Poems Engliah Flashcards
What is the charge of the light brigade about
The poem is about the miscommunication of Lord Cardigan. He told his light brigade to charge towards the guns of the Russians, when the actual message encouraged them to retreat. This mistake lead to a huge catastrophe for the light brigade and many soldiers lost their lives unnecessarily.
Context of charge of the light brigade
Context. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ was written in response to the atrocities the British troops faced, during the Crimean war. In October 1854, Lord Cardigan led a light troop of 670 soldiers. During the Battle of Balaclava, a horrific 110 soldiers were killed and 160 were wounded.
Structure of charge of light brigade
The poem is very regular in its structure, with several examples of repetition. It is a narrative poem , with features of the ballad form. This means that each stanza progresses the story of the attack. There are six stanzas , as if each stanza is a memorial stone to one hundred of the six hundred cavalrymen.
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The repetition in the poem helps capture the galloping military Rythme. This indicates the power and conflict boiling throught the poem.
The poet is distigualsy between the bravery of the men and the foolish blunder of the orders from the government.
The military language is mixed with religious allusion to emphise the risk of bravery
What other poem links to charge of the light brigade
Bayonet charge . Both poets represent war as a terrible experience which cannot be justified by any cause. Will chargenof light explore the effects on the soilders as a whole while bayonet talks about the detailed perspective view on the war
Quotes for chargenof light brigade
Forward, the Light Brigade!” Was there a man dismay’d? Not tho’ the soldiers knew Someone had blunder’d: Their’s not to make reply, Their’s not to reason why, Their’s but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.
What is bayonet charge about
It is thought that in Bayonet Charge Hughes wanted to highlight the brutality of trench warfare as a tribute to his father’s suffering as well as a way to memorialize war as a warning for future generations. This poem was greatly inspired by Wilfred Owen who similarly tries to depict the reality of war in his poetry.
What is the context of bayonet cahrge
It describes the experience of ‘going over- the-top’. This was when soldiers hiding in trenches were ordered to ‘fix bayonets’ (attach the long knives to the end of their rifles) and climb out of the trenches to charge an enemy position twenty or thirty metres away. The aim was to capture the enemy trench.
Structure of bayonet charge
The text is in third person giving a remoteness and reportage quality to the poem. Lines are uneven and there is much use of enjambment and caesura to create an irregular rhythm to reflect the soldier’s panic and possibly his struggle through the deep mud of the field.
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The poem explores a soilders charge through a mix of physical and emotional explanation.
The language of the poem seem to juxtpose natural animal images and human machines
The mix of caesura and enjabment in the poem add a chaotic tone to show the confusion of war and the emotion of the soilder.
Quotes for bayonet charge
Suddenly he awoke and was running - raw” “Bullets smacking the belly out of the air” “Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest” …
“The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye / Sweating like molten iron” “a yellow hare that rolled like a flame / And crawled in a threshing circle
Power and conflict in charge of the light brigade and links to charge of light brigade
Government in control
Internal conflict of soilder
External conflict of war(physical danger)
Power of wepons
What is exposure about
A reading of ‘Exposure’ Wilfred Owen’s poem focuses on the misery felt by World War One soldiers waiting overnight in the trenches.
Context of exposure
This poem was written during World War I. It depicts the horrific conditions of war. Owen wanted to show the reality of war in contrast to the propaganda that was being feed to the British nation at home.
Structure of exposure
The poem is structured as a series of eight stanzas of five lines. The last line of each stanza is noticeably shorter and indented which emphasises its importance. It is also part of the more general disruption of the rhythmic structure which uses hexameters as its basis.
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The poem defines the convection of war and looks of wheater abutting the soilders. This is to highlight horrors of war to people at home.
The poet uses repition and a consistent structure to create a static tone. The lack of change adds to tone of dispear.
Quotes and what other poems it links to
Merciless iced east winds that knive us”
Nature is portrayed as their enemy, they are more likely to die from exposure to the elements than they are to by fighting the Germans.
But nothing happens”
No progression, represents the relentlessness of the elements.
“For love of God seems dying”
The fact that they feel abandoned has left them questioning their faith.
Remains and exposure
What is remains about
The poem is about a soldier who is haunted by his involvement in a shooting of a bank looter
Context of remains
Remains is set in Basra in the Iraq, which was the scene of the Battle of Basra in 2003.
Structure of remain
Remains is formed of eight stanzas . The first seven stanzas are in largely unrhymed quatrains . The final stanza consists of only two lines and therefore stands out, emphasising the fact the speaker cannot rid himself of the memory of the killing. It could also imply disintegration in the speaker’s state of mind.
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The poem explores the events in a soilders life which in turn trigger ptsd.
The colloquial nature of speakers voice is used to create a sense of heightened realism to the peice.
The poet suggest a conflict in the speakers mind, an avoidance of reality of what happens and what haunts him
Quotes
On another occasion” …
“Tosses” “Carted off” …
“Rips through his life” “Sort of inside out” …
“His bloody life in my bloody hands” …
“The drinks and drugs won’t flush him out” …
“Dream, and he’s torn apart by a dozen rounds” …
“Probably armed, possibly not” …
“He’s here in my head when I close my eyes”
What is war photograph about
The poem follows the journey of a man who returns from a war-torn land to develop his photographs. The pictures remind him of his experiences and the atrocities which are happening abroad. The violence in the war zones is contrasted with the nonchalant attitude of the Western world.
Structure of war photgrapher
The poem is laid out in four regular six-line stanzas, with each stanza ending in a rhyming couplet. This structure is interesting since its very rigid order contrasts with the chaotic, disturbing images described in the poem.
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The poem contrasts rural England with warzones to emphasise the gulf between the public and warzones
Bitterness and regret is conveyed in key rhyming cuplets and sections to highlight his difficulty dealing with ptsd
The ordered structure reflects the precision of his job which contrast with the chaos expirement
Quotes for war photographer
With spools of suffering set out in ordered rows. …
In his darkroom he is finally alone. …
The only light is red and softly glows, …
Belfast. …
He has a job to do. …
Solutions slop in trays. …
Beneath his hands which did not tremble then. …
Rural England.
