The Charge Of The Light Brigade Flashcards
Who is the poet that wrote the charge of the light brigade? What are some useful contextual points about them
Alfred lord Tennyson
- middle class
- Victorian poet
- appointed poet laureate
- nationally significant
What is the historical context of the charge of the light brigade?
The Crimean war
- bravery of soldiers praised by public
- the light brigade where cavalry and upper class
- all three commanders had purchased titles and where inexperienced which caused anger
What is the key point when looking at the Crimean war ?
- first photographed war and lost of reporting
- the charge was against a Russian battery and caused heavy casualties
What is the structure of the poem ?
6 stanzas
- repetition of 600 at end of each stanza which mimics the cavalry men
Analyze the form of the poem. What and why ?
Form: Ballad
- conventionally upbeat and focusing on historical events
- Tennyson conforms to some conventions of the ballad as he wanted people to remember their heavy hover he also wants people to never forget that mistake and tragic loss of life
What is the meter of the poem ? Why
Dactylic diameter
- tenner son wants to appreciate the bravery so he uses this meter as it mimics the sounds of battle especially horse hooves
- we are forced to feel what they felt and therefore empathize with them and appreciate their bravery in the face of death due to it sounding like the battle
- we are caught up in this chaotic meter
What is the one line where the meter is broken ? Why
‘Someone had blundered’
- emphasize the mistake as this one line marks a brake in the dactylic diameter
- subtly draws our attention to the mistake
- by using a euphemism Tennyson subtly criticizes the system of positions based on wealth and not merit
What are the seven quotes you should know for this poem ?
-‘Valley of death’+’into the mouth of hell’
- repetition of ‘theirs’
-‘all the world wondered’
-‘when can their glory fade’
- ‘honour the charge they made! Honour the light brigade’
- shattered and sandered
What is a good quote showing a biblical allusion ? What and why ?
‘Valley of death’
- deliberate biblical imagery and allusion to Psam:23
- alludes to David and Goliath and mimics the battle
- their bravery is almost biblical and Victorian society would of empathized with them as they where a Christian society
- metaphoric comparison to the Bible emphasizes their peril
What is a really simple quote (one word)? What and why ?
‘Their’
- repetition of ‘theirs’ throughout the poem
- historical as the Victorian army was very structured and they where told to follow orders so in that retrospect Tennyson uses it ironically as their fate was not controlled by themselves
- Tennyson questions the unfailing obeisances of the men and invites the reader to question the morality of the Victorian social hierarchy which dominated their society including their military which lead to this tragic loss of life
What is a good quote showing the size of the disaster ? What and why
‘All the world wondered’
- hyperbolic and emphasizes the disaster as we empathize with the soldiers we simultaneously question the unjust armed forces of Victorian England
- the whole world questions the actions as Tennyson emphasizes the confusing choices of those in power and the misuse of it
What is important about the word ‘wondered’ in ‘all the world wandered’?
Deliberately used as it can be broken down into two other words
- ‘won’ deliberate definition of the soldiers bravery in the face of death
- ‘ered’ acts as subtle reminder of the loss of life
What is a good qoute showing the extreme bravery of the light brigade ? What and why
‘When can their glory fade?’
- rhetorical question the poet suggests their glory has power over time itself and conveys the gallantry of the attack
- implicates their glory is every lasting
- subtle criticism of the leadership as an ironic question as cavalry seen as the most prestigious unit yet suffered horrific wounds or death
What is a nice simple qoute showing the suffering of the soldiers ?
‘Shattered and sundered’
- harsh sibilants and semi onomatapiac
- 2 German linked by alliteration conveys the suffering of the soldiers
What is a great but long qoute showing the bravery of the men? What and why ?
‘ honor the charge they made! Honour the light brigade’
- uses of repeated imperative forced the idea of nationalistic propaganda and pride at the reader however Tennyson is still reminding us of this heroic act
- Volta diverts our attention from the bloodshed as we now focus on the bravery rather than the mistake
- the poet continues the use of dactylic diameter here which acts as a subtle reminded that fighting and suffering was on going in the Crimea. Tennyson suggests they shouldn’t focus on the bravery of one group
