The Charge of the Light Brigade (AQA GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Deb Orrock
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
Each poetry anthology in the GCSE contains 15 poems, and in the poetry question in the exam you will be given one poem on the paper – printed in full – and asked to compare this given poem to one other from the anthology. As this is a “closed book” exam, you will not have access to the other poems, so you will have to know them very well from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to learn. However, understanding four things about each poem will enable you to produce a top-mark response:
The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages the poet wanted to convey
How the poet conveys these ideas and messages through their methods
How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas and themes of other poems in the anthology
Below is a guide to Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade, from the Power and Conflict anthology. It includes:
Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam
Overview
In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is essential that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
The poem in a nutshell
A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Tennyson’s intention and message
The Charge of the Light Brigade in a nutshell
The Charge of the Light Brigade was first published in 1855 and tells the story of a battle during the Crimean War (1853-1855), in which a British cavalry unit, the “Light Brigade”, was ordered to charge against a Russian artillery unit. This order essentially sent approximately six hundred men to their possible deaths. The poet, Tennyson, read a newspaper report about the battle, and he wrote the poem to celebrate the heroism and sacrifice of the soldiers, but also to criticise those in power who gave the order, as it caused so many deaths. The poem deals most obviously with the theme of conflict via war, but also explores the inner conflict of doing one’s duty, even when it leads to almost certain death.
The Charge of the Light Brigade breakdown
Lines 1-8
“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.”
Translation
The speaker reveals the subject of the poem in this first stanza
Six hundred soldiers on horses (the “Light Brigade”) rode for a mile and a half (“half a league”) into the valley of Death
Their commander ordered them to charge forward towards the artillery
Tennyson’s intention
Tennyson uses repetition of distance at the start of the poem to emphasise how far they have to go and how exposed and vulnerable the soldiers are
The number of men is also repeated throughout the poem to reinforce the number of lives lost
Marching into the valley of Death is a biblical reference to Psalm 23: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;”
The poet here suggests that the men knew that they were riding to their deaths
But the biblical reference implies that the men may have taken comfort in knowing their God was with them
Lines 9-17
“‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
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.”
Translation
The commander repeats the order to advance
Was any soldier discouraged or afraid? No, even though they knew that someone had made a mistake and that this was a suicide mission
It wasn’t up to them to question their orders; their job was to follow those orders and die
So the six hundred men rode to their deaths
Tennyson’s intention
In this stanza, Tennyson reveals the thoughts of the soldiers and their awareness that someone had made a mistake (“blunder’d”) that would cost them their lives
However, they were bound by a sense of duty, so they did not think to question it or to challenge their orders
Although the use of the rhetorical question could suggest an element of doubt in the soldiers’ minds
Their sense of duty reflects the power those in charge had over whether the regular soldiers lived or died
Lines 18-26
“Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.”
Translation
The men were surrounded by cannons and loud blasts
They were showered with gunshots and artillery shells
But even so, they continued to ride bravely into the mouth of Death and Hell itself
Tennyson’s intention
The speaker of the poem tells the tale as someone who was there and saw it all happen
This lends a level of authenticity to the tale
Via the repetition of “cannon”, the men knew that they were surrounded by military machinery, but still they rode on bravely
Tennyson is again commenting on the sense of duty the soldiers possessed, as well as their courage
Death and Hell are personified as creatures that will eat the soldiers
Lines 27-38
“Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.”
Translation
The soldiers raised their swords (“sabres”) into the air, which flashed in the light
They charged into the army and stabbed the enemy soldiers who were manning the guns
The whole world watched in amazement and confusion
The soldiers plunged into the smoke from the guns and broke through the enemy lines
The Cossack and Russian soldiers reeled from the sword strikes, shattered and broken
The Light Brigade rode back, but not all of them made it
Tennyson’s intention
In this stanza, Tennyson reveals that while the army charged to their deaths, the world wondered why they were ordered to do so
Ironically, the only people not wondering were the soldiers themselves
“Cossack and Russian” is a reference to the enemy soldiers who were fighting against British soldiers during the Crimean War
At the end of this stanza, the speaker reveals that some did make it out alive
History tells us that 247 of the men returned home from that battle
Lines 39-49
“Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of the six hundred.”
