8 - The Charge of the Light Brigade Flashcards
(14 cards)
What is the context of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
Written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate from 1850 to 1892.
Written in 1855, inspired by Battle of Balaclava during Crimean War.
Lord Raglan decided to attack Russians, but written order of “go quickly to the front…stop enemy carrying away the guns” fatally misinterpreted.
Order given to British Army’s Cavalry Division and 600 cavalrymen ended up charging down narrow valley straight into fire of Russian cannons.
Over 150 killed and over 120 wounded.
Reflects Tennyson’s admiration for bravery and sacrifice in face of adversity.
During Crimean War, newspapers relayed first-hand reports via telegrams, inspiring public engagement.
News reports of Battle of Balaclava, with grim realities and command failures, influenced Tennyson’s poem.
Estimated around 25,000 British, 100,000 French and up to million Russians died, almost all of disease and neglect.
What is the structure and form of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
Rhyme Scheme varies with each stanza, no set pattern and inconsistent, reinforces ever-changing circumstances and difficulties soldiers had to endure.
6 numbered stanzas of varying length, stanzas 2-5 when Light Brigade engaging enemy, longer stanzas reflect prolonged and difficult struggle of soldiers.
Final stanza shortest, emphasises finality of soldiers’ fates, also 6 stanzas act of 6 memorial stones for 600 soldiers.
Rhythm is Dactylic Dimeter, 6 syllables, 1 stressed followed by 2 unstressed, evokes galloping sounds of horses charging into battle.
Strew / beat “falls off” for rest of syllables, appropriately reflects fall of soldiers.
What are the main themes of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
Remembrance
Death
Duty
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ for the theme of remembrance?
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Mametz Wood
Last Post
What Lips My Lips Have Kissed
Requiem for the Croppies
Easter Monday
Poppies
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ for the theme of death?
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Requiem for the Croppies
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
Easter Monday
Vergissmeinnicht
Mametz Wood
Out of the Blue
The Man He Killed
What poems can be used to compare with the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ for the theme of duty?
Vitaï Lampada
The Man He Killed
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
Who’s for the Game?
What is the analysis for the title of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
Soldiers collectively know as “light” brigade to distinguish from “heavy brigade”, suggests not armoured or protected during attack and therefore vulnerable.
What is the analysis for stanza 1 of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
‘Half a league, half a league…’ - repetition emphasises painful struggle had to endure in valley.
‘All in the valley of Death’ - speaker creates immediate sense of foreboding / inevitable suffering.
‘Rode the six hundred’ - anonymous labelling of soldiers depicts them as mystical and legendary.
‘’Forward, the Light Brigade!’’ - “Light” reference to nature of armour and symbolic of hope their honour and bravery brings.
‘’Charge for the guns!’…’ - imperative, impending death suggested as charging straight into enemy fire.
‘Into the valley of Death’ - speaker makes biblical allusion to Psalm 23: “the valley of the Shadow of Death”, elevates event from military failure to something of great, biblical significance.
‘Rode the six hundred’ - soldiers not depicted as individuals throughout poem, collective, powerful force.
‘Rode the six hundred’ - refrain repeated at end of each stanza, reinforces soldiers’ deaths are inevitable.
What is the analysis for stanza 2 of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
‘’Forward, the Light Brigade!’’ - repetition of imperative reinforces relentlessness of charge and fact they had no opportunity to retreat.
‘Was there a man dismay’d?’ - rhetorical question reinforces character of soldiers, none were discouraged or distressed with what had to do.
‘Some one had blunder’d:…’ - speaker uses disgusted tone due to treatment of soldiers, however poem doesn’t primarily focus on fatal error, but bravery of soldiers.
‘Some one had blunder’d:…’ - bravery and sense of duty exhibited by soldiers evidenced as proceed with attack regardless of complications surrounding order.
‘Theirs not to make reply’ - duty and service come before any individual thought.
‘Theirs not to reason why’ - anaphora, speaker presents view taking orders and serving one’s country is inevitable.
‘Theirs not to reason why’ - strict rhyme shows how rigid and unmoving are when comes to following orders.
‘Theirs but to do and die’ - alliteration helps suggest soldiers have no reason to challenge orders, follow them unfailingly and without question.
