9.1.2
Themes
Danger and Brutality of War
Danger and Brutality of War
Hughes uses different images to show the brutality and danger of war. Here are some examples:
![Illustrative background for Image 1](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/76c43f4f-403a-4977-be16-2f3b87fa7690/shutterstock_250624096,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Image 1 ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/76c43f4f-403a-4977-be16-2f3b87fa7690/shutterstock_250624096,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Image 1
Image 1
- “Bullets smacking the belly out of the air” highlights the danger of the battlefield.
![Illustrative background for Image 2](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/8d4ddb6b-46f0-45ae-81c5-ee1794134bc3/shutterstock_1024736800,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Image 2 ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/8d4ddb6b-46f0-45ae-81c5-ee1794134bc3/shutterstock_1024736800,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Image 2
Image 2
- “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.”
- This is a gruesome image of the brutality of war.
The Powerlessness of Soldiers
The Powerlessness of Soldiers
A running theme is the powerlessness of soldiers to their fate in war. Hughes uses the following techniques to explore this idea:
![Illustrative background for Harsh alliteration](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/a59aa319-212e-4c29-bda0-18e083806cce/shutterstock_440243512,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Harsh alliteration ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/a59aa319-212e-4c29-bda0-18e083806cce/shutterstock_440243512,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Harsh alliteration
Harsh alliteration
- “Cold clockwork”.
- This is potentially a reference to fate governing the soldier and his powerlessness to it.
![Illustrative background for Simile](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/f8c085a4-20bf-46c4-befa-95be992d9c47/shutterstock_464117975,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for Simile ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/f8c085a4-20bf-46c4-befa-95be992d9c47/shutterstock_464117975,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
Simile
Simile
- “He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm”.
- 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.
![Illustrative background for "Stumbling"](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/33581475-9009-4f75-9ef0-b0b07934a001/shutterstock_737174113,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
![Illustrative background for "Stumbling" ?? "content](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/33581475-9009-4f75-9ef0-b0b07934a001/shutterstock_737174113,h_400,q_80,w_640.jpg)
"Stumbling"
"Stumbling"
- "His sweat heavy, / Stumbling across a field of clods".
- “Stumbling” indicates his lack of control as he is caught up in the chaos of war.
1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
2London - William Blake (1757-1827)
3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
3.1Storm on the Island Analysis
4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)
5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)
5.1War Photographer Analysis
6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
7.1Extract from The Prelude Analysis
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)
14.1Checking Out Me History Analysis
15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)
16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
Jump to other topics
1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
2London - William Blake (1757-1827)
3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
3.1Storm on the Island Analysis
4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)
5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)
5.1War Photographer Analysis
6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
7.1Extract from The Prelude Analysis
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)
14.1Checking Out Me History Analysis
15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)
16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons
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