Analysis of The Charge of the Light Brigade
This particular poem deals with the unfortunate mistake of Battle of
Balaclava in 1854. In an attempt to retrieve their stolen firearms, the British, lead by Lord Raglen, took their light cavalry to the innocent Turkish territory, rather than the guilty Russians. In self-defence Turkey protect themselves by attacking the British troops causing hundreds of deaths but "not, not the six hundred".
Tennyson uses various techniques to involve the reader more personally. He uses this to emphasise the pain and suffering felt by the soldiers so the reader can really appreciate the physical defeat but the emotional victory from the "noble six hundred". The use of onomatopoeia in poems is
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The cavalry retreat back through the valley where they had previously been. This is shown by the repetition of most of stanza three. The final canto concludes the Battle of Balaclava and
Tennyson's thoughts of war are confirmed. Although he finds the reason for their fighting, unwise, calling their charge "wild". However, he adds that the Light Brigade and their charge should be held in
"honour" even though he agrees with the fruitlessness of war. This reflects thoughts of people who find war ineffective but they will realise that the "noble six hundred" should be held in high esteem and respect. Although the Light Brigade lost the battle they won the moral victory over their critics.
Tennyson questions the authority of war in "The Charge of the Light
Brigade". He wrote this poem based on the Battle of Balaclava because a huge mistake was made by the authoritative figure, Lord Raglen, which caused many deaths. Although the troops knew "some one had blunder'd", they did not question it. He wants to show that even though a person is higher, richer or more powerful than other they can still be vulnerable in making errors. This questions Victorian authority and whether they are making the right decision concerning the lives of British people. Poets in the twentieth century have also taken this argument into account most namely in Siegfried Sassoon's
"The General" where their leader is described as "an incompetent swine". The repetition
men used to be strong and brave and now after fighting in the war they
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 poem The Charge Of The Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson was written to honor those who fought and those who lost their lives in the Battle of Balaclava, the Crimean War. The soldiers "Volleyed and thundered" (Lord Tennyson, Sum V, 4) through the valley of Death and the mouth of hell. Therefore, The Charge Of The Light Brigade do not glorify the war nor glorifies the war. The title itself can relate to the topic of poem which is basically how the soldiers charged to the Light Brigade. More so ever, the poem did not dwell on a war that was not victorious but the two hundred and fourty seven British men out of six hundred men either lost their lives or was wounded in the war. Six hundred noble British men fought a war to protect the Orthodox are to be considered heros, brave, and deserved to be glorified because of this. Dispite the lack of organization the British soldeirs still went to war and the outcome of the war was guesome. The Britan men who fought in the war are known for their courage, they are considered heros in the poem by Lord Tennyson.
In the poem Charge of the Light Brigade Alfred Lord Tennyson utilizes repetition, personification, and diction to present how it is to be in battle and how it can impact people. In this poem Tennyson explains how the Battle of Balaclava
War is a subject that often stirs upon many emotions with those directly or indirectly involved. It may bring tears, memories of suffering and loneliness, struggles, or victories. Such disturbance of peace has wounded and killed many souls. It is on the battlefield we see the most hideous side of human nature, for every soldier's only objective on the battlefield is to survive and win. Many people have opposing views about wars which may have been developed over time based on many factors such as family upbringing, culture, political views, or personal experiences. In the two poems studied, Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum est" and Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade", war has been described with completely opposing
The poems, The Charge of The Light Brigade and Dulce et Decorum Est, both deal with an idea of war. The writers both have the same viewpoint about war, but the way that they articulate those ideas on paper varies. Through literary devices in the poems, the authors show two different wars, but the same tragic outcome – death. These two poems showcase how people can have different outlooks on war, but in the end they all end with the same deadly outcome. These writers, Wilfred Owen and Alfred Lord Tennyson, uses tone, metaphor or repetition, and rhyming and diction to present a more concrete version on their perception of war.
Have you ever read the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Tennyson? This outstanding poem was written in 1854 concerning the Battle of Balaclava. Tennyson writes about the 600 British soldiers who followed commands and ended up surrounded by Russian troops on three sides. Even though the result of this battle was devastating, we can learn three great attributes from these courageous soldiers—obedience, bravery, and determination.
