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The Charge of The Light Brigade

The poem describes the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. It tells of the order given to 600 British soldiers to ride into a valley surrounded by Russian cannons, which resulted in many casualties. Though they knew it was a mistake, the soldiers obeyed the command without hesitation or complaint, demonstrating their loyalty, discipline and courage in the face of near certain death.

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158 views12 pages

The Charge of The Light Brigade

The poem describes the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. It tells of the order given to 600 British soldiers to ride into a valley surrounded by Russian cannons, which resulted in many casualties. Though they knew it was a mistake, the soldiers obeyed the command without hesitation or complaint, demonstrating their loyalty, discipline and courage in the face of near certain death.

Uploaded by

hanim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Charge of the

Light Brigade
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Half a league, half a
Some one had blundered :
league,
Theirs not to make reply,
Half a league onward,
Theirs not to reason why,
All in the valley of Death
Theirs but to do and die :
Rode the six hundred.
Into the valley of Death
'Forward, the Light
Rode the six hundred.
Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he
Cannon to right of them,
said :
Cannon to left of them,
Into the valley of Death
Cannon in front of them
Rode the six hundred.
Volleyed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
'Forward, the Light
Into the jaws of Death,
Brigade!'
Into the mouth of Hell,
Was there a man
Rode the six hundred.
dismayed?
Not though the soldier
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
knew
The Battle of Balaclava
• This poem is based on a true event. The charge of the Light Brigade
took place on 25th October 1854 at the Battle of Balaclava during the
Crimean War.
• Six hundred British soldiers, half
were either killed, wounded or
captured.
• Lord Tennyson wrote this poem
after reading the report.
The Poet
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Setting

Place: Near the city of Balaclava • Praise, amazement


Theme • Energetic, grim
Time: 25th October 1854

• War Tone & Mood


• Duty, loyalty and discipline
• Courage in the face of death

Persona
• Patriotism
• Courage Message Narrator who tells the
story of what happened
during the charge of the
Moral Values • Courage deserves our Light Brigade
respect
• War is tragic
Verse 1
Lines 1 - 8
Lines 1-2
The phrase ‘half a league’ is
repeated three times. A
Lines 3-4 league is a measurement for
Half a league, half a
league, distance, that being three
The six hundred soldiers on
miles or 4.8km. That being
horseback ride half a league Half a league onward,
All in the valley of said, half a league equals to
into ‘the valley of Death’ where
2.4km.
death awaits the soldiers. Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Lines 5-6
Lines 7-8 Brigade!
This is a repetition of lines 3 and 4, Charge for the guns!' The order is given to go
underlining the fate of the six he said. forward and try to reach the
hundred British soldiers. We watch Into the valley of Death enemy’s cannons.
them ride to their deaths, and we Rode the six hundred.
can do nothing to stop them.
Verse 2
Lines 9-17
Line 9

The command is repeated by


Line 10
'Forward, the Light commander Major General James
Brigade!' Brudenell.
The narrator asks a rhetorical question; Was there a man
Were any men among the six hundred dismayed?
unhappy or afraid? Not though the soldier Line 11-12
knew
Some one had Here is the answer to line 10.
blundered. No—none of the soldiers were sad or
Line 13-17 Theirs not to make fearful. Even though they know that
reply, the command to charge forward is a
Theirs not to reason mistake, they still follow the orders.
The soldiers perform their duty, not
why, This emphasizes the soldiers’ loyalty
questioning Major General James’
Theirs but to do and and discipline. ‘Some one’ refers to
commands and do as they are told—
die. the leader of the army. He had indeed
even if it is sure to harm to them. These
Into the valley of Death blundered.
lines tell us what good soldiers the six
Rode the six hundred.
hundred are. They are willing to lay
down their lives for their country. And
so, into the valley they go in.
Verse 3
Lines 18-26
Line 18-20

Line 21 Cannon to right of The soldiers are surrounded by


them, gunfire—left, right and in front
The word ‘volleyed’ refers to cannons Cannon to left of them, of them.
firing & making loud thunder sounds. Cannon in front of
This helps us imagine the sounds on them
the battlefield. Volleyed and Line 22-23
thundered;
Stormed at with shot
and shell, The men are violently attacked with
Line 24-26 Boldly they rode and bullets (‘shot’) and explosives fired from
well, the cannons (‘shell’). However, they ride
There are three lines and ‘the valley of Into the jaws of Death, on bravely as commanded to.
Death’ is replaced by ‘the jaws of Death’ Into the mouth of Hell,
and ‘the mouth of Hell.’ It creates a Rode the six hundred.
picture of the brigade being consumed by
a monster and going into a fiery hell that
is death.

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