The Charge of the Light Brigade Flashcards
“half a league, half a league, half a league onward”
the rhythm sounds like galloping horses’ hooves - it gives the impression that the horses are unstoppable
“death”
sounds sinister
foreshadowing - the reader is warned from the start that something bad is going to happen
“rode the six hundred”
presented as one group with one purpose
“was there a man dismay’d? not tho’ the soldier knew some one had blunder’d”
the soldiers realise the order was a mistake but do what they’re told because its their duty to obey orders
the poet respects them for it
“theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die”
rhyme and repetition emphasise the soldier’s obedience and sense of duty, even though they know they will almost certainly be killed
“valley of death”
there’s a line in the bible that says “yea, though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23)
using biblical references makes the peom seem solemn and significant
“cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon infront of them”
repetition at the start and end of the lines reflects the way the soldiers are surrounded by the enemy’s guns
it also replicates the sound of gunfire
“shot and shell”
sibilance emphasises the idea of ammunition flying towards them
“jaws of death” “mouth of hell”
these images personify death and hell and make them seem like monsters that the soldiers cant escape from
“rode the six hundred”
the first 3 stanzas end in the same line
it adds to the sense of foreboding and reminds us of the number of soldiers
“flash’d all their sabres bare, flash’d as they turn’d in air”
repetition of “flash’d” and the rhyme create a powerful image of the cavalry using their swords
“sabring the gunners there”
this reminds us that the cavalry only had swords against the Russian guns
“charging” “plunged” “reel’d”
several lines begin with verbs, emphasising the action and increasing the pace of the poem
“all the world wondered”
double meaning
1. could mean that people marvelled at their bravery
2. they wondered why they had been sent on the charge
the poem was written in 1854 in response to a newspaper article about the battle
many newspapers were critical of the Crimean War but this poem focuses on the bravery of the soldiers rather than the mistakes of the military leaders
“sabre stroke shatter’d and sunder’d”
the sibilance here sounds vicious
