THE  CHARGE  OF  THE  LIGHT  BRIGADE  by  

Alfred,  Lord  Tennyson  

Prepared  by  :  Fitriah  Bin1  Hassan  

SMK  Agama  Matang2,  Kuching  

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ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892)

•  Tennyson was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England

•  He was one of the most well-loved Victorian poets

•  He was the Poet Laureate for United Kingdom from 1850 to 1892

•  He wrote famous books like “In Memoriam A.H.H.” and many poems like "Morte d'Arthur", "The Two Voices" and "The Vision of Sin".

•  In 1829 he was awarded with the Chancellor's Gold Medal for his literary works.

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The Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War

Date : 25 October 1854 Place : This battle took place on the southern Crimean coast   in the Ukraine.

Who fought in the war? It was fought by an alliance of Britain, France, Turkey and Sardinia against Russia. Why did it break out? Russia was expanding into the Danube region – Romania today- which was under Turkish control. Therefore, Turkey and Russia went to war in 1853, and the following year Britain and France – fearful of Russian expansion. Britain and France feared Russia would continue pushing down, and eventually come into British India through Afghanistan.

The Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War

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•  The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge of British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War.

•  Lord Raglan, overall commander of the British forces, had intended to send the Light Brigade to attack a retreating Russian artillery battery. Due to miscommunication, the Light Brigade was instead sent on a frontal assault against a different artillery battery, one well-prepared with excellent fields of defensive fire.

•  Although the Light Brigade reached the battery under withering direct fire and scattered some of the gunners, the badly mauled brigade was forced to retreat immediately. Thus, the assault ended with very high British casualties and no decisive gains.

•  The events are best remembered as the subject of the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Published just six weeks after the event. Its lines emphasize the valour of the cavalry in bravely carrying out their orders, regardless of the obvious outcome. Blame for the miscommunication has remained controversial, as the original order itself was vague.

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.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!' Was there a man dismayed ? Not though the soldier knew Some one 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.

Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volleyed & 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

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•  A league is an old way to measure distance, and it was equal to about 3 miles. So half a league is roughly a mile and a half. It explains that the cavalry moved a mile and a half in a single move.

Stanza1 Lines 1-2

Half a league half a league, Half a league onward,

•  The rhythm sounds like galloping horses' hooves. It also sounds like a military march: Left! Left! Left, right, left!

•  The rhythm also makes the reader sounds exhausted, like he is at the end of a race, just trying to force himself through the last few laps.

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Stanza 1 Lines 3 All in the Valley of Death

•  It suggests that the cavalry soldiers were in a losing battle and that they might lose their lives in the battle. The battle was like the Valley of Death.

•  It   suggests   that   death   was   all   around   the  soldiers   and   that   they   could   not   escape  from   it.   The   Russian   gunmen   were   at   the  head   of   the   valley   looking   down   from   a  strong   vantage   point   at   the   cavalry;   the  BriJsh  had  liKle  hope  of  victory.

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Stanza 1 Lines 4

Rode the six hundred

There were six hundred people and they were riding, probably on horseback.

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Stanza 1 Lines 5-6

'Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!' he said.

Due to miscommunication, The Commanding officer ordered The Light Brigade to move forward on a frontal assault against a well-prepared artillery battery.

Frontal assault is a direct, hostile movement of forces toward the front of an enemy force. By targeting the enemy's front, the attackers are subjecting themselves to the maximum defensive power of the enemy. Before the 19th century, a frontal assault against a thin line could be effective when conducted by horse cavalry.

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Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for

the guns!

Stanza 1 Lines 7-8

into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

The brigade had been ordered into the valley, and they were riding in, even though they knew that guns and "Death" were waiting for them.

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Stanza2

Lines 9

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"

•  The  men  were  being  sent  to  their  doom.  •  This   makes   us   pause   and   think   about   why  these   brave  men   were   being   sent   into   "the  valley  of  Death."  

•  RepeaJng   the   command   from   line   5   shows  the   commanding   officer   was   determined  there  was  no  going  back.  

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Stanza2

Lines 10 Was there a man dismay'd?

•  The   commanding   officer     asked   if   any   of   the  soldiers  were  "dismayed."    

•  In   this   case,   to   be   dismayed  means   to   lose   your  courage,  to  be  overcome  by  terror  or  sadness.    

•  That  would   be   a   normal   reacJon   to   anyone   in   a  situaJon  like  this.    

•  Of   course   the   Light   Brigade   was   too   tough   and  loyal  to  feel  dismayed.  

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Stanza2

Lines 11-12 Not though the soldier knew

Someone had blundered.

•  That   first   word,   "not,"   implies   that   these   men  didn't   feel   discouraged   at   all.   They  were   ready  to  do  their  job,  even  though  the  order  (to  charge  the  arJllery  baKery)  might  be  crazy.  

•  The   soldiers   were   not   dumb.   They   knew   this  charge   wasn't   a   good   idea,   that   someone   had  made   a   mistake,   had   "blundered"   (made   a  stupid  and  clumsy  mistake).  

•  The   poet   criJcized   the   men   who   ordered   this  aKack.    

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Stanza2

Lines 13 - 15 Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die.

