Poetry Analysis of 'Bayonet Charge'

Overview

This lecture analyzes Ted Hughes' poem "Bayonet Charge," exploring its context, major themes, structural devices, and key imagery to reveal how it expresses the indescribable horror of war.

Context and Background

• Ted Hughes (1930–1998) was born after WWI but was deeply affected by his father's trauma from serving in the war.
• Hughes grew up in Yorkshire, an area heavily impacted by WWI, influencing his writing.
• He admired Wilfred Owen, a WWI poet, whose style and themes influenced "Bayonet Charge."
• "Bayonet Charge" appears in Hughes’ first poetry collection, "The Hawk in the Rain."

Summary & Structure of the Poem

• The poem has three verses: a soldier charging, pausing for reflection, then a focus on a hare caught in battle.
• Begins in medias res ("suddenly"), immersing the reader in chaos and confusion.
• Enjambment creates a sense of disorder, mimicking the soldier’s disorientation.
• Caesura in verse two forces both the soldier and reader to pause and reflect.
• Repetition (e.g., "raw in raw-seamed hot khaki") reflects the soldier’s shock and inability to articulate his experience.

Language and Imagery

• Overwhelming use of similes suggests war’s horror is indescribable except by comparison.
• Brutal, confusing imagery and vocabulary mirror the soldier's panic and the overwhelming nature of battle.
• Personification of nature (e.g., "bullets smacking the belly out of the air") highlights war's impact beyond humans.
• The mysterious yellow hare symbolizes nature as a victim and may also reference cowardice or confusion.

Themes and Interpretations

• The central theme is the indescribable horror and chaos of war, not just its brutality.
• The poem critiques patriotic values (e.g., "King, honour, human dignity, etcetera") as meaningless in actual combat.
• The soldier is intentionally unnamed to represent all soldiers and universalize war’s trauma.

Allusion and Poetic Influence

• Hughes alludes to Wilfred Owen’s "Spring Offensive" through repeated words, themes, and imagery.
• This "secondhand" perspective emphasizes Hughes’ distance from WWI and the difficulty of expressing its horrors authentically.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Enjambment — A sentence running over multiple lines without punctuation, creating a chaotic, disordered effect.
• Caesura — A pause in the middle of a line, forcing a reflective break.
• Simile — Comparing one thing to another using "like" or "as" to express inexpressible experiences.
• Personification — Giving human qualities to non-human things, e.g., air having a "belly."
• Allusion — Indirect reference to another literary work or author.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review and annotate the poem, focusing on structural and language devices.
• Compare "Bayonet Charge" with WWI poems by Wilfred Owen, especially "Spring Offensive."
• Prepare to discuss how form and imagery contribute to the poem’s themes in class.