Charge of the Light Brigade Flashcards
Context of Charge of the Light Brigade
About British troops fighting in Russia, men were respected for following orders, even they knew they are wrong ; glorious sacrifice.
Analyse word in Bold
“All in the valley of death, rode the six hundred”
‘Valley of death’ is a biblical allusion to show the horror of what they face. It has connotations of hell.
“When can their glory fade?”
Rhetorical question to suggest the poet is more concerned with their glory.
“Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, noble six hundred.”
Poet shows how soldiers should be honoured, even if decision to charge have been made wrong.
In terms of form and structure…
Written in dimeter and dactylic. Drop in stress to show the sudden charge and then collapse.
Poem is divided into 6 stanzas and uses lots of repetition, to show the different stages of the battle. It has a very military rhyme to reflect the military nature of the conflict in the poem.
