THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE

About the author

Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) was one of 11 children born to an upper-middle class country vicar. He
received a good literary education.
Alfred started writing poetry from a young age and published his first poems while still a student at
Cambridge. His poems range from those focused on the legend of King Arthur to those dealing with the
loss of a loved one.
In 1850 he became poet laureate. This meant he had to write important poems about events that affected
the British nation. He held this post until his death in 1892, making him the country's longest ever serving
laureate.

Subject matter
The Crimean War was fought between Britain and Imperial Russia from 1853-1856. For the first time in
history, newspapers carried eye-witness reports as well as detailing not just the triumphs of war but the
mistakes and horrors as well.
The most significant moment in the Crimea came during the Battle of Balaclava. An order given to the
British army's cavalry division (known as the Light Brigade) was misunderstood and 600 cavalrymen
ended charging down a narrow valley straight into the fire of Russian cannons. Over 150 British soldiers
were killed, and more than 120 were wounded. At home the news of the disaster was a sensation and a
nation that had until then embraced British military exploits abroad began to question the politicians and
generals who led them.

Form and structure

The poem has a strong rhythm. For example "half a league, half a league" two light beats followed by a
heavy beat expresses the sound of the horses galloping.
There are six numbered stanzas, as if each stanza is a memorial stone to 100 of the 600 cavalrymen. The
length of the stanzas reflect the structure of the story.
The first three stanzas - the Light Brigade is approaching the guns.
There is a strong structure. Three lines (of three six-to-seven syllables) are followed by a shorter line (five
syllables: "rode the six hundred"). This pattern suggests the strong formation in which the cavalry charge.
Stanza two the Light Brigade has engaged the enemy so the longer stanzas describe the struggle. The
structure starts to break down. The rhythm of stanza four, for example, is broken by four shorter lines,
while stanza five has only two short lines (lines 42 and 48). The desperate attempt to retreat is expressed
in the run of six longer lines (43-48).
Stanza six is a short, sharp conclusion written as if they are the lines we should remember the Light
Brigade by.

Language and Imagery

The language of the poem is understandably military: guns, soldiers, cannon, sabres and gunners set the
scene. The power of the poem, however, comes from the careful use of imagery and sound effects.

Imagery
The strong central image of the "valley of Death" (lines 3,7 and 16) refers to a well-known poem in the
bible - Psalm 23 - about the 'valley of the shadow of death'. By using this Biblical allusion, Tennyson
shows how important the event is.

Sound
Tennyson uses a wide variety of techniques to provide the poem with highly effective sound effects.
Alliteration, for example, is used to express the sounds of battle. Note the sound of bullets in line 22
("shot and shell").
The poem has a strong rhythm. For example "half a league, half a league" two light beats followed by a
heavy beat expresses the sound of the horses galloping.
 Attitudes, themes and ideas
Tennyson's job as poet laureate was to capture the public mood and, given the poem is still so well-
known, he certainly did that. But the feelings in the poem can appear to be ambiguous in other
words, can be seen in two different ways.
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". The final stanza does not express any anger at politicians
and generals. It does, however, show delight at what they did: "O the wild charge they made!"

Comparison
This poem is also about remembering soldiers who have died in war but it is the opposite both in its tone
and its treatment of the theme. Tennyson, living at the time of the events he describes, sets out to build a
monument to them in poetry so their "glory" will never "fade". Sheers is living long after the event. There
is no glory here. Instead he sets out to create a small hymn so the fallen soldiers will be remembered for
their own brave deeds in battle.

This poem is linked by subject matter: a soldier charging in battle. The treatment, however, is different.
Tennyson creates a rich impression of the whole action from a kind of widescreen perspective (a brigade
charging down a long valley). Hughes is much closer to the action he describes. He focuses on the
experience of one man. So instead of exploring the impact of a military action on a nation, Hughes
analyses the emotional response of an individual within a nation's war.

Sample question
The basic structure of any answer will be the same:

The introduction will explain the relevance of the question to what feelings the poem
expresses and an overview of the story the poem tells.
Paragraph that covers form.
Paragraph that covers structure.
Paragraph that covers language (sound and verbal imagery).
Conclusion: You then conclude on the meaning that emerges from this.

For each point, you need to provide evidence (a quote or reference) and an explanation.
Question
How does the poet present the experience of conflict in The Charge of the Light Brigade?
Answer
Points you could make:

Tennyson presents the experience of conflict in several different ways.

