The charge of the light brigade

Question 1

Poem’s form

Answer 1

The poem’s narrated in the third person, making it seem like a story. The regular, relentless rhythm creates a fast pace, imitating the cavalry’s advance and the energy of the the battle. Rhyming couplets and triplets drive the poem forwards, but the momentum is broken by unrhymed lines, which could mirror the horses stumbling and soldiers falling. The iverall lack of rhyme scheme hints the chaos of war.

Question 2

Poem’s structure

Answer 2

The poem tells the story of the battle in chronological order, from the charge of the men in the first three stanzas, to the battle in the fourth and the retreat in the fifth. The final stanza is shorter and summarises the heroism of the brigade.

Question 3

Poem’s themes

Answer 3

• Conflict of identity