Victorian Poetry: The Charge Of The Light Brigade (Week III) PDF

INTRODUCTION TO VICTORIAN POETRY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON 18091892 WEEK III  THE  The story behind the poem  Historical Context CHARGE OF  A brief analysis with particular excerpts THE LIGHT  Forms and Devices BRIDAGE  Themes and Me...

INTRODUCTION TO VICTORIAN POETRY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON 18091892 WEEK III  THE  The story behind the poem  Historical Context CHARGE OF  A brief analysis with particular excerpts THE LIGHT  Forms and Devices BRIDAGE  Themes and Meanings  Theoretical discussions  The poem was written due to a specific incident during the THE STORY Crimean War, which took place between 1853 and 1855. In the time being, feelings of patriotism in Britain intensified BEHIND dramatically. Many British soldiers were losing their lives in the name of love for their country. This strong belief often led THE POEM people to sacrifice their lives for the nation, even though the battles were happening far away in Crimea. In this conflict, Britain joined a group of allies fighting against Russian forces. Their main goal was to capture Sebastopol, which was an important port town on the Black Sea.  At the start of the conflict, Russian forces pulled back to THE STORY higher ground overlooking a town. However, on October 25, 1854, everything changed. Balaclava, located about 9 miles BEHIND from Sebastopol—where the Russian cannons were stationed —became the scene of a tragic mistake. Due to a confusion in THE POEM orders, the Light Brigade was sent to charge directly at the Russian artillery. This decision led to devastating consequences: within just 20 minutes of the charge, 260 British soldiers were either killed, injured, or captured, and they lost 475 horses out of a total of 673. THE STORY Because of this thoughtless order and the resulting loss of so many lives, both soldiers and horses, people became very BEHIND angry. Their view of war and the military changed dramatically. No longer did battle seem noble or heroic. THE POEM Instead, public attention turned to the pointless tragedy of dying in war and the senselessness of war itself. Support for the Crimean War sharply declined, leading to a strong anti-war sentiment among the people.  In this environment, people expected Tennyson to write poems THE STORY that celebrated patriotism, focusing on heroic wars and battles while encouraging bravery and discipline among soldiers. He BEHIND was also seen as needing to support the Anglican Church and the middle class, the leading social group during the Victorian THE POEM era. Besides these expectations from him, Tennyson himself has already been on the side of heroism, duty and courage. He idealised the soldiers and saw them as the symbols of action, duty, courage and manliness.  Some critics argue that he might have been slightly envious of the soldiers in “The Charge of the Light Brigade” because they were courageous, in action, and dying heroically –not him. It is also known that Tennyson was not allowed to participate in regular military service. However, he was THE STORY physically well-built and robust: “He stood well over six feet,” and “[t]o entertain party guests, Tennyson once picked up a BEHIND small pony and carried it around the lawn in his arms” (Lovelace 19). So, the problem was not his strength; it was his THE POEM eyes. The issue was not his physical strength but rather his severe myopia, which prevented him from joining the army. This raises the possibility that he desired to serve in the military but could not do so. In summary, alongside the expectations placed on him as the poet laureate of his time, Tennyson yearned for the chivalrous spirit in a world he believed was in decline.  In light of these motives, a couple of weeks after reading the news about the charge in the London THE STORY Times, Tennyson wrote “The Charge of the Light Brigade” in 1854. Later, he called this poem BEHIND “newspaper verse” since he wrote it quickly as a THE POEM reaction to an article or news he read in a newspaper (Greenblatt 1111). Following is the first part of the poem: THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE 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 CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE “Half a league”, as mentioned above, is approximately two kilometres and a half (Greenblatt 1188). Since the choice of the word “league” is deliberate, it can be speculated that the poet tried to create a majestic atmosphere while creating the long road image through their sounds and repetition. Apart from this, “The Valley of Death” is a religious reference. In the Bible, it says, “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” (Psalms 23:4). This reference suggests that Tennyson may have aimed to encourage the soldiers through religious feelings and thoughts. Therefore, the poet embraces the Christian values embedded in society and uses them for national ideas and purposes. THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE Not though the soldier knew Someone 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.  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE A blunder is a mistake and a careless one. It is caused by someone not paying enough attention or overlooking important details, which is precisely what happened to the “Light Brigade” of the poem. A light brigade is a cavalry unit, lightly dressed and lightly armoured. They carry pistols with them but primarily exist to cut down enemy combatants with sabres that they wear at their hips. Often, a light brigade is meant to take smaller forces, overwhelm infantry on the ground, or act as a clean-up crew at the end of the fight, finishing off units as they break up. A light brigade is not made to oppose large-scale artillery, but that is precisely what they were called to do in the Battle of Balaclava in 1854, at a significant cost of life.  