-like in his movement towards the enemy.

Jump to other topics

1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

2London - William Blake (1757-1827)

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

4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)

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

7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

8Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

9Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

10Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

11Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

12The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)

13Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)

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

15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

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