The Charge Of The Light Brigade Essay

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

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 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

The first verse of Charge Of The Light Brigade portrays the soldiers as strong, willing, noble men; ready to ride into “the valley of Death” whereas Dulce Et Decorum Est portrays the soldiers as struggling, exhausted and fatigued. Alfred Lord Tennyson illustrates the same idea of honour and nobility throughout his poem in contrast to Wilfred Owen’s poem which discusses fear and sorrow amongst other emotions.

This passage helps the reader understand how the emotional burden of uncertain death weighed on the soldier. However, it also acts as a symbol by giving light to the fact that the emotional baggage they carry was brought about by their own fear of humiliation and shame. Many of the soldiers are there only to avoid the persecution that ensued those who evaded the draft. Through the use of symbolism, O’Brien is able to effectively highlight the burdens faced by the soldiers who conformed to the expectations of society.

Narrowly escaping death or seeing their comrades’ die has an everlasting effect on soldiers. Soldiers have to live with the constant fear of dying and anxiety. “They took up what others could no longer bear. Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak.” (O’Brien 14)

In the poem Charge of the Light Brigade Alfred Lord Tennyson tells the story of a light brigade consisting of 600 soldiers charging on horseback into the “valley of death” during the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War in 1953-56 where they fought against Russian and Cossack forces. The poem tells of the journey that soldiers take through battle. Tennyson uses repetition, personification, and diction to make this poem flow.

The poetic form and structure of Turner’s poem reinforce the concept of the horrific trauma these soldiers were experiencing. For example, Turner use of anaphora emphasize this message at the beginning of the poem, “Nothing but hurt left here. / Nothing But bullets and pain” and also at the beginning of the second stanza, “Believe it when you see it. / Believe it when a twelve-year-old / rolls a grenade into the room” (1-2: 7-9). These lines show the reader that all the soldiers have are themselves and what Turner is saying is the truth. In addition, Turner’s use of lineation further drives this message by ending several lines with words commonly used to describe an injured soldier such as, pain, slumping, wounded, and hurt (2,3,5,6). Together, the negative connotation of these words increases the reader’s understanding of the trauma

The Light Brigade reached the valley of death. They charged into the canons and guns, the six hundred fought until the last man could no longer fight. The mirrored light, they shone in every direction off the sabres, catching the eyes of everyone. These fearless soldiers became more attached to the swords in their hands than a man could imagine. These swords were the line between life, and death. Between winning, and losing, they saved them countless

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

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.