Charge of the light brigade

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  • Blind Obedience
    • It was not  honour that killed the soldiers but  fear and blind obedience
    • "Theirs not to make reply/Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and  die"
      • Tricholon anaphora
        • syntactical parallels to put emphasis on the fact it's not their choice
      • "Do and die" - worthlessness of the soldiers  they are just bullets to be used and disposed of
      • "not to make reply" shows   the tight control that Tennyson is trying to show the officers have over the soldiers - that the soldiers are restricted and can't speak out even to save themselves
      • Relentless rhythm mirrors the blind obedience of the soldiers
      • "not to reason why" could suggest that the soldiers already know that they are going to die and have accepted it
    • "it  is the spirit of men that follow and the man who leads that gains the victory" George Patton
    • at first glance we believe it to be a war poem but the theme of blind obedience bring us to  question weather it is a power poem and if so who is the commanding voice
    • "Forward the light brigade" - unusual command as they are going uphill and so are at a disadvantage and so we are led to believe that Tennyson thinks they are  being sent to their death s, implying wars and battles are like slaughter machines

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