"The Charge of the Light Brigade" Analysis

• "The Charge of the Light Brigade" centers on a British military command error during the Crimean War.
• This error caused 600 soldiers to charge into Russian artillery, leading to many deaths.
• Tennyson wrote the poem to honor the soldiers' courage and loyalty.
• The poem focuses on the soldiers' heroism, while noting the leadership's error.

Themes

• Duty and sacrifice are major themes.
• Soldiers followed orders without questioning, resulting in their deaths.
• The poem explores leadership and error.
• The phrase "someone had blundered" is subtle criticism of those in power.

Meaning

• The poem is a tragic, heroic military charge.
• It highlights soldiers' courage as they approached death.
• It emphasizes the cost of obedience.
• Soldiers' loyalty led to unnecessary loss of life.

Intentions

• Tennyson aimed to celebrate the Light Brigade's heroism.
• He portrays them as noble and courageous.
• He also subtly criticizes those in power.
• The word "blunder" suggests military leaders made fatal errors.

Techniques

• Repetition reinforces the soldiers' charge.
• Phrases like "Half a league, half a league" mimic galloping horses.
• Personification describes death as a monster.
• "Into the jaws of Death" makes their fate seem inescapable.

Tone

• The tone shifts from energetic to tragic and then celebratory.
• It begins with urgency, mourns loss, and ends honoring bravery.
• An ominous tone builds tension.
• Imagery of death and destruction creates fear.

Tone

• The poem's tone shifts from energetic to tragic, ending with a celebratory note.
• It begins with urgency, mourns losses, and honors soldiers' bravery.
• An ominous tone is created via imagery of death and danger.
• Phrases like "valley of Death" build tension and foreshadow loss.

Structure

• The poem is a ballad, a traditional form that commemorates historic events.
• This form ensures the soldiers' bravery is remembered.
• Dactylic dimeter mimics the galloping of horses.
• This rhythm reinforces the soldiers' relentless charge.

Language

• Biblical references like "valley of Death" relate to Christian imagery.
• These phrases depict the battle as a doomed test of bravery.
• Patriotic words like "honour," "noble," and "glory" elevate the soldiers' sacrifice.
• Their deaths were meaningful and heroic.

Key Quotations & Effects

• "Half a league, half a league" uses repetition to emphasize movement.
• It mimics galloping horses, showing the soldiers' advance.
• "Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred" is a metaphor for inevitable fate.
• "The" makes death seem unavoidable.

Command & Leadership

• "Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!" uses imperative verbs.
• "Charge" shows the authority of command.
• "Someone had blunder’d" is a euphemism for leadership failure.
• It softens the criticism of those in power.

Obedience & Sacrifice

• "Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why" emphasizes obedience.
• The repetition of "theirs" shows the soldiers' lack of control.
• "Theirs but to do and die" juxtaposes action and death.
• The phrasing creates a detached tone.

Battle & Chaos

• "Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them" creates entrapment.
• The structure mirrors the attacks surrounding them.
• "Volley’d and thunder’d" uses war imagery to recreate battle chaos.
• Violent verbs make the battlefield overwhelming and inescapable.

Battle & Violence

• "Volley’d and thunder’d" is onomatopoeia that recreates battle sounds.
• These words mimic gunfire, intensifying chaos.
• "Storm’d at with shot and shell" uses sibilance to mimic artillery sounds.
• The "sh" sounds resemble bullets, intensifying the battle.

Bravery & Heroism

• "Boldly they rode and well" highlights the soldiers' courage.
• "Boldly" shows they willingly faced danger.
• "Flash’d all their sabres bare" uses visual imagery to portray their bravery.
• The image of swords makes the moment seem heroic.

Death & Fate

• "Into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of Hell" personifies death.
• This makes the soldiers' fate seem inescapable.
• "Rode the six hundred" is repeated to emphasize the scale of their sacrifice.
• The simplicity makes their loss tragic.

War & Chaos

• "Plunged in the battery-smoke" uses imagery to show immersion in battle.
• "Plunged" means commitment, while "smoke" means confusion.
• "Charging an army, while all the world wonder’d" uses hyperbole.
• It highlights both the soldiers’ bravery and the awe of onlookers.

Conflict & Destruction

• "Right thro’ the line they broke" has plosive sounds to emphasize force.
• The "th" and "b" sounds create a violent effect.
• "Shatter’d and sunder’d" uses sibilance and violent imagery.
• The words suggest destruction bodies breaking apart.

Enemy’s Reaction

• "Cossack and Russian reel’d from the sabre-stroke" shows the enemy’s shock.
• "Reel’d" shows they were overwhelmed.
• "Sab’ring the gunners there" portrays desperate survival combat.
• It emphasizes the soldiers' bravery.

Loss & Tragedy

• “Then they rode back, but not not the six hundred.” uses broken repetition
• Highlights tragedy of loss by mirroring emotional impact
• “All that was left of them, left of six hundred.” emphasizes the loss.
• Reinforces the scale of deaths and mourning

Entrapment & Danger

• “Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon behind them.” uses triplet structure.
• Creates a sense of being surrounded, increasing tension.
• “Storm’d at with shot and shell, while horse and hero fell.” juxtaposes “horse and hero.”
• Suggests that soldiers were treated as animals were

Bravery & Honor

• “They that had fought so well came thro’ the jaws of Death.” personifies death.
• Emphasizes bravery in facing an unavoidable fate
• “Honour the charge they made!” is an imperative command.
• Instructs audience to respect sacrifice

Fate & Religion

• “Back from the mouth of Hell.” uses a metaphor to describe war.
• Reinforces the destructive nature of battle.
• “When can their glory fade?” is a rhetorical question.
• Suggests their bravery should be remembered.

War & Public Perception

• “All the world wonder’d.” uses hyperbole to suggest global signficance.
• Reflects debate and controversy around the Crimean War.
• “Honour the Light Brigade, noble six hundred!” repeats “honour”.
• Elevates the soldiers’ sacrifice and duty.