1

Word cloud

Name:
1

Date:

Before reading the poem look at the word cloud poster. Tick which of the following
themes you think this poem might be about.
Love

Family

Death

War

Relationships

Envy

Greed

Romance

Now look at the four words below from the word cloud poster. What do they tell you about
the mood of the poem might be?
noble

charging

boldly

Now look at these particular words. What do they tell you about the pace of the action in
the poem?
thunderd

hero

flashd

volleyd

stormd

Write down any images that come to mind as you look at the word cloud poster.

Now read the poem The Charge of the Light Brigade on Worksheet 2. Were the
predictions that you made about the poem in questions 14 correct?

Some words on the word cloud poster are larger than others. For example, the word
Death is quite large, whereas the word fade is quite small. Why is this? If youre not sure,
look at how many times each of these words is repeated in the poem itself.

Look at the poem. Four of the first five stanzas start with repeated words and phrases.
The second stanza does not, however. What might the reader notice here that is not
mentioned anywhere else in the poem?

Pearson Education Limited 2010

The Charge of the Light Brigade

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Name:
1
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.
2
Forward, the Light Brigade!
Was there a man dismayd?
Not tho the soldier knew
Some one had blunderd:
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.
3
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyd and thunderd;
Stormd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Pearson Education Limited 2010

Date:
4
Flashd all their sabres bare,
Flashd as they turnd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonderd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeld from the sabre stroke
Shatterd and sunderd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
5
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyd and thunderd;
Stormd 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 six hundred.
6
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!