THE

CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE

by
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Prepared by :
Fitriah Bin1 Hassan
SMK Agama Matang2,
Kuching
FIT/SMKAM/02/2015

ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

(6 August 1809 6 October 1892)

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Tennyson was born in Somersby,

Lincolnshire, England
He was one of the most well-loved
Victorian poets
He was the Poet Laureate for
United Kingdom from 1850 to 1892
He wrote famous books like In
Memoriam A.H.H. and many
poems like "Morte d'Arthur", "The
Two Voices" and "The Vision of
Sin".
In 1829 he was awarded with the
Chancellor's Gold Medal for his
literary works.

The Battle of Balaclava

in the Crimean War
Date : 25 October 1854
Place : This battle took place on the southern Crimean coast
in the Ukraine.
Who fought in the war?
It was fought by an alliance of Britain, France, Turkey and
Sardinia against Russia.
Why did it break out?
Russia was expanding into the Danube region Romania todaywhich was under Turkish control.
Therefore, Turkey and Russia went to war in 1853, and the
following year Britain and France fearful of Russian expansion.
Britain and France feared Russia would continue pushing down,
and eventually come into British India through Afghanistan.

The Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War

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 The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge of British

light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during
the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War.
Lord Raglan, overall commander of the British forces, had
intended to send the Light Brigade to attack a retreating Russian
artillery battery. Due to miscommunication, the Light Brigade was
instead sent on a frontal assault against a different artillery battery,
one well-prepared with excellent fields of defensive fire.
Although the Light Brigade reached the battery under withering
direct fire and scattered some of the gunners, the badly mauled
brigade was forced to retreat immediately. Thus, the assault ended
with very high British casualties and no decisive gains.
The events are best remembered as the subject of the poem "The
Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Published
just six weeks after the event. Its lines emphasize the valour of the
cavalry in bravely carrying out their orders, regardless of the
obvious outcome. Blame for the miscommunication has remained
controversial, as the original order itself was vague.

Half a league half a league,

Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismayed ?
Not though the soldier knew
Some one had blundered:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed & thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred
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Stanza1
Lines 1-2

Half a league half a league,

Half a league onward,

A league is an old way to measure distance, and it

was equal to about 3 miles. So half a league is roughly
a mile and a half. It explains that the cavalry moved a
mile and a half in a single move.
The rhythm sounds like galloping horses' hooves. It
also sounds like a military march: Left! Left! Left,
right, left!
The rhythm also makes the reader sounds
exhausted, like he is at the end of a race, just trying
to force himself through the last few laps.
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Stanza 1
Lines 3

All in the Valley of Death

It suggests that the cavalry soldiers were in a

losing battle and that they might lose their
lives in the battle. The battle was like the
Valley of Death.

It suggests that death was all around the

soldiers and that they could not escape
from it. The Russian gunmen were at the
head of the valley looking down from a
strong vantage point at the cavalry; the
BriJsh had liKle hope of victory.
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Stanza 1
Lines 4

Rode the six hundred

There were six hundred people and
they were riding, probably on
horseback.

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Stanza 1
Lines 5-6

'Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns!' he said.
Due to miscommunication, The Commanding officer
ordered The Light Brigade to move forward on a
frontal assault against a well-prepared artillery
battery.
Frontal assault is a direct, hostile movement of forces toward
the front of an enemy force. By targeting the enemy's front, the
attackers are subjecting themselves to the maximum defensive
power of the enemy. Before the 19th century, a frontal assault
against a thin line could be effective when conducted by horse
cavalry.
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Forward, the Light

Brigade! Charge for
the guns!

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Stanza 1
Lines 7-8

into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.
The brigade had been ordered into the
valley, and they were riding in, even though
they knew that guns and "Death" were
waiting for them.

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Stanza2
Lines 9

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"

RepeaJng the command from line 5 shows
the commanding ocer was determined
there was no going back.
The men were being sent to their doom.
This makes us pause and think about why
these brave men were being sent into "the
valley of Death."
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Stanza2
Lines 10

Was there a man dismay'd?

The commanding ocer asked if any of the

soldiers were "dismayed."
In this case, to be dismayed means to lose your
courage, to be overcome by terror or sadness.
That would be a normal reacJon to anyone in a
situaJon like this.
Of course the Light Brigade was too tough and
loyal to feel dismayed.
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Stanza2
Lines 11-12

Not though the soldier knew

Someone had blundered.

