Power and Conflict Poetry Flashcards
what does the rhythm of ‘half a league, half a league, half a league onward’ represent?
the hooves of the horses charging into battle and that they’re unstoppable
what does the ‘valley of death’ show?
the lexical ‘death’ shows the feelings of something sinister happening which foreshadows what we are told at the end of the poem
how is context shown in the poem?
‘theirs not make reply,/theirs not….’ this shows how the soldiers obedience and duty came first even when the commander gave them wrong orders and they are respected for it
what does ‘cannon to the right of them/ cannon to the left of them/ cannon in front of them’ show?
the anaphora of ‘cannon’ and anadiplosis of ‘them’ highlights how the soldiers are surrounded my gunfire
what is Charge of the Light Brigade about?
Crimean war and a misunderstanding of an order when soldiers were sent into a valley by enemy soldiers. many of them were killed as the Russians had guns but the British were defenceless with their swords.
what is the form of charge of the light brigade?
third person shows its a story, regular and relentless rhythm showing fast pace of war. momentum is broken by unrhymed lines representing the horses or soldiers falling.
what is the structure of charge of the light brigade?
the stanzas show the chronological order of the war and the shorter final stanza represents the heroism of the brigade
what is the effect of repetition of charge of the light brigade?
sense of impending doom and inevitability
why is heroic language used in COTLB?
adverbs such as ‘bodly’ and verbs like ‘charging’ emphasise the speakers respect and the men’s bravery
why is violent language used in COTLB?
powerful verbs and adjectives show this violent and vivid imagery and setting
what feelings are shown in the poem COTLB?
admiration - speaker admiring bravery and sacrifice and he thinks the world should see this too
patriotism - narrator portrays them as heroes for following the orders because of their duty
horror - suggestion speaker is horrified by the violence of the battle
what does ‘east winds that knive us’ represent?
the wind is personified as if they are attacking the soldiers
what does the phrase ‘but nothing happens’ show?
it conveys how there is a lot of boredom and tension
why is ‘all their eyes ice’ powerful in this poem?
this metaphor refers to the eyes of living and dead men - vivid description of how they’re being overpowered by nature.
whats exposure about?
soldiers are in the trenches in WW1 and are afraid of enemy attack. although, nature seems to be their biggest enemy - its freezing cold. they believe that sacrificing themselves will save their loved ones at home.
