Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Charge of the Light Brigade - Coggle Diagram
Charge of the Light Brigade
Context
Written by Lord Alfred Tennyson (1850-1892)
Was poet laureate, so was obliged to glorify war through his poetry
The poem is about the Crimean war (1850-1855), which was between Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire, and Russia in a bid from the former to prevent Russian expansion
The war was seen as very unpopular and was the best documented war at that point, people were aware of the "blunders"
The "Light Brigade" were lightly armoured horsemen, usually of working class background
Key quotes
"Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die"
A strict obedience is again glorified to the extent that it is even valued over the lives of the soldiers themselves, this ironically focuses on the illogical nature of war and how absurd it is that honour is more important than lives, which led to the Charge of the Light Brigade and the deaths of hundreds.
"Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred"
Valley of death could be an allusion to psalm 23 of the Bible, in which it is mentioned that even in "A valley in the shadow of death" God will protect them. However, in comparison, their superiors left them for dead, while lower class comrades suffered, which could be an inadvertent (or purposeful) criticism of war
"Was there a man dismay'd?, not tho' the soldier knew someone had blunder'd"
The only brief mention of the huge mistake that cost hundreds of lives in an unnecessary war and immediate shift of focus back to the soldiers "bravery" to blindly follow orders highlights the extent of glorification and propaganda-based nature of the poem
The soldiers were doubting the decision, even they knew there was a mistake. However, Tennyson uses this dismissal of doubt to glorify not just the soldiers, but the idea of relentless obidience
Noble six hundred!
The adjective "noble" has connotations of heroism and moral righteousness. This implies that the soldiers are fighting for some kind of greater force, which suggests the poem is propaganda-like and exaggerates in how it recounts the battle, and how it presents war on the whole
The exclamatory tone of the line is used to create a sense of excitement and invigorate the story being told. This excitement conceals the true horror of the situation as the Brigade is gunned down and massacred. The contrast between thrilled tone and events not just in this line, but throughout the poem again has an air of propaganda, almost to the extent of being satirical. This could be subtle criticism of the establishment, which had to be well concealed as Tennyson was poet laureate and had to write favourably
Similar poems
Bayonet Charge
Similarities
Both poems criticise war-time leaders and generals, however to varying degrees of subtlety
Differences
COTLB glorifies honour, while Bayonet Charge questions it
Tennyson uses dactylic dimeter to create excitement and glory, while Bayonet Charge vividly focuses on the horrors of war
Exposure
Similarities
Tennyson is critical of leader’s decisions by acknowledging this was the result of poor leadership and creating sympathy for the victims by glorifying them. Owen is also negative and creates this effect by depicting the soldiers as isolated and that they have been abandoned by the authority that put them there
Differences
Tennyson criticises the rash decisions to quickly start the maneuver without thinking, while Owen criticises the lack of action, and therefore the point of the war.
Structure and form
Structure
The poem uses dactylic dimeter, use if a long syllable followed by two short ones, which mimics the galloping of the horses. The unrelenting rhythm implies the soldiers have no choice but to run into battle
The rhyme scheme is irregular which replicates the chaos of war, and highlights just how brave and courageous the soldiers were
Form
The poem is a ballad, a form commonly used to commemorate historical events, which fits the purpose of the poem to honour and remember the Light Brigade