Charge of the light brigade - PowerPoint Presentation

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Charge of the light brigade

Alfred Lord TennysonSlide2

Title Analysis

Charge of the light brigade

' Charge' is a dynamic verb, imposing violence, death and action, this makes the reader quickly speculate and create assumptions that the poem is violent and about a corrupted and ferocious battle.

The Light Brigade was British cavalry who charged to battle in 1854, during the Crimean War.Slide3

Poets intention

The poem describes a disastrous battle between British cavalry and the Russian forces during the Crimean War.

Tennyson emphasizes the soldiers persistence in disastrous acts. The Russian soldiers had guns, illustrating how virtually defenseless they are against their enemies and how such a horrendous, misunderstood order, resulted in many deaths.

The tone of the poem engages the reader to feel proud and patriotic towards the British soldiers.

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" Charge for the guns!'"Slide4

Context

Stanza 1:

This stanza shows the Light Brigade entering the battle. We already know that their future is uncertain and unforeseeable, as they are obediently following their orders, thus advancing to their death.

Stanza 2:

Emphasizes the soldiers obedience. The order " Into the valley of death" is repeated, making us focus on the command, accentuating their detrimental future.

Stanza 3:

Everyone is surrounded by violence as the charge and battle commences.

Stanza 4: Continues the anger and violence. However the violence and chaos of the war slowly disintegrates as many people are left after they have died in the war.

Stanza 5: Admiration of the soldiers. Everything has been left behind, including the dead soldiers who's lives will be remembered forever.Stanza 6: Bewilderment of the destruction and bravery of soldiers during the horrific war. Honoring and commending both the survivors and the soldiers who had died during the war.PCS

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Structure

The poem tells the story in chronological order, allowing the reader to clearly follow the the events and experiences that occurred during the "Charge of the Light Brigade

There is a strong structure of three longer lines, followed by one shorter line. This strong and persistent pattern imposes the formation of the cavalry. However this pattern is broken, reflecting the braking down of the world... The war has started!

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Rhyme and rhythm

In 'The Charge Of The Light Brigade' Tennyson uses a regular rhyme scheme, this creates a sense of speed, mimicking the horses hooves. This can also give the impression of order and structure within the chaos of the war.

The use of enjambement is used to increase the pace of the rhythm, making the poem: fast , full of action and creates the sense that their future is indefinite. Enjambement can also impose that there is no escape. ( as they desperately try to retreat and don't succeed ) the soldier's lives are constant, and that the battle with the enemy will have an end, but the mental battle with themselves is eternal.

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Imagery

Stanza one

The poem starts with the repetition " Half a league" the use of this repetition is it to mimic the sound of horses galloping, the opening lines could also make the reader sound exhausted, like they are being physically forced to carry on, emphasized by the commas used between the statements.

The heroes in the poem has been established, however the person giving commands has been left anonymous. This disembodied voice makes us pause and turn our attention to the brave soldiers, making us question why they are being sent to the "valley of death"

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.

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Imagery

Stanza two

The use of the rhetorical question allows us to glance into the minds of the soldiers. The verb "dismay'd" could suggest that the soldiers have experienced someone mentally break down due to an overwhelming terror. However due to this being a rhetorical question, it accentuates the fact that they are too loyal to lose all courage and determination.

The use of anaphora suggests that: they are too loyal to reply back to the commander, they physically and mentally can't question why they are fighting and due to their nationalistic attributes, they will ride and fight, despite the probability that they'll die.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”

Was there a man dismay'd?

Not though the soldier knew

Someone had blunder'd.

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.

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Imagery

Stanza three

Anaphora creates the feeling of being surrounded much more intense, as if the reader is there, rotating their heads and seeing the cannons.

Sibilance suggests the sounds of the battlefield, the gunfire.

Personification is used to imitate the darkness and everything indistinct in the valley to parts of the face. The "jaws of death" suggests that the soldiers are being swallowed, enclosed and imprisoned in tragedy and corruption, and can't escape!

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Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volleyed and 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. Slide10

Imagery

Stanza four

Flashed all their sabres bare,

Flashed as they turned in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging an army, while

All the world wondered.

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right through the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian

Reeled from the sabre stroke

Shattered and sundered.

Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

The present participle is used to give the sense of immediacy, giving the reader a clear image of the swords slicing, chopping and stabbing. Emphasized by the sibilance, imitating these sounds.

Sibilance can either suggest the sound of the battlefields (gunfire) or the 's' sound could be used to create the sense that the war is over, making the reader stop and remember the soldiers who died during the war. We know the battle has calmed down due to the last two lines, riding away from the battle.

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Imagery

Stanza five

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

Volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell,

While horse and hero fell.

They that had fought so well

Came through the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of hell,

All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred.

The first five lines are the same as the first in stanza three, however the cannons are now behind them, meaning the Light Brigade is now leaving the enemy behind them

The structure of 5 continuous long lines, suggests a desperate attempt to retreat, as it is long and stretched out, similar to the battle.

This emphasizes the loss of life, that everything is silent. We get the image of horses and soldiers, collapsing together. Additionally this is the first time the speaker calls the men heroes, despite the message being clear from the beginning.

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IMAGERY

Stanza six

The use of a rhetorical question imposes that the courage,persistence and determinations for the soldiers is immortal.

Imperative sentences are used to accentuate the command, rather than the response. Honouring the soldiers. Making us question the reasons why the soldiers are being sent to do disastrous and destructive acts.

Exclamatory sentences are used to emphasize the memories of the soldiers and that we should respect the display of bravery they had.

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wondered.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred!

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Language

A lexical field of honor, loyalty and bewilderment is used throughout the poem, making the reader feel these emotions as they are repeated and finally concluded in the last stanza.

Plosive consonants are used, for example. Many words in this poem end in 'd, like dismay'd and blunder'd. This gives the impression that everything, including the poet, encapsulates anger, violence and corruption.

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