Charge of the Light Brigade Flashcards
Context of Charge of the Light Brigade
2 POVs of the context of the poem:
- Poem explores the traditional ideas of patriotism & honour to go to war (known as JINGOISM) (shown in phrases: “hero”, “glory”, “honour”, “noble six hundred!”) —> obedience of troops
- Poem explores the daft, poor leadership of the British cavalry who made an ill-advised charge towards Russian troops —> stupidity of troops
Tennyson is hyper-criticising the British army throughout this poem.
Poem is based on the Crimean war of 1855 - a dreadful battle (huge losses due to poor management) that was manipulated to the public as a glorious event. A Senior officer sent a deliberalty ambiguous order to “charge the guns”, leading to a great loss of life
Key quotes of Charge of the Light Brigade
“Road the six hundred” - this number is repeated emphasising the number of lives lost
“Someone had blunder’d” - foreshadows the mistake they have made. Showing the ignorance of man
“Valley of Death” - biblical allusion (Psalm 23 referring to “the valley of the shadow of death”) creates a grand sense of scale & weight in the poem. Elevates the event to great importance
Anaphora of “cannon” - emphasise how the troops were completely surrounded/overwhelmed
Rode into the “Jaws of death” - metaphor, claustrophobic connotations
Structure & form of Charge of the Light Brigade
Poem uses In media res - readers are thrusted (left confused) into action with the repetition of Half a league - creates panic, tension and mirrors the confused nature of soldiers
Tennyson uses dactylic dimeter (1 stressed then 2 unstressed syllables) - eg. in the phrase, “Half a league” - mimics the speed/power of the cavalry charge. This emphasises how deeply misled the troops were
Rhyme scheme is irregular - reflects chaos of battlefield. Rhyming couplets between indented lines - creating a sense of inevitability of the soldier’s fates. Rhythm may also be mirroring the sounds of horses charging into battle
Poem is from a 3rd-person perspective - adds to scale of war as it implies the huge loss of lives rather than the individual experiences. Many people were impacted
6 stanzas may refer to the “six hundred”