Translation
Again, the speaker repeats the fact that the soldiers were surrounded by firing cannons
Whilst many soldiers and horses died, those that fought well survived
That was all that was left of the six hundred who set out
Tennyson’s intention
The repetition of the image of the cannons emphasises the soldiers’ bravery and courage
The speaker clearly finds it miraculous that some came back at all
Lines 50-55
“When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!”
Translation
The speaker queries when their bravery would ever be forgotten, as the whole world admired what they did
The speaker then urges the reader to respect the soldiers and what they did, those brave men
Tennyson’s intention
In this stanza, the speaker calls to honour and respect the six hundred men who rode at the Battle of Balaclava
The rhetorical question, “When can their glory fade?” suggests both the fallen and the survivors would be forever remembered and honoured
This rhetorical device also alludes to the poem being a piece of propaganda
This is reinforced by the imperative verb “honour”, demanding that the public honour the soldiers
Writer’s Methods
Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is important to take an integrated approach to AO2, focusing on the main themes of the poem and then evaluating how Tennyson’s choices of language, structure and form contribute to these ideas. In essence, how and why the poet has made the choices they have, in relation to their intentions and message.
Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme and includes Tennyson’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:
Form
The poem is written in the form of a ballad, a type of historic poetry form used to commemorate a story for future generations to hear. The poem, therefore, acts to memorialize the people who were killed in the conflict, and their heroism and bravery.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Conflict, war and heroism | There are six stanzas, with each one progressing the story of the attack | Each stanza could therefore be considered a memorial stone to 100 of the six hundred cavalrymen |
The first three stanzas tell of the charge, the fourth on the battle itself and the fifth describes the aftermath | The final stanza allows Tennyson to reflect and comment on the bravery of the men | |
The poem uses short, energetic lines | This gives the poem a swiftness of movement, much like the soldiers going into battle |
Structure
Tennyson uses rhythm and rhyme to establish the atmosphere of the poem and to emphasise the themes of war and patriotism.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
War and patriotism | The poet uses dactylic dimeter, which is a long syllable followed by two short syllables, to represent the rhythm of horses running into battle | The relentlessness of the rhythm implies that the soldiers had no choice but to obey their orders and continue forward |
This sense of inevitability is reinforced by the use of rhyming couplets, although the chaos of it is also represented by the irregular overall rhyme scheme | ||
Tennyson also repeatedly employs repetition, such as in “Half a league” and “cannons” | The repetition of “cannons” makes them seem as though they are overwhelming | |
The poet makes use of end-stopped lines, such as in “Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die.” | This technique conveys the resolve and the bravery of the light brigade as they face death | |
The lines are strong, confident and determined, just like the soldiers themselves | ||
Tennyson also uses anaphora, such as in the above lines | This reiterates the soldiers’ obedience and lack of individualism |
Language
The language Tennyson employs reinforces the main themes of war, patriotism and heroism in the face of certain death.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
War, patriotism and heroism | Tennyson uses euphemisms, such as “horse and hero fell”, rather than explicitly referring to death | This softens the impact and the reality of brutal battle |
Tennyson’s job in this poem was to present a heroic and patriotic version of events, rather than the reality of war | ||
The poet uses the “valley of Death” as a metaphor for the battlefield | This demonstrates that both the poet and the soldiers knew that this was a suicide mission, and they were likely to die | |
Death is personified as having “jaws” and Hell as having a “mouth” | This implies that the soldiers will be eaten up by death, and that there is no escape | |
Tennyson uses language associated with storms, such as “thundered”, “stormed” and “flashed” | This reflects the unpredictable and chaotic nature of war, and the terrible force and brutality it can contain | |
There is also some ambiguity in the line, “all the world wonder’d” | This causes the listener to question if this denotes admiration or doubt | |
The poet also employs further repetition in the word “charge” | This could reference the bravery and heroism of the soldiers boldly charging into battle | |
However, it could also imply a “charge” against those who made the mistake by sending the soldiers to their deaths |
