9.1.2

Themes

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Danger and Brutality of War

Hughes uses different images to show the brutality and danger of war. Here are some examples:

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Image 1

  • “Bullets smacking the belly out of the air” highlights the danger of the battlefield.
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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

A running theme is the powerlessness of soldiers to their fate in war. Hughes uses the following techniques to explore this idea:

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Harsh alliteration

  • “Cold clockwork”.
  • This is potentially a reference to fate governing the soldier and his powerlessness to it.
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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.
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"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.

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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