![]() The further use of the adjective ‘numb’ could be read in two ways: on one hand, it could be referring to his physical pain, and on the other, it could be indicative of his emotional pain, and his struggle to continue fighting for his country, replicated in the verb ‘lugged’ as he struggles to continue pulling along what he considers to be part of himself, and so he himself is struggling to carry on due to the pure brutality of war and how it affects people. War has torn him apart to the point of destruction. The verb suggests he is mentally and physically broken, unable to be put back together. The use of the verb ‘smashed’ is implying violence and destruction. The simile ‘he lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm’, also highlights the violent side of war. Hughes implies that war is brutal and causes suffering. This presents the idea of chaos, confusion and the fragmented thoughts of the unidentified soldier in the poem, as well as the suffering endured by the soldiers. The use of the verb ‘smashed’ is implying destruction and could be indicative of his emotional pain he no longer can feel anything because he is desensitised by war and its immoral violence. Furthermore, this simile blurs the lines between the object and the person, implying that the man has become useless without his rifle as it as much a part of him as any other limb and his purpose is no longer clear to him. The use of the simile ‘as numb as a smashed arm’ suggests that the soldier is in extreme pain from sustaining injuries after a charge over no-mans land. Moreover, the verb ‘lugged’ suggests that the rifle is heavy and that the soldier is struggling to carry it. Also, perhaps his anger towards war and the fact it has made him become an aggressive weapon that they use to kill others. The use of the verb ‘lugged’ is aggressive and negative which suggests the difficult conditions of war and the reluctance of the soldier to carry out the task. The simile ‘he lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm’, suggests the chaotic side to war. Likewise, Hughes presents the true reality of war as being chaotic and disorientating. Tennyson is suggesting to his reader that the battlefield is disorientating, confusing and scary, bringing massive loss of life and suffering. This highlights the great loss of life that war causes. Similarly, based on the context of the ‘charge of the light brigade’, the irregular line lengths could perhaps reflect on the confusion of miscommunication between authorities that led the brigade to their demise. Additionally, stanza 6 is the shortest which suggests fewer men returned alive. Moreover, the first stanza is tightly structured, mirroring the cavalry’s tight formation they are together and relying on each other as they head into war – the noun ‘league’, which refers to distance, might also be highlighting their unity of purpose and how they head into battle as one, yet this is contradicted later on: as the poem continues on, the structure becomes awkward: the stanzas are longer and the line lengths vary, suggesting the increasing action but also that the cavalry’s line is breaking, reflecting the chaos of the battle and how it breaks apart anything stable in its path. This suggests how frantic and intense the atmosphere was as there was constant gunfire and the chance of painful death all around the soldiers. Moreover, these sounds could also convey the bullets that were wizzing past the soldiers as they rode into the ‘jaws of death’. This whistling sound captures a sense of the noise on the battlefield as the horses whizz by, emphasises the intense atmosphere of battle as it captures a sense of the great speed they are moving at. The poet uses sibilance throughout the poem in nouns like ‘shot, and ‘shell’. ![]() Tennyson presents the true reality of war as being chaotic and disorientating. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |