Charge of the Light Brigade

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  • Created by: Safi:)
  • Created on: 24-11-19 09:45
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  • The Charge of the Light Brigade
    • structure and form
      • rhyme and repetiiton
        • emphasises soldiers obedience and sense of duty even though they were certainly going to be killed.
      • repetition of end line on first three stanzas
        • to emphasise scale of destruction
    • beginning
      • "into the valley of death"
        • METAPHOR- horrific image highlights the danger of the situation and the brutal fate that awaited the men.
        • BIBLICAL REFERENCE- makes poem seem solemn and sgnificant
          • "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil"
      • "Theirs not to make reply,Theirs not to reason why,Theirs but to do and die"
        • SYNTACTIC PARALLELISM- gives emphasis to the true heroes of the story, the men who fought.
        • lack of control over their fate- in an almost robotic way, they have been conditioned to follow instructions no matter what they may be
    • context
      • written in 1854
      • The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry against Russian forces in the Crimean War.
      • at this time, many newspapers were critical of the Crimean War but this poem focuses on the bravery of the soldiers rather than the mistakes of the military leaders.
    • middle
      • "not the six hundred"
        • SOMBRE TONE- reader is encouraged to think about the extent of the loss
      • "jaws of death"
        • changed from 'valley' into 'jaws'; they have reached the point at which they will die. ANIMAL IMAGERY - presents death as predators hunting soldiers as prey.
      • "boldly they rode and well"
        • ADVERB 'boldly' emphasises mens bravery. respectful language shows that the narrator wanted them to be remembered
    • end
      • "when can their glory fade?"
        • RHETORICAL QUESTION - encourages reader to think about themselves and how to honour the men that lost their lives
      • "Storm'd at with shot and shell,While horse and hero fell,"
        • 'shot' and shell’ is both ALLITERATIVE and ONOMATOPOEIC , imitating the explosive sounds of battle and adding to the sense of immediacy.

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