He uses the form of the poem to illustrate both the battlefield he describes (the long,
narrow valley) and the memorials he wants built to honour those who took part (six
stanzas like memorial stones to the 600).
The structure of the story he tells presents the excitement of the battle: the stanzas get
longer and the rhymes more frequent after the calm opening stanza.
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).
He gives important lines the heavy "-erd" rhyme to emphasise his anger: "Someone had
blunder'd".
Finally, he builds to a conclusion, in the final stanza, that suggests that the outcome of this
experience is positive: the world wonders, but not as in asking a question such as 'why was
the blunder made?' but wonders in awe at the bravery of the British.
Tennyson shows that from this disaster national heroes have been born.
MODEL QUESTIONS

1. Where is the setting of the poem?

2. Which line in the poem tells us that the soldiers obeyed the order without question?

3. Why do you think the line "Rode the six hundred" is repeated many times in the poems?

4. Give one quality that you admire about the soldiers. Give a reason for your response.

5. What is the command given to the soldiers?

6. Give an example of a metaphor used in the poem.

7. Which line in the poem tells the reader that the command was a mistake?

8. What do you think is the outcome of the battle? Support your response with evidence from the
poem.

9. In stanza 1, who is speaking to the soldiers?

10. In stanza 2, what does the line, "theirs but to do and die" tell us about?

11. What happened to the soldiers in stanza 3?

12. What emotions does the poem evoke? What do you feel as you read it? Support your response
with evidence from the poem.

13. In stanza 2, which phrase in the poem means to go forward over a set distance?

14. What were the soldiers told to do when they rode into the valley of death?

15. Why do you think the soldiers followed the order even it would cause their death?

16. Despite being attacked from all sides, the soldiers continued on. What consequences would the
soldiers have to face if they decided to retreat? Provide reason for your answer.

17. Why do you think the persona asked whether there was " a man dismayed"?

18. There are many jobs today that require people to be brave. Give another example of a job that
requires bravery. Provide reason for your answer.

19. In stanza 2, which word in the poem means 'made a mistake'?

20. What is the theme of the poem?

21. What is the Light Brigade?

22. Give one example of personification used in the poem?

23. How do you feel about war? Provide a reason to support your response.

SUGGESTED ANSWERS

1. Where is the setting of the poem?

The battlefield

2. Which line in the poem tells us that the soldiers obeyed the order without question?
"theirs not to reason why"

3. Why do you think the line "Rode the six hundred" is repeated many times in the poems?
to emphasise that the 600 soldiers sacrificed their life on that day in the battlefield

4. Give one quality that you admire about the soldiers. Give a reason for your response.
Loyal as they follow orders.

5. What is the command given to the soldiers?

to charge forward and fight the enemies

6. Give an example of a metaphor used in the poem.

the valley of death

7. Which line in the poem tells the reader that the command was a mistakes?
someone had blundered

8. What do you think is the outcome of the battle? Support your response with evidence from the
poem.
Many soldiers die. The phrase into the jaw of death shows that many of them will die in the battle.

9. In stanza 1, who is speaking to the soldiers?

the leader/captain

10. In stanza 2, what does the line, "theirs but to do and die" tell us about?
the soldiers are loyal and courageous

11. What happened to the soldiers in stanza 3?

they were attacked by the enemies

12. What emotions does the poem evoke? What do you feel as you read it? Support your response
with evidence from the poem.
Sympathetic. full of sympathy as many soldiers die in the battlefield.

13. In stanza 2, which phrase in the poem means to go forward over a set distance?
"Forward the Light Brigade"

14. What were the soldiers told to do when they rode into the valley of death?
"Charge for the gun"

15. Why do you think the soldiers followed the order even is it would cause their death?
They are loyal

16. Despite being attacked from all sides, the soldiers continued on. What consequences would the
soldiers have to face if they decided to retreat? Provide reason for your answer.
Death.The soldiers should never go against the leader and always follow orders

17. Why do yo think the persona asked whether there was " a man dismayed"?
some of the soldiers are not courageous and have weak heart/ will/spirit
18. There are many jobs today that require people to be brave. Give another example of a job that
requires bravery. Provide reason for your answer.
Policeman. They need to fight for justice.

19. In stanza 2, which word in the poem means 'made a mistake'?

" blundered"

20. What is the theme of the poem?

courage

21. What is the Light Brigade?

a division in the army

22. Give one example of personification used in the poem?

"the jaw of death"

23. How do you feel about war? Provide a reason to support your response.
I dislike war. Many people die in the war.