What is the analysis for stanza 3 of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
‘Cannon…’ - anaphora helps illustrate how soldiers surrounded and reinforces how are bombarded with shells and gunfire.
‘Volley’d and thunder’d’ - speaker evokes chaotic sounds of battle.
‘Storm’d at with shot and shell’ - metaphor reinforces intensity and swiftness of attack.
‘Storm’d at with shot and shell’ - sibilance gives insight into horror of war by emphasising its brutality and inescapable violence.
‘Boldly they rode and well’ - adverb illustrates men’s bravery and courage in face of certain death.
‘Into the jaws of Death’ - speaker stresses inevitability of soldiers’ deaths.
‘Into the mouth of Hell’ - personification / anaphora, soldiers will be swallowed up and torn apart by enemy.
What is the analysis for stanza 4 of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
‘Flash’d…flash’d…’ - frequent use of elision reminds us of social class of soldiers.
‘Flash’d all their sabres bare’ - anaphora, speaker presents glorious image of skilled soldiers, swords gleaming in battle while heroically fighting enemy.
‘Sabring the gunners there’ - repeated reference to swords reminds us how outmatched as enemy had guns.
‘Sabring the gunners there’ - verb illustrates brutal hand-to-hand combat featured in battle.
‘Charging an army…’ - brigade charging army adds to sense of hopelessness as are outnumbered.
‘All the world wonder’d’ - alliteration, is watching world awestruck by bravery? Or concerned about how soldiers got into this position?
‘Plunged in the battery-smoke’ - verb highlights how soldiers heroically and dutifully immersed themselves in battle.
‘Right thro’ the line they broke’ - battle remains chaotic, shows how difficult is for soldiers to see, while emphasising destruction and ruin that surrounds them.
‘Right thro’ the line they broke’ - preposition, soldiers partially successful at breaking enemy ranks.
‘Reel’d from the sabre-stroke…Shatter’d and sunder’d’ - sibilance, harsh sounds reinforce crippling effect of light brigade’s violet strikes on enemy ranks.
‘Not the six hundred’ - however, effectiveness of soldiers immediately juxtaposed with brutal reality of losses.
What is the analysis for stanza 5 of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
Frequent enjambment in stanza quickens pace, reinforcing relentless rush of soldiers towards enemy.
Pace remains steady throughout poem, reinforcing soldiers’ unwavering bravery and solid formation of their ranks.
‘Cannon…’ - lines repeated from stanza 3, suggests relentless and unending nature of fighting and their attack, suggests have been fighting for some time.
‘Cannon behind them’ - only change from stanza 3 here, preposition reinforces idea of soldiers being cut off and closed in.
‘While horse and hero fell’ - speaker emphasises bond and connection between horses and riders who fought and died together.
‘While horse and hero fell’ - alliteration reinforces speaker’s respectful tone as honours their sacrifice.
‘Left of six hundred’ - speaker does not linger on extent of deaths, but fact soldiers died bravely.
What is the analysis for stanza 6 of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
‘When can their glory fade?’ - rhetorical question, despite being killed, soldiers been immortalised by their brave actions.
‘O the wild charge they made!’ - exclamation, speaker expresses pride and awe at soldiers’ bravery.
‘O the wild charge they made!’ - world is not inquisitive about nature of mistake, wondering in awe at their bravery.
‘Honour…honour…’ - anaphora, speaker stresses soldiers should be hailed, not for success but for bravery.
‘Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade’ - imperatives, speaker doesn’t end poem with outrage about treatment of soldiers or graphic brutality of war.
Poem concerned with creating national heroes for nation, rather than mourning dead soldiers or arguing against war.
Tennyson views war as necessary and just, celebrated courage and glorifies war.
What is the content, meaning and purpose of the poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’?
Poem recounts ill-fated charge of Light Brigade, 600 men on horseback, during Crimean War.
Soldiers, following orders despite knowing mistake had been made, valiantly ride into “valley of Death” and face overwhelming enemy fire.
Tennyson vividly describes chaos and heroism of charge, as well as tragic aftermath.
Poem serves as testament to enduring human spirit in face of adversity.
Raises questions about cost of war.
