The charge of the life brigade

By:hazwani,Alis,Amalin
What this poem is all about?

• 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.
ANALYSIS POEM
 Half a league half a league, Half a league onward

• 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
• 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
 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 British had little hope of victory.
 Rode the six hundred

•There were six hundred people and they

were riding, probably on horseback
'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 targe1ng the enemy's front, the
attackers are subjec1ng 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.
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.
 "Forward, the Light Brigade!"

•This makes us pause and think about why

these brave men were being sent into "the
valley of Death.“
• The men were being sent to their doom.
• Repeating the command from line 5 shows
the commanding officer was determined there
was no going back.
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 reaction to anyone in a situation like
this.
• Of course the Light Brigade was too tough and loyal to
feel dismayed.
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 artillery battery) 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 criticized the men who ordered this attack.
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 attack ("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.
Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of
them, Cannon in front of them
• The soldiers were surrounded by enemy cannon, le, right,
and front.
• The repetition of the words 'Cannon' sounds like explosives.
The poet made it clear that they were surrounded by
powerful weapons and that there was very little chance of them
surviving
 volleyed and thundered;
• The word "volley" from a cannon suggests a round of
firing (simultaneous discharge of a number of missile weapons).
• These huge walls of cannon all around them are firing, and
making a sound like thunder.

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, destructive force
that reminds the speaker of a storm
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 waiting 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.
• Repetiton of "the six hundred" in each stanza gives the idea of
the large numbers of men involved. It also creates an image of
a chaotic battle.
What is the charge of the Light Brigade about?

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.
Light calvary
THEMES
 WAR
This poem is about a battle where many brave men died
in carrying out an order that was a bad mistake. It
describes the terrible battlefield vividly. It highlights the
horror of war and also raises the question about the
responsibility of leaders towards the men who serve and
obey them in war.
DUTY, LOYALTY AND DISCIPILNE
• Every one of the six hundred soldiers was loyal
and disciplined. The narrator informs us that the
command to charge into the valley was a
mistake and this makes us all the more amazed
at the soldiers' loyalty and discipline. Even
though they know it is suicide to ride into the
valley, they follow their orders.
COURAGE IN THE FACE OF DEATH

•Closely related to the theme of loyalty is

courage. It takes great courage not to run
away from danger and death. These soldiers
know that death awaited them in the valley.
Yet they charge forward without hesitation
because it is their duty.
MORAL VALUES
 COURAGE DESERVES OUR RESPECT
• This poem describes the loyal and dutiful action of six
hundred men who bravely obeyed orders to charge
forward to certain death. The poet uses various techniques
to enable us to feel the hopelessness of the situation
facing these soldiers and the horror of what they
experienced in the battlefield. This is to show us that these
men deserve our respect and that we should honour them
for their courage.
WAR IS TRAGIC

• We learn that this troop of six hundred brave

men faced death as a result of a leader's mistake
- 'Someone had blundered' (line 12). The soldiers
had no choice because it was their duty to obey.
It was tragic that so many lives were to be
sacrificed in battle. While we admire the soldiers
for their bravery, we are also led to question the
unnecessary bloodshed and loss of lives.
WE MUST HAVE LOYALTY AND COURAGE

•Courage and loyalty are admirable

qualities which we must try to
attain.
WE MUST INSTIL THE SPIRIT OF PATRIOTISM

•We must love our country

and try to defend it when we
can.
SOMETIMES IT IS GOOD TO ASK QUESTIONS

•Sometimes it is good to question

things instead of just following
orders blindly.