Charge Of The Light Brigade Flashcards
Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward,
The slow, steady rhythm of these dactylic lines (as well as repetition of the first line in the form of a triplet) is to set up a military rhythm, like a march of a battalion of soldiers or their trotting horses.
Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die:
These lines sum up all of the honest, humble heroism of the soldiers.
They’re just doing their job. That job doesn’t permit them to talk back to their commanders (make reply) or to figure out the point of the attack (reason why). All they can do is to ride and fight and possibly die (do and die).
These lines also criticize the British government.
Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them
it makes the feeling of being surrounded much more intense. It’s almost as if the reader is right there, turning your head right, left, and forward, and seeing cannons everywhere.
These lines are also used to suggest the futility and suicidal nature of the attack. Tennyson also uses these lines to draw the reader even deeper into the story he is crafting, giving striking visuals to readers. They are also called back to later in the poem, when the cannons are now behind them