•  They  were  just  doing  their  job  even  though  they  knew  they  would  certainly  be  killed.  That  job  did  not    permit  them  to  talk  back  to  their  commanders  ("make  reply")  or  to  figure  out  the  point  of  the  aKack  ("reason  why").  All  they  could  do  was  to  ride  and  fight  and  possibly  die  ("do  and  die").  

•  The  soldiers  realised  the  order  was  a  mistake  but  did  what  they  were  told  because  it  was  their  duty  to  obey  orders.    

•  The  poet  admires  the  bravery  and  sacrifice  of  the  men  and  in  disbelief    by  the  stupidity  of  the  order.  

Stanza2

Lines 16 - 17 Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

•  These   last   two   lines   are   the   same   as   the   last  two  lines  in  the  first  stanza.    

•  It   emphasises   that   these   men   were   riding   to  their  death.    

•  The  Light  Brigade  was  ordered  to  advance  into  a   valley   surrounded   by   enemy   soldiers.   The  cavalry  were  only  armed  with  swords,  whereas  the  Russian  soldiers  had  guns.      

•  The   Light   Brigade   were   virtually   defenceless  against  their  enemies,  and  many  of  them  were  killed.  

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Stanza  3    

Lines  18–  20  Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them

•  The   soldiers   were   surrounded   by   enemy  cannon,  leY,  right,  and  front.  

•  The  repeJJon  of  the  words   'Cannon'    sounds  like   explosives.     The   poet  made   it   clear   that  they   were   surrounded   by   powerful   weapons  and  that  there  was  very   liKle  chance  of  them  surviving.  FIT/SMKAM/02/2015  

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Volleyed and thundered;

•  The   word   "volley"   from   a   cannon  suggests   a   round   of   fir ing  (simultaneous   discharge   of   a  number  of  missile  weapons).  

•  These   huge   walls   of   cannon   all  around  them  are  firing,  and  making  a  sound  like  thunder.  

Stanza  3    

Lines  21  

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Stanza  3    

Lines  22  

Stormed at with shot and shell,

•  The   soldiers   in   the   Light   Brigade   were  being  "stormed  at,"  by  gunfire.  

•  The   "shot"   (bullets)   and   "shell"   (big  explosives   fired   from   cannon)   are   a  violent,   noisy,   destrucJve   force   that  reminds  the  speaker  of  a  storm.  

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Stanza  3    

Lines  23   Boldly they rode and well,

•  These  guys  were  not  scared  of  the  gunfire.  In   fact,   they   rode   "boldly"   (bravely)   even  though   it   seemed   more   and   more   like   a  suicide  mission.    •  The  poet  admires  the  soldiers  because  they  were   brave   and   skilful   despite   the   horrors  they  faced.    •  This  shows  us  how  heroic  these  men  were.  

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Stanza  3    

Lines  24-­‐26  

Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell Rode the six hundred

•  Now   the   valley   of  Death   becomes   the   "jaws   of  Death"   and   "the  mouth  of  hell".  

•  It  was   as   if   the   soldiers  were   riding   into   the  mouth  of   ferocious  monsters  that  they  could  not  escape  from.    

•  The  ‘jaws  of  Death’  brings  an  image  of  inescapability  –  the  men  had  been  gripped  by  a  monster  and  Death  was  waiJng  for  them.  

•   The  ‘mouth  of  Hell’  also  brings  an  image  of  sheer  horror.  It  is  as  if   the   earth   has   opened  up   to   swallow   the  men  –   they  will   die  terribly.  The  men’s  lives  had  been  snatched  from  them  suddenly  and  violently.    

•  RepeJJon  of  "the  six  hundred"   in  each  stanza  gives  the   idea  of  the  large  numbers  of  men  involved.    It  also  creates  an  image  of  a  chaoJc  baKle.  

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The Charge of the Light Brigade Themes

1.  Warfare It  describes  the  confusion,  the  terror,  the  bloodshed  in  a  war.   It   also   describes   the   heroism   and   excitement   of  armed  combat.  2.  Courage The   soldiers   of   the   Light   Brigade   were   courageous.    Every   one   of   them   charged   forward   to   the   enemy   line  bravely.  They  knew  exactly  how  dangerous  and  hopeless  the  job  was,  but  they  did  it  anyway.  

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The Charge of the Light Brigade Themes

3. Death Many  of   the  brave  soldiers   in   the  Light  Brigade  died   in  this  baKle.      4.  Duty The   soldiers   in   the   Light   Brigade  were   just   doing   their  job;   they   were   soldiers   and   it   was   their   duty   to   fight.    That's   what   makes   them   heroic,   but   it   makes   their  deaths  tragic.      5.  Honour and respect The  poet  wants  the  memory  of  the    soldiers  of  the  Light  Brigade  to  live  forever,  to  be  honoured  and  respected.  

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light  cavalry  

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A  troop  of  armies  comprises  of  lightly  armed  and  lightly  armored  soldiers  riding  on  horses.  The  missions  of  the  light  cavalry  were  primarily  screening  and  communicaJng,  and  were  usually  armed  with  spears,  swords,  bows.  

arJllery  baKery  

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A  unit  of  guns,  mortars,  rockets  or  missiles  so  grouped  in  order  to  facilitate  beKer  baKlefield  communicaJon  and  command  and  control  

cannons  

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