The Charge of the Light Brigade

• Who write Charge of the Light brigade?

  Tennyson
• What is Charge of the Light Brigade about?

  In the Crimea war, in the Battle of Balaclava, the light brigade were ordered to charge the Russians mistakenly. The poem celebrates their bravery and sacrifice, raising the importance of poor judgement. The power of art is shown through the poem, as the poem keeps their memory alive and forces us to reflect.
• Key Quotes for Charge of the Light Brigade

  repetition of "half a league" - emphasises the poor judgement of leaders, too far to travel

  repetition of "rode the six hundred" - exaggerates the scale of loss > suffering

  "into the jaws of death", "into the mouth of hell" - anaphora, metaphors for battle, creates violent imagery, idea of punishment = wrong = did command

  "stormed at with shot and shell", "shattered and sundered" - sibilance mimics the sound of guns, "stormed" = sudden = helpless, "shattered" = fragility = innocence = injustice

  "honour the charge they made" - power of art