AQA English GCSE Past Paper - Charge of the Light Brigade PDF

AQA English GCSE Poetry: Power and Conflict Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Lord Tennyson https://bit.ly/pmt-edu  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE Alfred, Lord Tennyson Brief Summary A large brigade of soldiers...

AQA English GCSE Poetry: Power and Conflict Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Lord Tennyson https://bit.ly/pmt-edu  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE Alfred, Lord Tennyson Brief Summary A large brigade of soldiers are commanded to march to their deaths. They charge heroically but few remain as they retreat. Synopsis Light brigade charging through a valley after being ordered to charge the Russian guns Had received an order and were unable to dispute it There had been a mistake in the order – it was a "blunder" Surrounded by cannons and artillery fire Big heroic battle – bayonets ("sabres") versus guns Come back from the battle but many soldiers left behind dead Surrounded again as they retreat Tennyson instructs the reader to remember, honour and glorify the "noble six hundred" Context Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1850-1892) Tennyson had an unhappy childhood caused by his abusive father who left his mother and her children fearful for their safety. He did, however, receive a good education through his middle class family and rich relatives who allowed him to attend excellent grammar schools. After a period of experiencing intense poverty, Tennyson was given the role of poet laureate. In this position, he was duty bound to glorify war to the British public to defend the positions of the aristocracy. The Crimean War Initially this was a conflict between Russia and the Ottoman empire however, eventually France and Britain got involved to prevent Russian expansion. This was unpopular with the British public who saw it as unnecessary and as this was the most well documented war at the time, they were aware of the mistakes made. The light brigade were often members of the lower class who were lightly armoured and on horseback. https://bit.ly/pmt-edu  The Charge of the Light Brigade Repetition of distance Half a league, half a league, This number is repeated emphasises how far they Half a league onward, throughout the poem to have to go and creates a emphasise the number of All in the valley of Death sense of their exposure and lives lost. vulnerability. Rode the six hundred. ‘Forward, the Light Brigade! Reported speech shows the Charge for the guns!’ he said: sense of duty to their Into the valley of Death leaders. Rode the six hundred. ‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’ Was there a man dismay’d? This rhetorical question implies that there is some Not tho’ the soldier knew doubt in the soldier’s minds This foreshadows the military Some one had blunder’d: mistake about to occur. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die: A biblical allusion creates a Into the valley of Death grand sense of scale as well This repetition emphasises Rode the six hundred. as foreshadowing death. the harsh military machinery surrounding them. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them This use of sibilance creates a sinister tone, increasing Volley’d and thunder’d; the aggressive tone of the Storm’d at with shot and shell, violence being described. Boldly they rode and well, The fricatives and sibilance Into the jaws of Death, used in this emphatic Into the mouth of Hell repetition highlight the Rode the six hundred. brutality of the situation. Flash’d all their sabres bare, Flash’d as they turn’d in air Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while All the world wonder’d: Plunged in the battery-smoke Right thro’ the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reel’d from the sabre-stroke Shatter’d and sunder’d. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred. This is again repeated to emphasise the harsh, Cannon to right of them, mechanical nature of war. Cannon to left of them, https://bit.ly/pmt-edu  Cannon behind them Volley’d and thunder’d; Storm’d at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well Came thro’ the jaws of Death Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them, This rhetorical question Left of six hundred. alludes to the poem being a piece of propaganda When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! This shows how the poem is All the world wonder’d. glorifying war The use of an imperative Honour the charge they made! closes the poem with the Honour the Light Brigade, intention of glorifying the Noble six hundred! soldiers https://bit.ly/pmt-edu The opening In medias res The unprepared listener is thrust into the action with the repetition of “Half a league”. This establishes a tense atmosphere from the onset which causes the listener to view the poem through the lens of threat and risk. "Charge of the Light Brigade" The poem is representative of a literal charge which is reflected in the title. The light brigade charged at a stationary Russian cavalry who only has to stand and shoot, which could be representative of the power imbalance between the two. “Charge” has a double meaning which could be interpreted as Tennyson charging the leaders of his country with the deaths of so many people. 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. The repetition of “half a league” reflects the pounding feet of a charge, and also reflects the pack mentality of a group of people charging. Structure and form Ballad form This poem takes on the form of a ballad which is a historic poetry form used to commemorate a story for future generations to hear. This poem fits this purpose and acts to memorialise the people who were killed. Dactylic dimeter Tennyson uses dactylic dimeter (a long syllable followed by two short syllables) to mirror the rhythm of a horse running into battle. This unrelenting rhythm implies that the soldiers have no choice but to run into battle or that they are blindly obeying orders. The meter could also be interpreted to be used to create satirical humour as it is often seen as a lighthearted rhythm. Rhyme scheme The rhyme scheme is irregular and there are rhyming couplets between indented lines. The couplets create a sense of inevitability however, chaos is introduced by the irregular rhyme scheme. https://bit.ly/pmt-edu Language Repetition The anaphora used in “theirs not to make reply/reason why”...