Analysis of Lord Alfred Tennyson´s The Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred Tennyson wrote the “Charge of the Light Brigade” in 1854 and it is about the battle of Balaclava in the Crimean war. Although this battle had no real influence on the outcome of the war it showed the bravery of six hundred British soldiers who charged into almost certain death. The poem itself is a patriotic ballad keeping up with the tradition of the time. The poem is heroic and romantic.

The Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson "The charge of the light brigade" by Tennyson was written about a

The themes of the two poems are portrayed in very distinctive ways. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ explains in a majestic approach, that fighting in war is something every soldier should honour. The poem is

so well.” “They came back from the mouth of hell, all that was left of

War is a scandalous topic where peoples’ views differ as to what war is. Some people see it as pure evil and wicked while others think that it is brave and noble of what soldiers do. Looking at poems which had been written by people affected by war help show the messages which are portrayed. The two sets of poems which show different views of war as well as some similarities are “the Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, “To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars” by Richard Lovelace and “Dulce Et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, “The Song of the Mud” by Mary Borden. Both these poets use linguistic devices to convince the reader of their view of what the war is. Tennyson and Lovelace show how war is worthy

The poem was written to show that war is a waste of human life as the soldier knows he will die one day as well as the men around him, just some quicker than others. This can be evident in stanza four of the poem: “I know I’ll join them somewhere, one day.” The language used is more casual than formative, this is effective as it shows the personal feelings and thoughts of the soldier during the time

In the poems ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson and ‘Exposure’ by Wilfried Owen, both poets incorporate ideas of patriotism to convey a message about the futility of war. This is revealed in many similar and different ways:

The first poem we are going to look at is ‘The Charge of the Light

The Light Brigade’s determined gallop towards its destruction is emphasised, by repetition, from the first two lines of the first stanza of the poem: “Half a league, half a league,/ Half a league onward...” Once the order has been given, the fate of the men was sealed – they had no choice but to follow their terrible destiny to its conclusion. The weapons they faced are also

The literary device of tone is key to the meaning of this poem. From tone we can tell that Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was speaking in reverence and awe of the soldiers. This can be seen all throughout the poem, but most notably in stanza four. “...Sabring the gunners there…”, “...Plunged in the battery-smoke, Right through the line they broke...”, and “Cossack and Russian , Reel'd from the sabre stroke , Shatter'd and sundered.”; These examples show the tone by providing

Both poems give a different impression of war. Wilfred Owen writes about the pity of war and his responsibility to warn other generations of the horror and propaganda of it, whereas Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem is about the honour, courage and glory of fighting in a war.

When the author says “Half a league, half a league” (Line 1) he is saying that they charged forward into the “valley of death” for about a mile and a half. As they rode forward their commander told them to keep moving forward and attack the gunners “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said” (Line 5 & 6). As the poems goes on it says “Was there a man dismayed?/ Not though the soldier knew/ Someone had blundered.” (Lines 10-12). The author means to say that the soldiers realized that as they were charging forward their commander had made a mistake. “Then they rode back, but not/ Not the six hundred.” (Lines 37 & 38) After they broke through enemy lines the soldiers began to withdraw but they had suffered many casualties so they were “Not the six hundred” (Line 38). As they rode back they were hit with cannon fire from the back and on both sides. When the brigade retreated “Back from the mouth of hell.” (Line 47). Men and horses collapsed and few remained to make the journey back. The world stood in awe at the courage of he soldiers. All of the 600 men that fought in that battle still remain worthy of honor and tribute today.

tells the story of a group of soldiers who were caught in a gas attack

The poet then presents a scene of patriotic relevance as he describes a scene of a regiment marching into battle with their “flag” and “Eagle with crest of red and gold” (17-18). When people think of flags, they think of patriotism and representing their country. Eagles also symbolize freedom but as readers can witness in the work, the poet makes it seem as if these men were created not to enjoy the gift of life for one moment by him saying “These men were born to drill and die” (19). This comes across to the reader as almost inhumane. Then by illustrating an image of a field of thousands of dead corpses makes any reader wonder why people even go to war. The whole fourth stanza paints a picture of living human being going into a battle with most, if not any, making it out alive. Like stated before, the speaker in the poem builds a case for those people that opposed to war even though the title of the poem might

causes the poem to flow, and thus lightens up the dark and serious issue of war. The lines "But ranged as infantry, And staring face to face, I shot at him as he at me, And killed him in his place." are easy to read; however, their meaning is extremely