Analysis Assignment: The Charge of the Light Brigade On October 25th 1854, in the Battle of Balaclava, a brigade of British cavalry suffered grievous casualties after charging some entrenched batteries of Russian artillery (Woodham-Smith, 1958). Just six weeks after the event, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, paid tribute through his poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade. This poem issues a clear call to celebrate the valor of the cavalry in courageously carrying out their duty, regardless of their obvious ill-fate. The message of The Charge still resonates in the 21st century and emphasizes to all soldiers the importance of duty.
The result of the war was 278 deaths of British Light Brigade soldiers. Observing the charge a french marshal remarked: “it is magnificent, but it is not war. It is madness.” When news of this reached London there was a national scandal. Tennyson wrote a poem for the 600 rode on.
We can tell this after repetition “Honour the charge they made, Honour the Light Brigade”. The author tells the readers to honour the light brigade because of their bravery when they fought in war. The author tells us this idea of soldiers’ and their bravery throughout the poem. One more example is the line “While horse and hero fell” the author names the soldier hero. In addition, the author tells us similar idea through hyperbole: “All the world wondered”.
Alfred Tennyson was appointed to be the “Poet Laureate of England”(Cavendish). As holding this position he was required to write poems of a patriotic stature ("The Charge of the Light Brigade," Literary Themes). After reading The Times article on the Crimean War he wrote what was said to be the best war poem ("The Charge of the Light Brigade," Poetry for Students). In his poem, “The Charge of The Light Brigade,” Tennyson originally develops a theme of loyalty; however, he transitions to a theme of courage which the soldiers display during the charge.
To describe the poetry of Alfred, Lord Tennyson it's best to describe the basis of where it all began. Known as a Victorian writer who sought to capture the attention of contemporary and modern readers during the Queen Victoria reign. Tennyson's history is essential to understanding his poetry and themes that include sadness, madness, death, and marriages to name a few. "The Charge of the Light Brigade", captures his contemporary and modern readers by the language that is utilized in the poem. Tennyson describes the "noble six hundred" actions in response to their commanders decision to send them into a death trap. Tennyson demonstrates that the heroism of the soldiers is something to pay tribute to and
Imagine charging into a battle where the odds of winning are close to none. Now imagine charging forward where the enemy is attacking from three sides. This was the reality for a certain British Brigade during the Crimean War in 1854. In his 1854 poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Alfred, Lord Tennyson describes the Battle of Balaclava where the British ride into their untimely death. Tennyson ends the poem with a significant few lines that read, “Honor the charge they made/Honor the light Brigade/Noble six hundred.” (Lines 53-55). By looking at the last lines Tennyson writes in his poem, one is able to realize the significance of the Charge of the Light Brigade, and how these lines add to the glorification of war and honor theme seen throughout the poem.
Bravery is the ability for one to face fear and uncertainty, while also knowing that it may not all come out in their favor. The poet Lord Alfred Tennyson captured the ultimate showing of this noble trait in his poem about the charge of a British light cavalry brigade at the Battle of Balaclava in "The Charge of the Light Brigade". The British light cavalry followed suicidal orders, charging a heavily fortified position, regardless of the danger and the harm that could come to them. Much of the brigade was killed, and the charge was considered a failure. In Tennyson's poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” he uses motifs of bravery in the face of failure to give the reader a strong sense of pride for the British soldier. This same motif also shows the Victorians’ idealism of war, and their disconnected view on the harshness of the front.
Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote the “The Charge of the Light Brigade” on December 2nd, 1854, and it was then published on December 9th. This poem was written following the disastrous Battle of Balaklava, between the British Light Brigade forces and the Russian forces (Connors 3). Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote this poem to commemorate the lives lost, and it seems to be littered with Biblical allusions. Specifically, this poem has striking diction similarity to Psalm 23 from the King James Version of the Bible. This discovery spurs the question of whether Alfred Lord Tennyson was directly influenced by the Psalm, and if so, in what way?