This essay aims to explore the way in which Hughes and Ann Duffy present the effects of conflict in both Bayonet Charge and War Photographer. I will discuss this through the negative effects of war, the structure of the poem and the imagery used by both poets.
Both poems present the negative effects of war. In bayonet charge the writer intended to present it as having an extremely violent nature to cause extreme suffering both physically and mentally. The simile 'Like a man who has jumped up in the dark and runs...' creates an image of someone irrational. This states there is no rational reason of war. In War Photographer the challenges faced my the photographer requires him to see and photograph terrible scenes. After he does this he realises …show more content…
It begins with 'Suddenly he awoke and was running...'. This suggests he is confused and shows the vulnerability of the soldier. The mix of caesura and enjambment in the poem adds a chaotic tone to show the confusion of war too. It also opens like this to cover the thoughts and movements of the soldier. War Photographer starts at the beginning in his 'darkroom' with 'In his darkroom he is finally alone' to follow the actions and thoughts of the photographer, however in stanza three there is a distinct change in his thoughts when he remembers the death of a man. This ordered structure shows the precision of his job in contrast with the chaos of this experience.
Finally, in Bayonet Charge the violent imagery, 'Bullets smacking the belly out of the air', has been used to describe the sound and impact of the shots. More violence is shown by the use of another violent simile, 'He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm'. The adjective 'smashed' suggests that his arm has been violently shattered due to the bullets. In War Photographer religious imagery has been used instead. The phrase 'All flesh is grass' is a quote from the bible. It means that life is temporary and we will one day pass
Both poems present the negative effects of war. In bayonet charge the writer intended to present it as having an extremely violent nature to cause extreme suffering both physically and mentally. The simile 'Like a man who has jumped up in the dark and runs...' creates an image of someone irrational. This states there is no rational reason of war. In War Photographer the challenges faced my the photographer requires him to see and photograph terrible scenes. After he does this he realises …show more content…
It begins with 'Suddenly he awoke and was running...'. This suggests he is confused and shows the vulnerability of the soldier. The mix of caesura and enjambment in the poem adds a chaotic tone to show the confusion of war too. It also opens like this to cover the thoughts and movements of the soldier. War Photographer starts at the beginning in his 'darkroom' with 'In his darkroom he is finally alone' to follow the actions and thoughts of the photographer, however in stanza three there is a distinct change in his thoughts when he remembers the death of a man. This ordered structure shows the precision of his job in contrast with the chaos of this experience.
Finally, in Bayonet Charge the violent imagery, 'Bullets smacking the belly out of the air', has been used to describe the sound and impact of the shots. More violence is shown by the use of another violent simile, 'He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm'. The adjective 'smashed' suggests that his arm has been violently shattered due to the bullets. In War Photographer religious imagery has been used instead. The phrase 'All flesh is grass' is a quote from the bible. It means that life is temporary and we will one day pass