different viewpoints on the charge of the light brigade

Outcome of this experience is positive: the world wonders, but not as inĪsking a question such as 'why was the blunder made?' but wonders in He builds to a conclusion, in the final stanza, that suggests that the

He gives important lines the heavy '-erd' rhyme to emphasise his anger: 'Someone had blunder'd'.

He uses rhythm to recreate the sound of the horses charging and repetition to recreate the sound and visual effects of battle ( 'cannon' lines 17-20 and 'flash'd' lines 27-28 for example).

The structure of the story he tells presents theĮxcitement of the battle: the stanzas get longer and the rhymes more.

Honour those who took part (six stanzas like memorial stones to the Uses the form of the poem to illustrate both the battlefield heĭescribes (the long, narrow valley) and the memorials he wants built to

Tennyson presents the experience of conflict in several different ways.

Question How does the poet present the experience of conflict in The Charge of the Light Brigade? Answer Points you could make: It does, however, show delight at what they did: 'O the wild charge they made!' The final stanza does not express any anger at politicians and generals. How much outrage is there in this poem, though? Part of its success is the way Tennyson recreates the energy of battle – 'half a league, half a league'.

But the feelings in the poem can appear to be ambiguous – in other words, can be seen in two different ways. Was to capture the public mood and, given the poem is still so Note the sound of bullets in line 22 ( 'shot and shell'). Alliteration, for example, is used to express the sounds of battle. Tennyson uses a wide variety of techniques to provide the poem with highly effective sound effects. By using this Biblical allusion, Tennyson shows how important the event is. (lines 3,7 and 16) refers to a well-known poem in the bible - Psalm 23 -Ībout the 'valley of the shadow of death'.

The strong central image of the 'valley of Death' However, comes from the careful use of imagery and sound effects. Language of the poem is understandably military: guns, soldiers,Ĭannon, sabres and gunners set the scene. Stanza six is a short, sharp conclusion written as if they are the lines we should remember the Light Brigade by. To retreat is expressed in the run of six longer lines (43-48). Stanza four, for example, is broken by four shorter lines, while stanzaįive has only two short lines (lines 42 and 48). – the Light Brigade has engaged the enemy so the longer stanzasĭescribe the struggle. This pattern suggests the strong formation in which the cavalry charge. Three lines (of three six-to-seven syllables) are followed by a shorter line (five syllables: 'rode the six hundred').

The first three stanzas - the Light Brigade is approaching the guns. The length of the stanzas reflect the structure of the story. For example 'half a league, half a league' two light beats followed by a heavy beat expresses the sound of the horses galloping.Īs if each stanza is a memorial stone to 100 of the 600 cavalrymen.

Then embraced British military exploits abroad began to question the The news of the disaster was a sensation and a nation that had until Over 150īritish soldiers were killed, and more than 120 were wounded. Narrow valley straight into the fire of Russian cannons. Light Brigade) was misunderstood and 600 cavalrymen ended charging down a The most significant moment in the Crimea came during the Battle of Balaclava.Īn order given to the British army's cavalry division (known as the Newspapers carried eye-witness reports as well as detailing not just the triumphs of war but the mistakes and horrors as well. The Crimean War was fought between Britain and Him the country's longest ever serving laureate. He held this post until his death in 1892, making This meant he had to write important poems about events that affected On the legend of King Arthur to those dealing with the loss of a loved Started writing poetry from a young age and published his first poems Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) was one of 11 children born to an

Different viewpoints on the charge of the light brigade