the charge of the light brigade

• written during the Crimean war (1894)
• the slow steady rhythm and repetition conveys the military theme and the pounding hooves of the advancing horses.
• starts in media res
• 'valley of death' shows the dark and dangerous surroundings of the battlefield. the proper noun creates a personal and abstract idea of death.
• the use of speech marks in 'forward the light Brigade! Charge for the guns!' distances the soldiers from the officers. reinforces Tennyson's criticism of those in charge, not the men adhering to the commands.
• 'charge for the guns' suggests it is a slaughter machine as they are being sent to their deaths.
• in 'he said', 'he' is unimportant in this poem so he is unnamed
• the enjambement of 'death/rode' shows the speed and unhesitating progress of the men and horses.
• the repetition focuses on the men being sent to their doom.
• 'was there a man dismay'd?' explores the feelings of the soldiers. this rhetorical question is a huge understatement as the soldiers are clearly feeling scared and a loss of confidence.
• 'blunder'd' shows that the commanders had made a mistake, this is another criticism of them.
• 'theirs not to reply/theirs not to reason why' shows that the soldiers who were the most affected didn't have the voices to be heard. also shows their honest, humble heroism, and the use of anaphora makes these lines memorable.
• 'into the valley of death' has a chilling connotation as the soldiers know the outcome but ride anyway, shows how they have no hope of survival.
• 'cannon to the right of them/cannon to the left of them/cannon in front of them' uses epistrophe and anaphora to create an intense scene and reinforces the futility and suicidal nature of the attack. also creates striking visuals for the reader.
• in 'volley'd and thunder'd' the onomatopoeic thudding has an echoing quality like distant gun or cannon fire.
• 'shot and shell' is a violent, noisy, destructive force that reminds the reader of a storm.
• 'boldly they rode and well' shows the heroism of the riders and is an implied criticism of military command.
• the lexical field of 'jaws of death' and 'mouth of hell' suggest a horrifying trap. 'hell' also suggests a possible past of sin which they think they need to make up for, and represents the brutal terror of the war.
• 'flash'd all their sabres bare/flash'd as they turned in the air' uses anaphora. the old fashioned sabres point out the desperate heroism of the Brigade. 'sabres' suggests sabre-toothed tigers which have connotations of a wild, animal like fury and viciousness that the soldiers have developed.
• 'wonder'd' could show how the world was filled with awe and amazement, however also symbolises how the world is left wondering why the men were sent here in the first place
• 'plunged' evokes speed and impulsive actions.
• 'smoke' symbolises uncertainty, the blurring vision is both literal and metaphorical.
• 'cossack and russian' shows universality as the opponents and politics aren't important, it is the bravery of the men.
• 'not the six hundred' is the first hint of casualties and emphasises that survivors are few. they are also referred to as a number showing they have no identity as individuals.
• the repetition of 'cannon to the right of them/cannon to the left of them/cannon behind them/ reinforces the sense of the disastrous situation.
• 'volley'd and thunder'd' shows that the fighting is an unstoppable force of nature
• 'those that had fought so well' doesn't discriminate between those who died and those who survived, as all are heroes.
• 'back from the mouth of Hell' shows that the soldiers have become immortal as they are kept alive in memory.
• 'all that was left of them' leaves an empty feeling knowing they have died for very little gain.
• the rhetorical question 'when can their glory fade?' shows that their courage will live on.
• 'o the wild charge they made!' shows that they were brave even with a low chance of survival.
• 'honour the charge they made!/honour the light Brigade' openly criticises the government and the way they conducted war. the repetition is an imperative command to credit the soldiers.