Ted Hughes' Bayonet Charge explores the chaos and panic of a soldier's experience in battle. The poet uses vivid imagery and fragmented language to show the narrator's overwhelming fear and instinct as he charges towards the enemy. As the soldier's initial ideals dissolve, the poem illustrates how war reduces men to mere weapons, driven by impulse, not reason.
Patriotism - love or devotion to one's country
Instinct - a natural or inherent impulse
Chaos - a state of utter confusion or disorder
Hesitation - to hold back in doubt or indecision
Dehumanisation - to deprive of human qualities, personality or dignity
Ted Hughes examines the power of war, and trench warfare, in dehumanising soldiers and causing them to question the purpose of their own 'dignity' and the autonomy they have over their own lives as they become mere weapons of war.
The solider is desperate to escape the battlefield. His patriotism is consumed by the desire to survive. This portrays Hughes' father's perspectives. It is showing the British recruits the horrific realities of war and highlights the loss of innocence caused by World War One. The power of patriotism has eroded.
The poem opens in media res. The soldier is startled and Hughes creates a sense of urgency and immediacy. The poem acts as a microcosm for all soldiers, creating a sense of discomfort and pain. It connotes images of something being sore, sensitive and tender.
The contrast between patriotic ideals and reality is seen through a powerful image. The soldier's overriding emotion and motivation is fear, which has replaced the more patriotic ideals. Patriotism now seems irrational in the midst of destruction. It is not enough to save the soldier from the brutal effects of conflict.
It is interesting that the hare is the only nature he sees. Perhaps it is a physical representation of the effects war has on nature. There is an image of pain and suffering created in the sight of destruction. The hare could be associated with disaster and suffering, like the soldier.
The rhetoric of war is completely dismissed. It means absolutely nothing when faced with life and death, implying that these ideas are self-indulgent, irrelevant and the reasons are meaningless.
The soldier's feat is ignited. The men are being transformed into weapons. This demonstrates the effects of war on man (shell shock/PTSD). Their experiences left them metaphorically ready to explode - they are dangerous.
Hughes uses enjambment, caesura and an irregular rhythm.
The poem is uneven and sporadic, reflecting on the soldier's panic and struggle.