The Troops under fire
In one dramatic scene, Jones describes a bombardment, in which the troops are scared and shocked:
"As though that Behemoth stirred from the moist places, tensored his brass sinews suddenly, shattered with deep-bellied trumpetings the long quietude; awakening stench and earthquake in his burrowing-up".
The imagery Jones uses here emphasizes the terror of the bombardment, comparing it to a behemoth, which is a mythological and biblical monster. This passage focuses on the fear and panic felt by the soldiers, as they were faced with things previously unheard of in warfare.
Everyday life in the trenches
This epic poem is known for its detailed and accurate descriptions of everyday life in the trenches, using imagery to paint a picture of what the soldiers experienced on a daily basis. For example, in the following passage, Jones emphasizes the weather and what the soldiers are wearing:
"The rain increases with the light and the weight increases with the rain. In all that long column in brand-new overseas boots weeping blisters stick to the hard wool of grey government socks."
In particular, we might pay attention to Jones' use of detail to describe how the fibres of the government socks are sticking to the men's injuries, painting a realistic and details image of the small but significant struggles the men faced even when they weren't on the battlefield.
The Bombardment
Jones uses imagery to describe artillery bombardments, focusing on the impact this had on the senses. For example, he describes how John Ball "stood alone on the stones, his mess-tin spilled at his feet. Out of the vortex, rifling the air it came- bright, brass-shod, Pandoran, with all-filling screaming the howling crescendo's up-pilling snapt." In this passage, we get an idea of how loud bombardments were, and how they were a shock to the senses.
