the charge of the light brigade

• what is the structure of the poem?

  enjambment and caesura are used frequently to quicken the pace of the poem to mirror the chaos and panic of war.
• who is the author?

  Alred, lord Tennyson
• which war is the poem about?

  Crimean war 1854-1856
• why is their 6 stanzas in the poem?

  each stanza is to represent each 100 of the men that died.
• why did Tennyson have an unhappy childhood?

  he had an abusive father who left his mother and her children fearful for their safety.
• what was Tennyson's job?

  to glorify war to the british public to defend the positions of the aristocracy.
• "Into the valley of Death, rode the six hundred"


  metaphor: they are riding downhill, heading towards their death, once they reach the botoom, there is no turning back. The repeptition of the phrase "rode the six hundred" builds tension as the reader awaits the inevitable.
• "Honour the charge they made! Honour the light brigade."


  the poet glorifies the men as symbols of bravery rather than men who sacrificed themselves. He is amazed that any of them survived. The imperative "honour" orders people to give their respect when many questioned the charge: the poet is showing how the soldiers themselves should be honoured, even if the decision to charge was wrong.
• "storm'd at with shot and shell, boldly they rode" 


  "storm'd" - personification: they are being swallowed by the enemy, death is being personified.

  "boldy" - contrasts with the scale of the odds against them and emphasises the determination, skill, and bravery.
• "all the world wonder'd: plunged in the battery smoke"


  personification: no one knew if they were going to make it out alive. the use of the word "plunged" shows how the soldiers went in with confidence and no hesitation: they are patriotic and follow the orders they are given without questioning it.