The Charge of the light Brigade

• The Crimean war was a military conflict.The Russian empire lost an alliance of France,Britain,the Ottoman Empire and sardinia.The cause was because of the reluctance to allow Russia to gain land during the ottoman decline.It was known for its bloodiness and catastrophic mismanagement.


  The Crimean war
• The battle of Balaclav was fought as a part of the Crimean war.During this battle the ‘charge of the light brigade‘ took place.The cavalry were intended to be sent to prevent Russians from removing captured guns,however a miscommunication resulted in them charging directly at an artillery battery,surrounded,and under heavy fire.They reached the battery,but high casualties forced them to retreat.


  The battle of balaclava
• Many people glorified war,they believed taht there was no greater honour tHan dying for one’s country.Tennyson however hated the idea of war as the poem shows disgust for the treatment of soldiers.

  Attitudes to war
• The poem has a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. It uses iambic pentameter which gives the poem a rhythm that reflects the galloping horses. There are many examples of alliteration such as “six hundred” and “cannon”. These create a sense of urgency and chaos.
• Tennyson makes smart use of rhetorical questions and imperative verbs to both encourage the reader to think deeply about the situatio,and to gain exert authority over how the reader should react to the poem.For example,the rhetorical question “was there a man dismayed?” manipulates the reader into considering that there was a good cause to be upset about the order.Firthermore,the imperative verb “honour” tells the reader exactly how they should be remembered.


  “Honour the charge they made!Honour the light brigade.”
• Content

  The Charge of the Light Brigade
• Author

  Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• The poem conforms to the idea that death for one's country is deemed honourable, but also shows thinly veiled disgust at the treatment of the men in the Light Brigade