The Charge of the Light Brigade for better circumstances to do battle on the action but the thoughts and

on but the thoughts and spirit of

more equal terms? the 600 men as a collective unit. There is
by Alfred Lord Tennyson
• Patriotism also a reference that “someone had
The poem was written in the heyday of blundered”.
About the Poet
extreme nationalism and patriotism.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson was born on 6
During the time of the Crimean War, Tone/Mood
August 1809 in Somersby, Lincolnshire,
people believed in blind, unthinking • The poem has a war battle tone which
England. He was Poet Laureate of Great
patriotism. Yet, we feel sad for the young reflects the movement and sound of the
Britain and Ireland from 1850 till his
lives sacrificed for the sake of patriotism. charge.
death at the age of 83. In his poems,
Today, people are more questioning and • The overall mood is one of collective
Tennyson used a wide range of subject
critical in their concept of patriotism. action, rather than individual impulse.
matter, ranging from medieval legends to
• Duty • The poem has a rolling, hypnotic sound,
classical myths and from domestic
The soldiers of the Light Brigade had a like the sound of a military march.
situations to observations of nature, as
strong sense of duty. For them, the • There is also a feeling of exhaustion, as
source material for his poetry. His poems
success of their brigade demanded total one feels at the end of a race, just trying
are noted for the richness of his imagery
obedience even in the face of personal to force oneself through the last few laps.
and descriptive writing. He also handled
danger. None of them thought of
rhythm masterfully. In 1855, Tennyson
deserting or retreating when the order to Language and Style Repetition
produced one of his best-known poems
charge was given. Should we today adopt • The poet makes intensive use of
“The Charge of the Light Brigade”, a
this attitude to duty? repetition (refrains) to create a hypnotic
tribute to the heroic British cavalrymen
• The tragedy of war effect. Examples of such refrains are half
involved in an ill-advised charge on 25
Although Lord Tennyson praises the a league (repeated thrice) and Rode the
October 1854, during the Crimean War.
fighting spirit of the British soldiers, it is six hundred (repeated four times). The
Alfred, Lord Tennyson is acclaimed as one
also possible to see this poem as a hidden refrains also give us the impression of an
of the greatest poets in English literature.
attack on war. This is because war creates army marching forward. Anaphora and
He died on 3rd October 1892 at Aldworth.
situations where human lives are Rhyme Anaphora means ‘backward
He was buried at Westminster Abbey.
sacrificed unnecessarily. The poem shows reference’. One example is the repeated
the human cost of war on one side – the use of ‘Theirs’ in the opening lines.
About the Poem
British side. However, we the readers can • One of the common patterns used is the
This poem is about the heroism and
guess that many lives were also lost on sequence of three lines linked by
courage of a brigade of 600 British
the Russian side. anaphora and rhyme as seen below:
soldiers, many of whom died in battle
• Leadership failure “Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to
during the Crimean War (1854-56). The
Was there a mistake in the command reason why, theirs but to do and die.”
soldiers belonged to a light brigade who
given? We know the soldiers realised The rhyme effect is seen at the end of
means they were on horseback and
something was wrong with the order each line. We see this pattern again in the
armed only with sabres and batons (light
given. We know this from the line following lines: “Cannon to the left of
arms). By some mistake, they were
“Someone had blundered”. The wrong them, Cannon to the right of them.
ordered into a valley which had heavily
decisions of leaders can very often Cannon in front of them.”
armed Russian enemy battalions on three
because great suffering among innocent
sides – front, right and left. These
people. The poem tells us that leadership Imagery
armoured battalions had powerful
is a serious responsibility which should be • The poet describes the battle scene as
cannons aimed at the light brigade. When
exercised with care and sensitivity. the ‘valley of Death’. This is later
the light brigade charged into this “valley
described as the ‘jaws of Death’ and ‘the
of death”, they were massacred by the
Moral Values mouth of Hell”. With these images, we
cannon fire. Nevertheless, the British
• Patriotism sense the poet’s underlying unease about
soldiers fought the Russians till the bitter
We must be patriotic and ready to make war even though he glorifies the heroism
end. Although most of them died, the
sacrifices for our country. The poem tells of the soldiers. The equation of war with
Light Brigade had shown great heroism
of the spirit of self-sacrifice shown by the the ‘jaws of Death’ suggests that war is a
and patriotism in battle. This poem is not
soldiers even though they knew they predator that feeds on human lives.
simply one that praises heroism in war. It
might not survive this battle.
makes us think about the unnecessary
• Duty Point of View
human cost of war. It also challenges our
We must have a sense of duty and The poem is narrated by an omniscient
ideas about obedience, patriotism and
obligation in our work. The soldiers (third person) narrator.
nationalism.
remained faithful and true to their
officer’s command even though they
Themes
knew someone might have blundered.
• Heroism and courage
• Anti-war sentiment
The soldiers knew that they were battling
We should not go to war as war costs
against a better armed enemy, yet they
unnecessary loss of lives. The poem can
charged into battle with great courage.
also be seen as a subtle attack on the
The poem praises their heroism and
wastage of lives in war.
selflessness. This idea is also open to
The Persona
debate and challenge. Is this courage or
The poem is narrated by an omniscient
sheer madness? Should they have waited
(all-seeing) narrator who reports not only
 Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Poem: The Charge of the Light Brigade

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.

IV
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,