The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Tennyson

I
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.
II
Forward, the Light Brigade!
Was there a man dismayed?
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.
III
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.

MEANING OF THE STANZA

Stanza 1The light calvary was marching to the Valley of Death because the foes were no match for them. It
was like committing suicide. They were 600 of them riding horses figthing in a battle. Their leader ordered
them to move forward and consficate the guns to prevent the guns from being carried away by the enemies.
Stanza 2The soldiers were still moving foward. No one was discouraged by the fact that somebody had made
a foolish mistake by giving them a wrong order. They were not in the position to answer any questions nor to
ask why. They kept on moving because it was their responsibility and they recieved order from their
superior. Even if the were fated to die, all the six hundred of them were still moving forward.
Stanza 3The soldiers bravely fought the battle. They were attacked from their right, their left but they still
moved forward. True enough, they were also attacked from the front. But they marched fearlessly to the
Valley of Death and fought until their last breaths.
OVERVIEW

The Charge of the Light Brigade was written by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Those who can still remember the
poem Monsoon History would still remember the line Reading Tennyson at six p.m. :) . Anyway, this
poem was inspired by a true event that happened during the Battle of Balaclava that occured on 25 October
1854 in the Cremean War between the British and the Russian. As the name suggests, the Light Brigade was
supposed to pursue a retreating Russion artelliry battery, a task well-suited to a light calvary. However, due
to miscommunication in the chain of command, the Light Brigade was sent on a frontal assault against the
more well-prepared artelliry battery specialised in defensive fire.
The Poet : Lord Tennyson
-Born on August 6,1809,inj Somersby,Lincolnshire,England
-Born into a middle class family,Tennyson showed an early talent for writing
-Studied in Cambridge where his writing career flourished
-One of the most well-loved Victorian poets who wrote about wide variety of topics
-His most famous works include Ulysses,The princess:A Medley and In Memoriam A.H.H.
-Was appointed the position of Poet Laureate in 1850 until his death
-Died on October 6,1892,and was buried in Westminster Abbey
Theme
-The complexities of war
-Loyalty and duty
-Courage and heroism
-Patriotism
Persona
The poem is in the third person point of view where the persona narrates the account of the battle.
Tone
The poem's tone is more heroic. The tone has valor and bravery. This tone illustrates a time to be of proud.
There is an unsettling felling of sadness. The sadness comes from the deaths of the "Noble six hundred." The
heroic tone comes from the bravery of the men fighting. It has a tone of excitement and power.
Moral Values
-We must have loyalty and courage.
-We must instill the spirit of patriotism.
-Sometimes it is good to ask questions.