The Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Lord Tennyson

Question 1

sabre stroke shatterd and sunder

Answer 1

sibilant allows us to concentrate on the noise of the event giving a sinister edge and mimics the sound of a sword, making the tragedy come to life

Question 2

“Half a league, half a league, half a league onward,”

Answer 2

Repetition and rhythm sounds like galloping horses’ - the impression they are unstoppable.

Question 3

“Strom’d at with shot and shell,”

Answer 3

Sibilance emphasises the idea of ammunition flying at them. allowing the reader to get a glimpse the horrors of battle

Question 4

song like structure

Answer 4

create up beat joyful atmosphere which juxtaposes to the inevitable death and failure of the soldiers. also quickens the pace of the poem, helping the reader to understand the frenzy on both sides, showing the catastrophic loss and tragedy.

Question 5

air/sabring the gunners there

Answer 5

rhyme creates a sense of monotony, reflects the monotony of war

Question 6

“Into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of hell”

Answer 6

Personification of death and hell to make them seem like monsters that can’t be escaped from.

Question 7

‘jaws of death’

Answer 7

metaphor, noun jaws symbolise the opening to the valley. the cannons and guns are metaphorical teeth

Question 8

suicide mission, Russians have cannons British have swords. battle of baklava