Summary
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 8.1.1
Summary of Charge of the Light Brigade
Alfred Tennyson wrote Charge of the Light Brigade to commemorate those who died in the Battle of Balaclava (1854) in the Crimean War.
Summary
- This poem describes one of the battles of the Crimean War (1853-1856), in which Britain and France fought Imperial Russia.
- The poem describes a brigade that's instructed to charge forward into a valley surrounded by enemy soldiers.
- The soldiers were armed with cannons and guns.
- Most soldiers were killed.
Alfred Tennyson
- Tennyson was one of the most famous poets of the Victorian era and was Poet Laureate from 1850 to 1892.
Meaning of poem
- The poem was written in honour of the “noble six hundred”. These men bravely sacrificed themselves in the battle. They continued to follow orders if it meant riding towards certain death.
- The speaker encourages the reader to honour and respect them.
The Structure and Form of Charge of the Light Brigade
Charge of the Light Brigade is a narrative poem of six stanzas. Here's why the poet chose these techniques:
Narrative poem
- This is a narrative poem. Events are described in chronological (time) order.
- This helps the reader remember the events and the sacrifices the men made.
6 stanzas
- The 6 stanzas could commemorate the 600 men who died.
Rhythm and Rhyme in Charge of the Light Brigade
Tennyson chooses a regular rhythm to quicken the pace of the poem. The rhyming is inconsistent for different effects. Here's an explanation of these techniques:
Regular rhythm
- Regular rhythm creates a fast pace and mimics the movement of the horses galloping towards the enemy.
- The fast-paced rhythm reflects their relentless drive forwards.
- It also hints at the inevitability of their death.
Regular and broken rhyming
- The rhymes quicken the pace of the poem.
- But unrhymed lines break up the regularity. They perhaps mirror the chaos and confusion of the battle as soldiers and men fall.
Test yourself on Summary
Who wrote Charge of the Light Brigade?
Who or what does Charge of the Light Brigade commemorate?
Who were the "noble six hundred"?
How many stanzas does Charge of the Light Brigade have?
Charge of the Light Brigade has six stanzas. Why might this be relevant to the meaning of the poem?