THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE Flashcards
(21 cards)
Lines 1 - 8
“Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.”
Translation of lines 1-8
The speaker reveals the subject of the poem in this first stanza
Six hundred soldiers on horses (the “Light Brigade”) rode for a mile and a half (“half a league”) into the valley of Death
Their commander ordered them to charge forward towards the artillery
Intentions of lines 1-8
Tennyson uses repetition of distance at the start of the poem to emphasise how far they have to go and how exposed and vulnerable the soldiers are
The number of men is also repeated throughout the poem to reinforce the number of lives lost
Marching into the valley of Death is a biblical reference to Psalm 23: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;”
The poet here suggests that the men knew that they were riding to their deaths
But the biblical reference implies that the men may have taken comfort in knowing their God was with them
Lines 9-17
“‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.”
Translation of lines 9-17
The commander repeats the order to advance
Was any soldier discouraged or afraid? No, even though they knew that someone had made a mistake and that this was a suicide mission
It wasn’t up to them to question their orders; their job was to follow those orders and die
So the six hundred men rode to their deaths
Tennyson intentions in lines 9-17
In this stanza, Tennyson reveals the thoughts of the soldiers and their awareness that someone had made a mistake (“blunder’d”) that would cost them their lives
However, they were bound by a sense of duty, so they did not think to question it or to challenge their orders
Although the use of the rhetorical question could suggest an element of doubt in the soldiers’ minds
Their sense of duty reflects the power those in charge had over whether the regular soldiers lived or died
Lines 18-26
“Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.”
Translation of lines 18-26
The men were surrounded by cannons and loud blasts
They were showered with gunshots and artillery shells
But even so, they continued to ride bravely into the mouth of Death and Hell itself
Intentions of lines 18-26
The speaker of the poem tells the tale as someone who was there and saw it all happen
This lends a level of authenticity to the tale
Via the repetition of “cannon”, the men knew that they were surrounded by military machinery, but still they rode on bravely
Tennyson is again commenting on the sense of duty the soldiers possessed, as well as their courage
Death and Hell are personified as creatures that will eat the soldiers
Lines 27-38
Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.”
Translation of lines 27-38
The soldiers raised their swords (“sabres”) into the air, which flashed in the light
They charged into the army and stabbed the enemy soldiers who were manning the guns
The whole world watched in amazement and confusion
The soldiers plunged into the smoke from the guns and broke through the enemy lines
The Cossack and Russian soldiers reeled from the sword strikes, shattered and broken
The Light Brigade rode back, but not all of them made it
Intentions line 27-38
In this stanza, Tennyson reveals that while the army charged to their deaths, the world wondered why they were ordered to do so
Ironically, the only people not wondering were the soldiers themselves
“Cossack and Russian” is a reference to the enemy soldiers who were fighting against British soldiers during the Crimean War
At the end of this stanza, the speaker reveals that some did make it out alive
History tells us that 247 of the men returned home from that battle
Lines 39-49
Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of the six hundred.”
Translation of lines 39-49
Again, the speaker repeats the fact that the soldiers were surrounded by firing cannons
Whilst many soldiers and horses died, those that fought well survived
That was all that was left of the six hundred who set out
Intentions of lines 39-49
The repetition of the image of the cannons emphasises the soldiers’ bravery and courage
The speaker clearly finds it miraculous that some came back at all
Lines 50-55
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!”
Translation of lines 50-55
The speaker queries when their bravery would ever be forgotten, as the whole world admired what they did
The speaker then urges the reader to respect the soldiers and what they did, those brave men
Intentions of lines 39-49
In this stanza, the speaker calls to honour and respect the six hundred men who rode at the Battle of Balaclava
The rhetorical question, “When can their glory fade?” suggests both the fallen and the survivors would be forever remembered and honoured
This rhetorical device also alludes to the poem being a piece of propaganda
This is reinforced by the imperative verb “honour”, demanding that the public honour the soldiers
What form is the poem written in
Balllad
What is a ballad
A form of narrative poetry with short paced stanzas
What theme is form in TCOTLB
Conflict,war and heroism