Context
Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be written about separately. Therefore, you should not include lots of historical information about the Crimean War or the Battle of Balaclava. The best way to understand context is the ideas and perspectives explored by Tennyson in the poem which relate to power or conflict. As this is one of the more straightforward poems in the anthology in terms of analysis, this section has been bullet-pointed under the main umbrella theme of war and heroism:
War and heroism
The poem is about an advance made by approximately 600 British soldiers on horseback in 1854 during the Battle of Balaclava, part of the Crimean War
Tennyson read a newspaper report about the battle and wrote the poem to celebrate the sacrifice the soldiers made for their country
The order was to attack a very strongly defended Russian position:
As they charged into the valley, the soldiers of the Light Brigade were fired at from all sides
Although they were surrounded, some of the soldiers made it through to the Russian line, and ended up engaged in a violent battle with swords and hand-to-hand combat
Tennyson also indirectly criticises the orders given by Lord Raglan, the man in charge, as his order caused so many deaths:
Tennyson was poet laureate at the time, so he could not be openly critical of British systems and institutions
He was duty bound to glorify war to the British public, to defend the positions of the aristocracy
Tennyson led a rather privileged life, leading some to question the extent of his knowledge about the reality of war
The Crimean War was extremely well documented, and was largely unpopular with the British public:
They saw it as unnecessary and were aware of the mistakes made because of how it was being reported
This battle triggered much debate about the war and its leadership
It was also one of the first conflicts to use modern military techniques, like exploding artillery shells, resulting in death and destruction on a much wider scale
Allusions to Christianity would have offered comfort to Victorian readers
The poem suggests that heroism isn’t just about bravery, but also about duty:
Being willing to obey orders no matter the cost
The theme of nationalism is present in the final stanza of the poem, as the poet instructs the reader, as in the collective general public, to “honour” the light brigade for their actions
What to Compare it to
The essay you are required to write in your exam is an integrated comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems (the one given on the exam paper and one other). It is, therefore, essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about power, or conflict, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that The Charge of the Light Brigade focuses mainly on war and patriotism, the following comparisons would be a good place to start:
For each pair of poems, you will find:
The comparison in a nutshell
Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences
The Charge of the Light Brigade and Exposure
Comparison in a nutshell:
This comparison provides the opportunity to compare how different poets present the experience of war. Although the experiences of war are presented differently, both ultimately underline the needlessness of war and that the experiences of the soldiers are to be taken seriously.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems serve as a mouthpiece to expose the reality of war and the resulting death that inevitably occurs | |
Evidence and analysis | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Exposure |
Tennyson indirectly criticises military leaders’ decisions by stating that “Someone had blunder’d” | In Exposure, Owen depicts the soldiers as isolated in “Worried by silence” | |
Tennyson also puts the emphasis on the soldiers themselves, as he instructs the reader to “Honour the Light Brigade” rather than those in charge | This, plus the use of rhetorical questions, imply that they feel abandoned by the authority that put them there | |
Tennyson uses repetition to emphasise the vast number of lives lost in war and the harsh brutality of conflict | Similarly, Own repeats “But nothing happens” to suggest that the men are being forced to wait in freezing trenches for no reason | |
| Tennyson uses the semantic field of a storm to emphasise the violence and power of charging into conflict | Owen uses the personification of the “iced east winds knife us” to suggest that the wind is violently attacking the men |
This is ironic as they wait for the enemy to attack | ||
| In this poem, the men followed their orders without question, even though they knew it would lead to death | The poet Wilfred Owen ultimately returned to war, despite having lost hope in the cause he was meant to be fighting for |
Differences:
Topic sentence | In Exposure, war is presented as ultimately futile, whereas in The Charge of the Light Brigade, war is presented, at least on the surface, as honourable and brave | |
Evidence and analysis | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Exposure |
