charge of light brigade

• Author's name


  Alfred Lord Tennyson
• 1809


  when Alfred Lord Tennyson was born
• 1892


  when Alfred Lord Tennyson died
• Tennyson's upbringing


  Came from a middle-class family.
• Tennyson's marriage


  His engagement to Emily (his future wife) was at one point forbidden by Emily's father due to Tennyson's poverty.
• poet laureate


  a poet given a special position by the king or queen, who is asked to write poems about important public occasions
• 1850

  when he was appointed Poet Laurette, a role where he was expected to write verse on occasions of national significance. He held this position for the rest of his life.
• 1855


  The year he wrote 'The Charge of the Light Brigade', whilst serving as Poet Laurette
• 54


  the number of battle poems Tennyson wrote
• Charge of the Light Brigade and the Crimean War


  This poem is deeply rooted in its historical context, being based on a true event that took place shortly before it was written - The Crimean War
• countries involved in the Crimean war

  The Crimean War took place between 1853 and 1856, a war against Russia, which Britain joined in 1854, fighting alongside France, Turkey and Sardinia.
• why Britain got involved in the Crimean war

  Britain feared that if Russia it took over modern-day Romania and continued to expand, it could take control of India and threaten British trade routes. Britain didn't want Russia to have access to the Suez Canal and therefore influence control of trade with India.
• public opinion of the war

  It was unpopular; there was public doubt and scepticism as to why the UK was involved and there were some well-known mistakes being made at the highest levels of command.
• propaganda definition


  information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view
• effects of propaganda

  changes how the public views issues such as war
• common characteristics of war propaganda

  jingoistic, inflamed national hatreds, presented the soldiers' mission as a necessary patriotic sacrifice for God, King and country; in some cases, welcomed war as a necessary blood-letting that would 'stiffen' the nation's weakened character
• the battle the poem focuses on

  one of three main battles: the battle of Balaclava, which took place on October 24th 1854
• brigade definition


  a large group of soldiers in an army
• types of brigades who fought for Britain in the Crimean war

  The Light Brigade was made up of lightly armed troops on horseback. The cavalry were the higher social status soldiers - the section of the army which was most expensive to get into - you had to pay for your own horse and equipment.
• summary of the battle of Balaclava

  it is commonly believed that during the siege of Sevastopol, the Russians had taken a beating from the British, and were retreating. As they were retreating, it became clear that they were trying to take some heavy guns with them. The Light Brigade was ordered to ride in and protect the guns.
• The relationship between the Light Brigade and the Cavalry

  the cavalry were disrespected by many working-class troops, particularly because they often didn't get involved in battles.
• The function of the Cavalry

  Their stated aim was to work as reconnaissance and to mop up a defeated opponent; they were not intended to be used for fixed charges.
• the leaders of the battle

  Three of the people in charge at the battle were Lord Raglan, Lord Cardigan and Lord Lucan. All three of these men were rich, upper class gents who had bought their way into control, and had no real experience at leading war.
• communication problems amongst the leaders

  the order was sent from Lord Raglan, to use the Light Brigade to protect the heavy guns which were being stolen by the retreating Russians. However, there was a huge mix up in communication, somewhere between the three leaders,
• a summary of the blunder; the Russians were still in position, armed and the Light Brigade was exposed

  William Howard Russell, writing for The London Times, described the event in the November 14th edition: At 11:00 our Light Cavalry Brigade rushed to the front... The Russians opened on them with guns ...Surely that handful of men were not going to charge an army in position? Alas! It was but too true -- their desperate valour knew no bounds...
• Charge of the Light Brigade form

  ballad
• ballad origin


  The ballad is a historic form of poetry which often used to be sung; has medieval roots, where storytellers would use the musicality of the refrain to help others remember the stories they were telling, in this case, 'the six hundred
• general characteristics of a ballad


  In many ways a simple form that uses repetition and rhyme to aid the memory of important tales and histories; it is a poem which tells a story, and contains a refrain.
• refrain (music definition)


  any line or group of lines that repeat several times throughout the song or poem, eg, 'Rode the six hundred.' appears in the first 3 stanzas, while '...the six hundred' appears in the last 3 stanzas
• why Tennyson uses the ballad form in Charge of the Light Brigade


  Ballads are associated with important tales and histories, events that should not be forgotten. The ballad form, therefore, suggests that the exploits of 'the six hundred' is an awe-inspiring act of bravery which should be passed on to future generations, never to be forgotten.
• 4 main structural and linguistic features of a ballad

  1. Simple but fixed formal features; 2. Simple delivery that emphasizes the story rather than the author; 3. Simple, often dialect, language; 4. Content ranging between folklore, ghost stories, moral tales, love stories, military exploits and political commentary.
• Simple but fixed formal features in Charge of the Light Brigade

  6 stanzas; the first 3 all feature 9 lines, the fourth 12 lines, the fifth, 11 lines and the sixth 6 lines. Dactylic dimeter and a strong but not entirely predictable or fixed rhyme scheme
• how Tennyson achieves simple delivery that emphasises the story rather than the author

  simple rhythm, structure and language
• Content in Charge of the Light Brigade: military exploits

  the poem focuses on the military exploits of the Light Brigade
• the ballad's appeal


  Ballad metre tends to sound familiar to Western ears, being reminiscent of children’s rhymes and religious song (ballad metre is close to common metre used in hymns), although in this case, the powerfully structured metre reflects the solid order and structure of the British military
• the ballad and storytelling


  The ballad has become so associated with storytelling that it puts us into a state of anticipation and readiness, simply through sound. What we anticipate, generally, is a story with of purpose; we are waiting for the 'moral' of the tale, in this case, to remember and 'Honour the Light Brigade
• Syllable


  the pronunciation of a vowel sound within a word
• consonant


  sounds of speech, not vowels, made by touching two parts of the mouth, such as the letters 'p', 'b', 'f', 'g' etc;
• Verse


  a line of poetry
• foot


  is a measuring unit in poetry, which is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables; a specific combination of feet creates meter in poetry