The charge of the light brigade

• The Crimean war saw British troops fighting in Russia. At this time, while there

  were basic guns and cannons, people would still also fight or horses, to rush in and

  attack before they could reload or stop them
•  the light brigade were very

  lightly equipped, more for scouting or attacking from the back or sides rather than

  charging straight in.
• During a battle, a miscommunication sent the light brigade charging head first into the

  cannons of the other side, it was a huge catastrophe and many died.
•  It showed to the British that even mistakes can happen. The men were

  respected for following orders, even though they knew they may be wrong. 
•  Some however have criticised the way they blindly followed

  orders. Lord Tennyson was the poet who was asked to write about their glorious sacrifice.
• The poem is about war, life and death, sacrifice and folly. It naturally links to conflict and is effective at showing peoples views

  on war of the time. The poem also contains a lot of reference to biblical/religious ideas as well as bravery and fear.
• Written in dimeter and dactylic
•  So when there are six

  syllables you would read it ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three. The drop in stress is perhaps to show the sudden charge and

  then collapse, or the sound of horses galloping.
• The poem is divided into 6 stanzas and uses a lot of repetition. Some of this is to show the different stages of the battle but

  also give it a structure.
•  It has a very military rhyme and can be similar to the sound of marching drums of horse hooves. This is

  used to reflect the military nature of the conflict in the poem.
• The Christian prayer, ‘The Lords Prayer’ contains the line “though I may walk through the valley of

  death”. This phrase being used in the poem is used to show the scale of importance and give the

  poem and epic quality.
• The repetition within the poem helps capture the galloping

  military rhythm. This indicates the conflict and power building

  through the poem itself.
• -The poet is clearly distinguishing between the bravery of the

  men and the foolish ‘blunder’ of the orders and suggests the

  six hundred should be seen as heroes.
• -The military language is mixed with religious allusion to

  suggest an epic scale, emphasising the risk and bravery.
• key quote one- "All in the valley of Death

  Rode the six hundred"
• key quote one- "valley of death" is a hyperbolic metaphor, used to emphasise the soldiers bravery
• key quote 1- "valley" is where things grow, Tennyson beautifies the deaths of the soldiers
• key quote 1- the "valley of death" is a biblical reference from psalm 23, the biblical allusion could elevate the soldiers as if they transcend humanity. Alternatively, it could allude to how the soldiers find comfort in god
• key quote 1- the phrase "valley of death" is repeated throughout the poem, which acts as a constant reminder of the deadly battle
• key quote 1: the word "all" is used to perhaps provide a sense of unity and comradeship amongst the soldiers
• key quote 1: Tennyson goes on to criticise how the soldiers were denied any individual identity as he repeatedly refers to them as the "six hundred", highlighting how the soldiers were identified by only their military roles
• key quote 2- "volleyed and thundered;

  stormed at with shot and shell"
• key quote 2- the onomatopoeic tone in "volleyed and thundered" evokes the readers senses, as we can hear the violence
• key quote 2- the word "volleyed"conveys that the attack was incessant and unstoppable, and "thundered" connotes destruction
• key quote 2- pathetic fallacy in "thundered" and "stormed" reflects the aggressive mood, and how they can't win, fighting against something inevitable and superior to human strength
• key quote 2- the sibilance in "stormed", "shot", and "shell" creates a sinister sound, foreshadowing the viscous attack, could be mimicking the hissing sound of warfare, could also be a soft sound to show they're not fazed by danger
• key quote 3- "into the jaws of death,

  into the mouth of hell"
• key quote 3- the animal imagery of "jaws" could show the brutal and ferocious fighting which led to callous and inhumane deaths- could be Tennyson subtly criticising the Russian enemies
• key quote 3- the metaphor "jaws of death" is used to show that the deaths were unavoidable, and makes them seem painful
• key quote 3- the personification of hell having a "mouth" tells us that the soldiers are being consumed by all the violence around them
• key quote 3- the religious imagery of "hell" illustrates how the battle was like a punishment, creating a sense of stifling heat