Bayonet Charge And Exposure

In the poems bayonet charge and exposure, the two authors write about their opinions on conflict and how they perceive it. In the poem bayonet charge, Hughes uses sibilance to highlight the violence in the poem. He uses the quote ‘the shot-slashed furrows’. The alliterative ‘s’ sounds (which is sibilance) mimics the sound of the bullets destroying the soil of the field. The verb ‘slashed’ also creates violent imagery. In the poem exposure, Owen also uses sibilance. He says, ‘Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence.’ The alliterative ‘s’ sounds mimic the sound of the bullets streaking through the air or it could also be sharp intakes of breath of men in shock. Another suggestion would be the mimic of the sound of shivering as the

Both poets have used sibilance to create sound effects which highlight the violence and pain evident in these poems.

However, there are also a few differences between the two poems. In the poem bayonet charge, Hughes uses metaphors and similes. He says ‘Bullets smacking the belly out of the air- he lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm’. This is about the bullets that puncture the air and the image of ‘smacking’ refers to the winded feelings the solider has as he runs for his life across the field. His ‘numb’ rifle and ‘smashed arm’ have a the same meaning: he could feel numb to the pain he has to cause with the rifle. He could have smashed his rifle into his arm in his panic. This highlights both the soldier’s inexperience and trauma at what he has had to do in the war. This poem highlights the reality of conflicts and the fear and terror that soldiers feel. It questions the idea of patriotism the soldiers felt