That rst word, "not," implies that these men

didn't feel discouraged at all. They were ready
to do their job, even though the order (to charge
the arJllery baKery) might be crazy.
The soldiers were not dumb. They knew this
charge wasn't a good idea, that someone had
made a mistake, had "blundered" (made a
stupid and clumsy mistake).
The poet criJcized the men who ordered this
aKack.
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Stanza2
Lines 13 - 15

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.

The soldiers realised the order was a mistake but did

what they were told because it was their duty to obey
orders.
They were just doing their job even though they knew
they would certainly be killed. That job did not permit
them to talk back to their commanders ("make reply")
or to gure out the point of the aKack ("reason why").
All they could do was to ride and ght and possibly die
("do and die").
The poet admires the bravery and sacrice of the men
and in disbelief by the stupidity of the order.

Stanza2
Lines 16 - 17

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

These last two lines are the same as the last

two lines in the rst stanza.
It emphasises that these men were riding to
their death.
The Light Brigade was ordered to advance into
a valley surrounded by enemy soldiers. The
cavalry were only armed with swords, whereas
the Russian soldiers had guns.
The Light Brigade were virtually defenceless
against their enemies, and many of them were
killed.

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Stanza 3

Lines 18 20

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them

The soldiers were surrounded by enemy

cannon, leY, right, and front.
The repeJJon of the words 'Cannon' sounds
like explosives. The poet made it clear that
they were surrounded by powerful weapons
and that there was very liKle chance of them
surviving.
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Stanza 3

Lines 21

Volleyed and thundered;

The word "volley" from a cannon

s u g g e s t s a r o u n d o f r i n g
(simultaneous discharge of a
number of missile weapons).
These huge walls of cannon all
around them are ring, and making
a sound like thunder.
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Stanza 3

Lines 22

Stormed at with shot and shell,

The soldiers in the Light Brigade were
being "stormed at," by gunre.
The "shot" (bullets) and "shell" (big
explosives red from cannon) are a
violent, noisy, destrucJve force that
reminds the speaker of a storm.
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Stanza 3

Lines 23

Boldly they rode and well,

These guys were not scared of the gunre.

In fact, they rode "boldly" (bravely) even
though it seemed more and more like a
suicide mission.
The poet admires the soldiers because they
were brave and skilful despite the horrors
they faced.
This shows us how heroic these men were.
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Stanza 3

Lines 24-26

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred

Now the valley of Death becomes the "jaws of Death" and "the
mouth of hell".
It was as if the soldiers were riding into the mouth of ferocious
monsters that they could not escape from.
The jaws of Death brings an image of inescapability the men
had been gripped by a monster and Death was waiJng for them.
The mouth of Hell also brings an image of sheer horror. It is as
if the earth has opened up to swallow the men they will die
terribly. The mens lives had been snatched from them suddenly
and violently.
RepeJJon of "the six hundred" in each stanza gives the idea of
the large numbers of men involved. It also creates an image of a
chaoJc baKle.
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The Charge of the Light Brigade

Themes
1. Warfare
It describes the confusion, the terror, the bloodshed in a
war. It also describes the heroism and excitement of
armed combat.
2. Courage
The soldiers of the Light Brigade were courageous.
Every one of them charged forward to the enemy line
bravely. They knew exactly how dangerous and hopeless
the job was, but they did it anyway.
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The Charge of the Light Brigade

Themes
3. Death
Many of the brave soldiers in the Light Brigade died in
this baKle.
4. Duty
The soldiers in the Light Brigade were just doing their
job; they were soldiers and it was their duty to ght.
That's what makes them heroic, but it makes their
deaths tragic.
5. Honour and respect
The poet wants the memory of the soldiers of the Light
Brigade to live forever, to be honoured and respected.
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light cavalry
A troop of armies comprises of lightly armed and
lightly armored soldiers riding on horses. The missions
of the light cavalry were primarily screening and
communicaJng, and were usually armed with spears,
swords, bows.

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arJllery baKery
A unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so
grouped in order to facilitate beKer baKleeld
communicaJon and command and control

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cannons

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