THE CHARGE OF THE

LIGHT BRIGADE

Alferd, Lord Tennyson

WORD HELP
League an old way to measure distance.
Brigade a large group of soldiers that forms a unit
of an army
Charge to move forward/to attack violently
Dismayed worried or scared
Blundered made a careless mistake
Cannon - an old-fashioned large gun on wheels
Volleyed fired by a lot of bullets
Thundered a very loud sound
Shell a metal case that is filled with explosives

SUMMARY
The poem gives an account of a battle
during a war.
This is an extract of the full poem.
The extract of the poem tells the story of
how 600 British horsemen are ordered to
attack their enemies and the
consequences they face.

STANZA 1
The poem begins with the soldiers charging forward on
their horses. The repetition of the phrase half a league
gives a rhythmic quality of the horses galloping.
There are 600 soldiers in the Light Brigade. They are
talking orders from their commander, who is not named,
to attack their enemies and to seize their guns.
It is a very dangerous situation and the soldiers could
very end up dead.

STANZA 2
The second stanza begin with the same command being repeated
which gives a sense of urgency to the reader.
The poet asks a question that is perhaps on the readers mind
were the soldiers afraid?
He then explained that none of the soldiers has lost courage even
though they know that it is a mistake to attack the enemies.
The soldiers are loyal and brave men who know that it is not their
place to question the order.
They simply obey the command even though they are aware that
death awaits them.

STANZA 3
The soldiers are surrounded by the enemies
from all sides.
They are being attacked by bullets and
explosives.
Yet the soldiers ride on bravely, despite
knowing that they have little chance to stay
alive.

SETTING
The poem is set during the Crimean War in
the 1850s, (25 October 1854) specifically
during the Battle of Balaclava where the
soldiers of the Light Brigade suffered from
many casualties.
The poem takes place in the battlefield where
the Light Brigade fights enemies.

PLACE
The North Valley, near the city of Balaclava in the Crimean
Peninsula

PERSONA
The persona is the poet himself.
Written in the third person point of view.

THEMES
The complexities of war
Courage and heroism
Patriotism
Loyalty and duty

MORAL VALUES
We must have loyalty and courage
We must instil the spirit of patriotism
in ourselves
We must ask questions at times for
our own sake