The Charge Of The Light Brigade

Question 1

half a league, half a league, half a league

Answer 1

repetition of distance emphasises how far they have to go and creates a sense of their exposure and vulnerability

Question 2

rode the six hundred

Answer 2

the number is repeated throughout the poem to emphasise the number of lives lost

Question 3

was there a man dismayd

Answer 3

the rhetorical question implies there is some doubt in the soldiers mind

Question 4

valley of death

Answer 4

a biblical allusion creates a grand sense of scale as well as foreshadowing death

Question 5

repetition “cannon”

Answer 5

the repetition emphasises the harsh military surrounding them, no chance of survival

Question 6

stormd at with shot and shell

Answer 6

sibilance creates a sinister tone, increasing the aggressive tone of the violence being described

Question 7

when can their glory fade?

Answer 7

rhetorical question alludes to the poem being a piece of propaganda

Question 8

noble six hundred

Answer 8

use of an imperative closes the poem with the intension of glorifying the soldiers

Question 9

Key themes and ideas

Answer 9

War, glory, death and power are themes. Can link to Ozymandias, exposure, poppies and war photographer.