Bayonet Charge

Bayonet Charge

About
1. a soldier's experience of a violent battle
  1. his thoughts and actions as he tries to avoid being shot
2. the soldier's overriding emotion is fear
  1. this has replaced the patriotic ideas he had before the violence began
Form
1. Enjambment
  1. rather than neat line endings
  2. to show the soldier's urgency and desperation
Structure
1. starts in the middle of the action
  1. describes the soldiers movements over a short period of time
2. the middle stanza implies a pause where time seems to stand still
  1. the reality of the situation becomes more apparent
3. the final stanza describes his panic-movement as he runs for safety
Language
1. Universal
  1. 'he' is used rather than a name to keep him anonymous
    1. could represent any young soldier
2. Figurative
  1. to emphasize horror and physical pain
  2. e.g. 'a rifle numb as a smashed arm
3. Violent
  1. shocking imagery brings home the sights and sounds of war
  2. helps convey the sense of confusion and fear to the reader more strongly
Feelings/Attitudes
1. Terror
  1. the poem challenges patriotism
    1. this shows how desperate terror becomes, overriding any emotion
2. Confusion
  1. the soldiers are physically disorientated by the gunfire therefore making them confused
  2. he is also questioning what he is doing there

Resource summary

	Created by Alice Rogers almost 10 years ago