The Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson

Question 1

distance

Answer 1

‘Half a league,half a league,half a league’
-Repetition of distance emphasises how far they have to go and creates a sense of their exposure and vulnerability.
-The media res opening creates a sense of urgency and momentum, as the soldiers are spurred into action

Question 2

how many people

Answer 2

‘Rode the six hundred’
-Repeated throughout the poem to emphasise the amounts of lives lost

Question 3

valley of what

Answer 3

‘into the valley of death’
-powerful metaphor which creates vivid imagery and foreshadowing in poetry. The use of the word “Death” creates a sense of danger and impending doom for the soldiers, and the image of a “valley” emphasizes the soldiers’ vulnerability and exposure in battle.
-The phrase also highlights the bravery and courage of the soldiers, who are willing to charge headlong into this perilous situation in order to fulfill their duty.
-repetition of the phrase “Into the valley of Death” throughout the poem emphasizes the futility of the soldiers’ actions. The repetition creates a sense of inevitability and emphasizes the soldiers’ lack of control over their situation.
-It also creates a sense of frustration and anger in the reader, as they are forced to witness the soldiers’ tragic and senseless sacrifice

Question 4

cannons

Answer 4

‘Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them’
-repetition of the word “Cannon” in this line creates a sense of overwhelming force and danger, highlighting the perilous situation the soldiers find themselves in
-The use of parallelism, with the repeated phrase “to right of them, to left of them, in front of them,” emphasizes the fact that the soldiers are surrounded by enemy artillery, with no way to escape
-The use of short, simple syntax in this line also adds to the tension and drama of the poem. The short, staccato phrases create a sense of urgency and emphasize the soldiers’ vulnerability in the face of the enemy’s superior firepower.
-repeated towards the end to emphasise the harsh, mechanical nature of war.

Question 5

stormed at

Answer 5

‘Stormed at with shot and shell’
-This use of sibilance creates a sinister tone, increasing the aggressive tone of the violence being described.

Question 6

repetition of flashed

Answer 6

‘flashed’
-The fricatives and sibilance used in this emphatic repetition highlight the brutality of the situation.

Question 7

the noble

Answer 7

‘Noble six hundred!’
-The use of an imperative closes the poem with the intention of glorifying the soldiers