The Charge of the Light Brigade
by Alfred Tennyson
Today we are learning to …
…understand and analyse ‘The Charge of the
Light Brigade’ by Alfred Tennyson
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Born 1809, Lincolnshire
• Often considered the most
famous of all Victorian poets.
• Became Poet Laureate in 1850.
• ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’
is a very patriotic poem and one
of his best-known poems.
• Queen Victoria admired his work
greatly – and awarded him
position of Baron of Aldworth in
1884 – first poet to receive a
peerage because of his writing.
• Died 1892 – buried in Poets’
Corner in Westminster Abbey
1.
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.
2.
‘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.
3.
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.
4.
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.
5.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to 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 six hundred.
6.
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!
The Charge of the
Light Brigade
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by Alfred Tennyson
Background notes and context
• Commemorates a charge by British light cavalry in the Battle of
Balaclava (Ukraine) in the Crimean War (1854-56).
• Lord Cardigan, on instruction, led 673 cavalrymen in an attack
on a valley. The entrance to the valley was overlooked on
either side by batteries of enemy guns and there were more
guns at the far end. In minutes, 247 men were killed or
injured.
• The event became known for the recklessness of the
commanders in sending the men to their deaths – as did the
Battle of the Somme in WWI.
• This war was also noteworthy as an early example of the work
of modern war correspondents…
• …IN FACT … the newspaper report on 14th November 1854
about the charge led Tennyson to write the poem which has
immortalised the event.
Lots of notes on the blog about this poem
Repetition, regular
rhyme and powerful
rhythm emphasise
surge of movement
and energy.
MOVEMENT!
Direct speech –
announces the
order that will
send them to
their deaths.
Dactylic rhythm: one stressed syllable
followed by 2 unstressed. Creates a
‘falling rhythm’ that aurally echoes
the horses hooves but also
appropriate for the men who fall.
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.
Language also reflects
the urgency, speed and
movement.
Capitalisation
personifies death
as the enemy.
Repetition intensifies
image, and courage of
the men.
Elision (omission of
letter/s at the end of a
word) - maintains
rhythm.
Anaphora:
word/phrase
repeated at start of
consecutive lines.
Used throughout.
Emphasises their
ROLE here. Difficult
to understand
nowadays? – Stiff
upper lip?
Rhetorical question
implies unequivocal
bravery.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Tennyson once removed
Some one had blunder’d: this line and had to be
Theirs not to make reply,
persuaded to put it back in
Theirs not to reason why, – what difference does it
make? Why was he
Theirs but to do and die:
concerned?
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
BRAVERY AND DISCIPLINE
Allusion to Psalm 23 faith gives courage in the
face of death ?
Psalm 23
Anaphora
emphasised they
are totally
surrounded.
Relentless attack.
Our eyes keep
meeting cannons
as do theirs!
Alliteration and
onomatopoeia
evoke noise of
battlefield.
UNDER FIRE!
Always referred to collectively – very different
to other poems that tend to concentrate on
individuals – shows the glory of war rather than
the personal fears
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.
Aggressive
personification –
threatening and
dangerous.
Refrain suggests unflinching nature of
soldiers – they keep going
Onomatopoeic,
suggesting speed?
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.
Repetition of ‘not’, and variation of final
line, highlight the sacrifice made.
Irregular stanzas
throughout out but
stanza structure
changes significantly
here – why?
Sounds as
though they
have been
victorious …
FACING THE
ENEMY!
Echoes stanza 3: much
repeated but with enough
changes to indicate soldiers
now in retreat.
RETREAT
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to 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 six hundred.
Alliteration draws
attention to the fact
that soldiers are now
referred to as
heroes. No longer
just ‘soldiers’.
Repetition of ‘left’ and variation
again highlight sacrifice.
Rhetorical question −
Tennyson bestows glory on
them. We have to agree!
Imperative and
repetition - how
the reader
should respond!
Repetition of this line from Stanza
4 draws attention to ambiguity: at
the men’s courage, at why the
charge took place?
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!
Final stanza serves as an epitaph for the men.
Plaudits (expressions of
approval) and
exclamation marks –
emphasise their glory.
GLORY!