Charge of The Light Brigade Flashcards
Who wrote charge of the light brigade
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Context
The Crimean war saw British troops fighting in Russia. Light brigade were lightly equipped, more for scouting then attacking. During the battle of balaclava a miscommunication sent the brigade charging head first into the cannons on the other side. It was a huge catastrophe and many died. The men were respected for following orders despite knowing they might be wrong. Lord Tennyson was poet laureate and asked to write about the glorious sacrifice.
Themes
The poem is about war, life and death, sacrifice and folly. It naturally links to conflict and is effective at showing peoples views on war at the time. The poem also contains a lot of reference to biblical and religious ideas as well as bravery, fear and pride
Structure
Written in dimeter and dactylic which means that there are two (di-) stressed in each line that means two beats or syllables which you read with a bit more force. Syllables after are unstressed.
It is read like ONE-two-three ONE-two-three. The drop in stress is perhaps to show the sudden charge and then collapse, or the sound of horses galloping
Valley of death
The Christian prayer, “the Lord’s Prayer” contains the line ‘though I nah walk through the valley of death’
This phrase being used in the poem is used to show the scale of importance and give the poem epic quality
“Rode the six hundred”
Repetition to build the tension and drag out the charge
“Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them”
Cannon link to war and conflict, demonstrate how the odds are against them. The repetition to show the scale of guns against them and how they are surrounded
“Into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell”
Personifies death, used to exaggerate the futility and bravery of the soldiers that they are going to die, but do so boldly
“Cossack and Russian (…) shattered and sundered”
Cossack and Russian, the enemy. Here the poet is showing how the enemy were not equal of the British, however there were more of them.
Consonance to shattered and sundered ‘-ered’ to emphasise devastation
“Not the six hundred”
Changed the tone by inserting the word ‘not’ implies the six hundred have mostly died
“While horse and hero fell”
Glorify the poet makes the men like more like symbols of bravery than real men
“Honour the light brigade”
The imperative, ordering people to give their respect when many questioned the charge. The poet is showing how the soldiers themselves should be honoured, even if the decision to charge may have been wrong