“theirs but to do an die” reiterates the phrase and the soldiers’ obedience (a desirable trait in Victorian England). The repetition also highlights the soldiers’ lack of individualism. The use of epistrophe in “Rode the six hundred” focuses the listener on the topic of the poem as well as acting as a reprise for the ballad. Euphemisms In order to soften the impact of the brutal battle, Tennyson uses euphemisms instead of explicitly referring to death. He states that “horse and hero fell” which is emphasised through his use of alliteration. The falling of the soldiers is accompanied by the falling rhythm of the dactylic dimeter. In his role as laureate, it was his job to avoid presenting the reality of battle. Metaphors Tennyson’s use of metaphors creates negative connotations for the listener. In “Jaws of death”, “Jaws” has claustrophobic connotations, which imply that the soldiers will be ‘eaten up’ by or shredded by bullets. Similarly, the metaphor “Mouth of hell” creates the impression that there is no escape from the valley once it has been entered. This also alludes to the story of the Roman soldier, Curtius, who rode his horse into the mouth of hell and was killed sacrificially, saving Rome. Symbolism The phrase “valley of death” is a biblical allusion from Psalm 23 which refers to the protection provided by God so is highly ironic when used in this context: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. - PSALM 23 This could be a criticism by Tennyson of how members of higher ranks should have protected those in the light brigade but they were instead forced to engage in dangerous conflict because of their low status. This phrase can also be considered to symbolise the inevitability of the tragedy, the image of a valley implies that the soldiers are penned in and surrounded on all sides by the opposition. The idea of soldiers returning “from the mouth of hell” links to the story of the harrying of hell. Jesus went into hell in order to receive the souls of those who had been condemned there to allow them to achieve salvation. This relates back to the soldiers in that they were sacrificing their own freedom for the freedom of those back at home. Ambiguity Tennyson creates ambiguity in “all the world wondered” to cause the listener to question if “wondered” denotes admiration or doubt. https://bit.ly/pmt-edu Comparisons Bayonet Charge Similarities Both poems criticise the leaders of war, this is explicit in Bayonet Charge but more subtle in Charge of the Light Brigade. There is the implication in both poems that propaganda is a powerful tool in the public attitude to war. Differences Charge of the Light Brigade praises the blind obedience of soldiers in the rhetorical question “When can their glory fade?” whilst in Bayonet Charge, the perception of honour is challenged in “In bewilderment then he almost stopped”. Tennyson presents the soldier’s bravery in the repetition in “Honour the charge they made!” “Honour the light brigade”. Opposingly, Hughes encourages the questioning of war in “King, honour, human dignity, etcetera // Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm”. The more critical tone of Bayonet Charge is reflective of Hughes being relatively unknown when this was published whilst Tennyson was poet laureate, allowing Hughes more freedom. Tennyson uses dactylic dimeter to create a quick pace to glorify the action whereas Hughes presents war as a source of fear and panic. Exposure Similarities Tennyson is critical of military leader’s decisions by bluntly declaring “Someone had blundered” and stating “Honour the Light Brigade” at the end rather than their leaders. Owen is similarly negative and creates this effect by depicting the soldiers as isolated in “Worried by silence” which implies that they have been abandoned by the authority that put them there. Both poets repeat phrases to criticise how violence and military mistakes continue to repeat themselves. Tennyson repeats “six hundred” to emphasise the vast number of lives lost as well as “Cannon” to remind the listener that the Light Brigade is surrounded by weaponry. Similarly, Owen repeats “nothing happens” to show that they are being forced to wait in the freezing trenches for no reason. Differences As Tennyson was poet laureate at the time he would not have been able to be outwardly critical of the government hence why the poem contains lexis from the semantic field of propaganda in “glory”, “Honour” and “Noble”. Owen did not have these restrictions as he was a soldier on the front line at the time of writing it. Tennyson is critical of rash action in his poem which is shown by the brash verb “plunged” whereas Owen detests the waiting in the trenches. https://bit.ly/pmt-edu Remains Similarities Both poets explore the consequences of conflict. Differences Remains is written in the first person and offers a first-hand account of a soldier’s traumatic experience. It shows a psychological viewpoint and focuses on the aftermath of conflict and the emotional impact on an individual soldier. The Charge of the Light Brigade is a narrative poem which commemorates the valor of soldiers in a historical military engagement. Armitage uses a sombre and reflective tone in Remains: “Well myself and somebody else and somebody else / are all of the same mind, /so all three of us open fire.” whereas the Tennyson adopts a more celebratory and patriotic tone: “Their’s not to reason why, / Their’s but to do and die.” Language and imagery - Armitage uses modern language and vivid imagery to convey the solider’s internal struggles and the impact of war on the individual. Tennyson employs a more traditional rhythmic style, employing repetition and powerful imagery to depict the grandeur and chaos of battle. https://bit.ly/pmt-edu