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GCSE Poetry- The Charge of the Light Brigade - Coggle Diagram
GCSE Poetry- The Charge of the Light Brigade
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Crimean War
Loss: 409
Returned from action: 198
This battle was criticised publicly as it was a miscommunication, leading soldiers to charge straight through a valley with enemy cannons positioned all around them
First media war- for the first time in history newspapers published eye-witness reports, detailing not just the triumphs of war, but the mistakes and horrors as well
Went into action strong: 607
British army's cavalry division- known as the Light Brigade- was misunderstood and over 600 cavalrymen charged down a narrow valley straight into the fire of Russian cannons
The Charge of the Light Brigade was taking place during the Battle of Balaclava in 1854
Reported in The Times
Fought between October 1853 and May 1856
Structure
The battle occurs in the fourth stanza
Start with the charge of men in the first three stanzas
The soldiers retreat in the fifth stanza
Final stanza summarises the heroism of the Brigade
Chronological order
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Recap Points
Tennyson was the poet laureate- given to him by Queen Victoria
Form: ballad- includes a refrain which is a line repeated through the poem ("six hundred")
Questions leadership- blunder
The Light Brigade weren't equipped well
Ballads- shouldn't forget, lyrical
Brigade launched themselves at enemy fire
Dactylic meter- "Forward", "Blundered", "Light"
Mix up in communication between three leaders
Falling rhythm- represents the soldiers falling
Based on Battle of Balaclava
By isolating the verb blunder in the poem- Tennyson is critiquing the mistake made- showing his disgust
Russians trying to get guns but Light Brigade protecting them
Russians to beating from British and retreated
Biblical reference- Psalm 23 "valley of Death"- awe inspiring bravery of soldiers- literary allusion to David and Goliath- soldiers brave
Form
Relentless, regular rhythm- creates a fast pace, mirroring the cavalry's advance and energy in the battle
Rhyming couplets- drive the poem forwards, but momentum is broken by unrhymed lines which could be symbolic of the horses stumbling and soldiers falling
Third person narrative- makes it seem like a story
Overall lack of rhyme scheme- shows us the chaos of war
Key Quotes
"Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them"
"Half a league, half a league"
"Noble six hundred!"
Quick Summary
Six hundred men are given a faulty order which they follow even though it is a mistake and many perish.
Key Themes
Reality of war/conflict
Loss/absence
Effects of war/conflict
Memory
Power of man
Pride