As Tennyson was poet laureate at the time, he would not have been able to be outwardly critical of authority | Owen was a soldier on the front line at the time of writing, so could be more openly critical of a situation of which he had first-hand experience | |
The poem, therefore, reads as patriotic and contains lexis from the semantic field of propaganda, such as “glory”, “honour” and “noble” | Therefore, this poem presents a much more negative presentation of the realities of war and conflict | |
In Tennyson’s poem, there is noise, and the men do not seem to have the opportunity to feel frightened. They are charging straight into action | Owen’s poem is characterised by silence and inaction. It is in the silence that the men feel frightened | |
The sound in this poem is loud and explosive | This contrasts with waiting in the silence and cold in Exposure | |
Tennyson’s use of euphemism and gentler language is kinder to the reader, shielding them from the true horrors of war | Owen’s language is much more reflective of the soldier’s lived experiences and is, therefore, more brutal, such as “merciless”, “twitching agonies” and “misery” | |
The Charge of the Light Brigade and Bayonet Charge
Comparison in a nutshell:
This comparison provides the opportunity to compare how those involved in war are treated. In The Charge of the Light Brigade, Tennyson focuses on the collective, whereas in Bayonet Charge, the focus is on the individual and his sense of isolation. However, in both poems, the soldiers’ actions are ultimately out of their own control.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems are written from an outsider’s perspective, inspired by the experiences of those who ultimately did not have a choice | |
Evidence and analysis | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Bayonet Charge |
| Neither Tennyson nor Hughes ever experienced the actual brutality of war, but were both inspired to write their poems through other people’s experiences | |
| The “charge” in Tennyson’s poem relates to 600 men who do not have a choice but to obey their orders | The “charge” in Hughes’ poem focuses on a frightened individual soldier who also does not have a choice in the situation in which he finds himself |
| “Theirs not to reason why” shows that the soldiers obey their orders without question | “In what cold clockwork of the stars and nations//Was he the hand pointing that second?” shows that this soldier feels stuck in that time and that there is no escape |
| In this way, the soldiers’ actions can be viewed as out of their control and as their fate | In a similar way, the situation he finds himself in is out of his control and is also his fate |
| The Light Brigade are motivated by a sense of duty | A sense of duty must have prompted this soldier to sign up to go to war |
| In The Charge of the Light Brigade, the soldiers are armed only with swords against the artillery fire of the Russians | The soldier is armed with a bayonet, and yet is “dazzled with rifle fire” |
| Both poems seem to suggest that soldiers are trained with a reflex action that enables them to obey orders instinctively, becoming killing machines without individual thought | |
| The soldiers in both poems could be considered to be expendable, and exploited by those in charge who give the orders | |
Differences:
Topic sentence | Although both poems imply criticism of the leaders of war, the idea of patriotism is celebrated in Tennyson’s poem, whereas it is challenged in Bayonet Charge | |
Evidence and analysis | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Bayonet Charge |
The story in the poem is told chronologically, in a ballad form to memorialise the soldiers and their actions | This poem is narrated right in the middle of the action, emphasising the sense of disorientation and chaos the soldier experiences | |
Tennyson seems to praise the blind obedience of the soldiers in the rhetorical question “When can their glory fade?” | Hughes challenges the perception of honour in the line “In bewilderment then he almost stopped.” | |
Any criticism of authority is subtle in this poem, due to Tennyson’s position as poet laureate | Hughes was a relative unknown when Bayonet Charge was published, allowing him more freedom to openly criticise the mechanisms of conflict | |
The soldiers do not question their role or their orders in this poem | The idea of patriotism is undermined via the lines “The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye” | |
Their patriotic duty is to “do and die”, and they are celebrated in the poem for doing so | This contrasts the idealism of patriotism with the reality of fighting and killing | |
This celebration of their sacrifice is reinforced by the “glory”, “honour” and “noble” of the final stanza | The soldier in this poem questions his role in the conflict | |
The dismissive “etcetera” in the line “King, honour, human dignity etcetera” undermines the usual rhetoric of war, as all of these things ultimately do not matter in the fear of the moment | ||
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