The Charge of the Light Brigade

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 at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell,
Rode the six hundred.

Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Hi dear students who actually searched for this for their SPM answer. Well, to me, you have
come to a simple blog with simple explanation that might bring to your simple sense in learning
this poem. Actually, this poem is not that difficult to understand and as you can see, after you
read the poem, you might come across a few things, which maybe a recall from what you have
learned in your classes. Remember? During those early month of the years, before lemangs took
over your body? Remember? haha...

Now, let me tell you a bit about the poet. Alfred Lord Tennyson was born on 6 August 1809 in
Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. He was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland from 1850
till his death at the age of 83. In his poems, Tennyson used a wide range of subject matter,
ranging from medieval legends to classical myths and from domestic situations to observations
of nature, as source material for his poetry. His poem are noted for the richness of his imagery
and descriptive writing. He also handled rhythm masterfully.
In 1855, Tennyson produced one of his best-known poems "The Charge of the Light Brigade", a
tribute to the heroic British cavalrymen involved in an ill-advised charge on 25 October 1854,
during the Crimean War. Alfred, Lord Tennyson is acclaimed as one of the greatest poets in
English literature. He died on 3rd October 1892 at Aldworth. He was buried at Westminster
Abbey.

About the Poem

This poem is about the 600 British soldiers as mentioned in the poet's background. It also about
the heroism and courage of a brigade. Well, many died in that battle which is called by Crimean
War (1854-1856). The soldier belonged to a light brigade which means they were on horseback
and armed only with sabres and baton (light arms). By some mistake by one *in the poem said
so, and they were ordered into a valley which had heavily armed Russian enemy battalions on
three sides - front, left and right. The Russians were fully armed and they were very powerful
and they had powerful cannons. Now, when the light brigade charged into this "valley of death",
they were massacred by the cannons fire.Yes, most of them died but they showed great heroism
and patriotism in battle. On one side, well, we can see how heroism and patriotism took part in
the way we think, but hey! the coin has two sides right? another side would be the challenging
ideas of the concept of obedience, patriotism and nationalism. Don't you think so?

Now, the themes for this poet are,

1. Heroism and courage

2. Patriotism
3. Duty
4. The tragedy of was
5. Leadership failure

Moral values:

1. Patriotism
2. Duty
3. Anti-war sentiment

The persona :

The poem is narrated by an omniscient (all-seeing) narrator who reports not only the action but
the thoughts and spirit of the 600 men as a collective unit. There is also a reference that
"someone has blundered".

Tone/Mood

Since the poem is about war so, it is clear that the tone and mood is quite intense and as the
overall mood, it would be collective action, rather than individual impulse. The poem has the
sound of military march and also the feeling of exhaustion, something like that. But to me, as
long as you could imagine how war is about then, marks are waiting for you students! but make
sure you relate your answer with the poem. Easy right?

As for the Language and Style, well, as you can see, there were Repetition. Why? As you all
know, we repeat things because we want to make a bold statement by saying a few times. In this
poem, the repetition (refrains) was used to create hypnotic effect and the refrains give us the
impression of an army marching forward. *I will explain more on Language and Style of this
poem, once I read it VERY thoroughly, ok?

Point of view :

The poem is narrated by an omniscient (third person) narrator.

1. State a value exhibited by the soldiers in stanza 1

__________________________________________

2. How many British soldiers were involved in the battle?

__________________________________________

2. In stanza 2,

i. What does the word dismayed mean?

__________________________________________

ii. What happened to the soldiers when they charged forward?

___________________________________________

3. Were the soldiers discouraged from fighting? Why?

___________________________________________

1. Where is the setting of the poem?

The battlefield
2. Which line in the poem tells us that the soldiers obeyed the order without question?
"theirs not to reason why"
3. Why do you think the line "Rode the six hundred" is repeated many times in the
poems?
to emphasise that the 600 soldiers sacrificed their life on that day in the battlefield
4. Give one quality that you admire about the soldiers. Give a reason for your response.
Loyal as they follow orders.
5. What is the command given to the soldiers?
to charge forward and fight the enemies
6. Give an example of a metaphor used in the poem.
the valley of death
7. Which line in the poem tells the reader that the command was a mistakes?
someone had blundered
8. What do you think is the outcome of the battle? Support your response with evidence
from the poem.
Many soldiers die. The phrase into the jaw of death shows that many of them will die in
the battle.
9. In stanza 1, who is speaking to the soldiers?
the leader/captain
10. In stanza 2, what does the line, "theirs but to do and die" tell us about?
the soldiers are loyal and courageous
11. What happened to the soldiers in stanza 3?
 they were attacked by the enemies
12. What emotions does the poem evoke? What do you feel as you read it? Support your
response with evidence from the poem.
Sympathetic. full of sympathy as many soldiers die in the battlefield.
13. In stanza 2, which phrase in the poem means to go forward over a set distance?
"Forward the Light Brigade"
14. What were the soldiers told to do when they rode into the valley of death?
"Charge for the gun"
15. Why do you think the soldiers followed the order even is it would cause their death?
They are loyal
16. Despite being attacked from all sides, the soldiers continued on. What consequences
would the soldiers have to face if they decided to retreat? Provide reason for your answer.
Death.The soldiers should never go against the leader and always follow orders
17. Why do yo think the persona asked whether there was " a man dismayed"?
some of the soldiers are not courageous and have weak heart/ will/spirit
18. There are many jobs today that require people to be brave. Give another example of a
job that requires bravery. Provide reason for your answer.
Policeman. They need to fight for justice.
19. In stanza 2, which word in the poem means 'made a mistake'?
" blundered"
20. What is the theme of the poem?
courage
21. What is the Light Brigade?
a division in the army
22. Give one example of personification used in the poem?
"the jaw of death"
23. What does the Valley of Death symbolises?
battlefield/a place where battle/ war takes palace/ a place where army fight enemies/ a
place where armies fight enemies and many of them die
24. Which word in Stanza 2 means "mistake"?
blundered
25. How many soldiers were involved in the war?
600 soldiers
26. Suggest two ways to protect your country?
1. Be patriotic