(brief) charge of the light brigade

Question 1

summary of the poem

Answer 1

a large brigade of soldiers are commanded to march to their deaths. they charge heroically but few remains as they retreat

Question 2

context- crimean war

Answer 2

-originally between Russia and the Ottoman empire
- Britain and France got involved to prevent Russia’s expansion
- this was unpopular amongst British people, who thought it was unnecessary
- it was a well documented war and people were aware of the mistakes that were made

Question 3

context- light brigade

Answer 3

often members of the lower class
lightly armoured and on horseback

Question 4

context- poet laureate

Answer 4

Poet laureate (1850- 1892 (death))
- duty bound to glorify war to the british public and defend the positions of the aristocracy

Question 5

ballad form -

Answer 5

to commemorate a story
acts to memorialise the people who were killed

Question 6

dactylic dimeter

Answer 6

mirrors the rhythm of a horse inning into battle
unrelenting rhythm- soldiers have no choice but to run into battle

Question 7

irregular rhyme scheme with rhyming couplets

Answer 7

introduces chaos
rhyming couplets create a sense of inevitability

Question 8

starts in media res

Answer 8

establishes a tense atmosphere from the onset & makes the reader/listener view the poem through the lens of threat.