cotlb

Question 1

what does the ballad form signify

Answer 1

• poem composed in ballad form - form-historically used in order to demarcate events that were to be commemorated & memorialized
• shows how highly tennyson regards the sacrifice of the soldiers : he understood the futility of their sacrifice , despite not being able to brazen about this , hence uses his ballad to immortalize their sacrifice for years to come

Question 2

what does the dactylic dimeter signify (structure)

Answer 2

• T used DD in order to mimic sound of a horses hooves whilst running into battle
• repetition of this thrusts the reader into the heat of the battle , making them feel the charge
• also communicates how soldiers have no choice but to follow the charge & run into battle ; the long syllable may represent their lull & reluctancy , yet the 2 short syllables highlighting how they had to fight anyways

Question 3

V O D (misuse of power)

Answer 3

valley of death - biblical reference to psalm 23 which refers to the protection of god. Tennyson uses irony here as the soldiers were not protected by those who were meant to protect them

Question 4

S H B (effects & reality , people died due careless decisions & effects)

Answer 4

• verb = makes it sound like an insignificant mistake when in reality it was catastrophic which implies small regard for the soldier’s lives

• otoh this verb disrupts the rhyming scheme through the use of half- rhyme with “blundered” & “hundred”., making the word a blunder itself which emphasizes the mistake that was made in the Crimean war whilst not specifically blaming anyone; he makes subtle criticisms.

• also draws attention to the mistake that was made by Lord Ragland

Question 5

H T C T M! H T L B (identity, effects of war)

Answer 5

Honour the charge they made! Honour the light brigade!

• “Honour”= anaphora of imperative command-Forces reader to consider the soldier’s bravery & honour the cavalry.- emphasizes that their sacrifices & courage should be glorified + appreciated.- links to the propaganda during the time that going to war is honourable.

• use of pronoun “they” distances reader from the soldiers highlighting how the soldiers made sacrifices that nobody else has made, putting the soldiers on a pedestal.

Question 6

F T L B! C F T G (reality of conflict & identity)

Answer 6

Forward the light bridge ! Charge for the guns!

• use exclamation amplifies the pace as well as portrays how exciting war is portrayed here which glorifies the war.

• exclamation mark emphasizes the urgency & fast-paced order barked at the soldiers. in a very definite way almost edging onto careless which could be a subtle criticism to the general who made the “blunder” as an “armchair general” - people who were known to be of high rank & making the decisions from the comfort of their ‘armchairs’. These decisions were then impacting on the lives of the men who were actually fighting. (In reality, people died due careless decisions)

• exclamation mark also makes a reported sense of duty.