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE Tennyson highlights the idea that when a commanding officer makes a mistake, soldiers should remain silent and follow orders anyway. This perspective reflects a sense of patriotism, where the focus is on national pride and military discipline, even if it means risking their lives for a cause that may seem pointless. Tennyson admires the Light Brigade for their bravery. They faced the reality of a poor decision but chose to obey their orders without question. For him, this loyalty and courage are both admirable and patriotic.  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE The poem received a mix of reactions. On the one hand, some people criticised it, believing it represented the ruling class’s influence, encouraging young men to go to war even when it could lead to their deaths. This view was widespread among socialist groups in Britain. On the other hand, younger, more conservative individuals found inspiration in the poem. They admired the bravery of the soldiers, the sense of honour in their actions, and the discipline of the army, seeing them as heroes or martyrs.  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE Tennyson’s voice may have made the poem highly influential and impressive. His oral performance of the poem in an 1890 recording enhanced its psychological and ideological effects on the audience. The voice contributes to the meaning and effect of the poem, rendering it an integral part of the text. When it is read out loud, the rhythm reveals itself as strong and arguably furious, touching the patriotic feelings in people’s hearts more easily.  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE Overall, the poem fulfilled its purpose and brought hope, courage and motivation about war to the British people and the British soldiers in the Crimean. “The Charge of the Light Brigade” was a favourite among the British soldiers in the Crimea and ‘had a most heart-stirring effect on all’” (Lovelace 135). Also, some legends began to occur due to this poem. For example: “Upon one bedridden soldier’s hearing the piece, the sick man’s eye lit up, and he began a spirited description of the Charge. Before many hours had passed, he was completely restored to health” (Lovelace 136). These tales have both credible and incredible sides: A poem cannot substitute medicine or surgery for a soldier to get up from his sick bed. However, a poem can change people’s thinking, feeling, and perspective. Even though its effect is exaggerated through a legend, it should not be underestimated.  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE However, the poem that influenced the British soldiers seems to be based on false historical facts. Murat Bardakçı, a Turkish journalist, reports in his column on Hürriyet that all that has been discussed on the Battle of Balaclava was baseless, and the core of his argument is to be found in a program which is screened on the British Fifth Channel TV (23). The program is “Battlefield Detectives”, which comprises specialists of war history, weapon experts, archaeologists, geologists, electricians and soldiers. The team analysed the war zone in Balaclava mainly by excavation, electronic detectors and satellite vision. The detectors found many buttons, coins, and war accessories belonging to no other than Ottoman soldiers. The researchers were surprised; they re-analysed the war records, and with the help of satellite photos of the zone from the recent past, they took excavation one step further and kept finding remnants belonging to the Ottomans.  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE Soon, they figured out what happened on the 25th of October: When the Russian artillery fire began, there were not the British in the front; there were the Turkish. The British soldiers were not fully awake yet, and until they responded to the fire and silenced the Russian artilleries with their cavalries, six hundred Turkish soldiers were already dead. The British gave only a hundred and twenty casualties. Bardakçı also states that the British had not only been proud of their six hundred martyrs for a hundred and fifty years but also blamed the inability of the Turks for being useless comrades (23). Therefore, Tennyson and the previous British historians may be wrong about a few basic points about the Battle of Balaclava.  THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIDAGE In conclusion, four years after being the poet laureate, Tennyson wrote “The Charge of the Light Brigade” as one of his martial poems celebrating the Battle of Balaclava. Embracing Victorian ideas, ideals and ideology, he promotes patriotism and makes war propaganda in the poem. Before writing this work, Tennyson realised his responsibility to his society as an artist who could take the crowd behind him and make them support his writing. So, he used his power to soften the opposition among the British people towards the Crimean War. However, as discussed above, all the historical information that Tennyson’s poem is based on seems incorrect, as Bardakçı reports Battlefield Detectives’ examination results. Therefore, this subject has become controversial and needs further research, discussion, and analysis. THE END THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE CLASS!