Full mark essay comparing the nature of conflict in the poems 'Bayonet Charge' and 'Remains'. These poems can be found in the AQA GCSE English Literature poetry anthology 'Power and Conflict'.
This essay was written as revision for my GCSE in English Literature, for which I achieved a Grade 9. I...
Compare the ways the poets present conflict in ‘Bayonet Charge’ and one other poem.
In the poems ‘Bayonet Charge’ and ‘Remains’, the poets present conflict to cause pain and to endanger
the speaker, but also to cause people to be dehumanised. However, in ‘Bayonet Charge’, the speaker is
only in danger during the conflict; in ‘Remains’, the speaker continues to be at risk afterwards.
In ‘Bayonet Charge’, Hughes presents the pain caused within conflict: the soldier is described to be
“suddenly… running - raw”. Here, an uncomfortable atmosphere is created as the adverb “suddenly”
introduces the conflict from the very beginning of the poem; it suggests that the soldiers are forced to run
for their lives without warning, which highlights the unpredictable nature of war. The repetition of the
negative adjective “raw” implies that this pain and uncomfort felt during conflict is continuous, as it has
connotations of burning; this could also create imagery of the unfinished seams inside the soldier's
uniform chafing constantly, and this could be linking to how quickly the uniforms had to be manufactured
during WW2, due to the ever-increasing number of soldiers. Also, the use of a dash before this adjective
emphasises the great impact conflict has had on the soldier, as it creates an impression of him stopping
and panicking, however it could also be illustrating him gasping for breath as he runs.
The pain felt within conflict is also presented in ‘Remains’: the speaker states how he watched “every
round rip through” the looter’s life. The violent verb “rip” creates vivid imagery of the death experienced
here and, along with the alliteration used here, slows down the pace, which suggests that the soldier is
re-living the moment in almost slow-motion and allows the reader to view the event from his perspective;
this could be the poet’s method of highlighting the gory detail in which sufferers of PTSD remember the
conflict they have witnessed. Also, by using the determiner “every” here, Armitage emphasises how
deeply the speaker has been affected, as it appears he can remember each piece of ammunition piercing
the looter’s body and killing him piece by piece.
Hughes presents the danger of conflict in ‘Bayonet Charge’: the speaker describes how the soldier was
running towards “a green hedge”. Usually, the adjective “green” would have positive connotations of
safety and nature, however by placing it within a semantic field of war, the adjective becomes negative;
perhaps it could now have connotations of sickness and link to the large number of illnesses experienced
during WW2, such as trenchfoot. The fact that this adjective, with its connotations of nature, is repeated
could be suggesting that the soldier is trying to cover up the horrid reality of conflict with positive
imagery of nature, however the vague article “a” implies that the hedge in fact holds little importance;
perhaps the soldier has been blinded to the truth and doesn't know the reason of his running, so is left to
wonder. However, when this “hedge” is mentioned again in the final stanza, the article is replaced with
the more specific article “the”, which indicates to the reader that the soldier now has a greater
understanding of his actions due to the length of his running. Alternatively, the article could be inferring
that this hedge holds some importance and could possibly be suggesting that this is where the soldier will
die; this explains why the poem is written in third person and past tense, and the comma used after the
noun “hedge” could be implying that the speaker is hesitant to tell the following events.
The danger of conflict is also presented in ‘Remains’: the speaker states how he passes the looter’s
“blood-shadow” frequently. Eventhough the reader has been informed that the conflict is over, it appears
that the soldier is still at risk: the noun “blood” creates imagery of the colour “red”, which has
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller revisionwithrose. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £4.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
