Bayonet Charge

    AQA
    GCSE

    The poem plunges the reader in media res into the visceral chaos of a First World War charge. It follows a single, nameless soldier who wakes from a daze to find himself running through a field under fire, driven by raw terror rather than courage. The narrative shifts from the physical action to a philosophical pause, where the soldier questions his role within the 'cold clockwork' of the war machine. Confronted by the suffering of nature—symbolized by a terrified hare—he abandons abstract ideals of patriotism. The poem concludes with his transformation into a weapon of pure survival instinct, disregarding 'King, honour, human dignity' to become 'dynamite'.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
    4
    Pitfalls
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    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • AO1: Sustain a comparison between the speaker's disorientation in 'Bayonet Charge' and the chosen partner text (e.g., 'Exposure' or 'Remains')
    • AO2: Analyse the effect of 'in media res' ('Suddenly he awoke') and enjambment in creating a chaotic, breathless pace
    • AO2: Evaluate the imagery of the 'yellow hare' and 'green hedge' as representations of nature's corruption by conflict
    • AO3: Link the 'cold clockwork' metaphor to the dehumanizing mechanization of soldiers in WWI trench warfare

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have identified the 'yellow hare', now explain why Hughes chose a hare specifically to represent innocence"
    • "Your comparison is currently 'bolted on' at the end; try weaving the second poem into every paragraph"
    • "Avoid saying 'this makes the reader sad'; be specific about the feeling of disorientation or horror"
    • "You are describing the plot of the poem; shift to analyzing the writer's methods, such as the use of verbs"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • AO1: Sustain a comparison between the speaker's disorientation in 'Bayonet Charge' and the chosen partner text (e.g., 'Exposure' or 'Remains')
    • AO2: Analyse the effect of 'in media res' ('Suddenly he awoke') and enjambment in creating a chaotic, breathless pace
    • AO2: Evaluate the imagery of the 'yellow hare' and 'green hedge' as representations of nature's corruption by conflict
    • AO3: Link the 'cold clockwork' metaphor to the dehumanizing mechanization of soldiers in WWI trench warfare

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Select a partner text based on thematic links (e.g., 'Remains' for internal conflict) rather than random choice
    • 💡Spend 5 minutes planning a thematic structure (e.g., Reality of War, Nature, Patriotism) to ensure integrated comparison
    • 💡Use the printed poem to anchor your analysis, but prioritize embedding memorized quotes from the second text
    • 💡Focus on the 'etcetera' in the second stanza to critique the hollowness of patriotic rhetoric

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Conflating Ted Hughes with the speaker; Hughes is a post-war poet exploring his father's era, not a combatant
    • Imbalanced response: analyzing the printed poem in depth while neglecting the second, memorized poem
    • Feature-spotting 'caesura' or 'similes' without explaining their specific impact on the reader's experience of panic
    • Bolting on biographical context about Hughes' father without linking it to the specific imagery of the poem

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

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