POEM : The Charge of the Light Brigade

The Charge of the Light Brigade

BY LORD ALFRED TENNYSON
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.

About the Poem

This poem is about the 600 British soldiers as mentioned in the poet's background.
It also about the heroism and courage of a brigade. Well, many died in that battle
which is called by Crimean War (1854-1856). The soldier belonged to a light
brigade which means they were on horseback and armed only with sabres and
baton (light arms). By some mistake by one *in the poem said so, and they were
ordered into a valley which had heavily armed Russian enemy battalions on three
sides - front, left and right. The Russians were fully armed and they were very
powerful and they had powerful cannons. Now, when the light brigade charged into
this "valley of death", they were massacred by the cannons fire.Yes, most of them
died but they showed great heroism and patriotism in battle. On one side, well, we
can see how heroism and patriotism took part in the way we think, but hey! the
coin has two sides right? another side would be the challenging ideas of the
concept of obedience, patriotism and nationalism. Don't you think so?

VOCABULARY
WORD
Valley
Charge
Dismayed
Blundered
Volleyed
Shell
Boldly

MEANING
an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains,
especially one following the course of a stream.
to attack by rushing violently against:
to break down the courage of completely, as by
sudden danger or trouble; dishearten thoroughly; daunt:
to make a gross or stupid mistake, especially through
carelessness or mental confusion:
to fly or be discharged together, as missiles.
a hard, protecting or enclosing case or cover.
not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible
danger or rebuff; courageous and daring:

MEANING OF THE STANZA

Stanza 1

The light calvary was marching to the Valley of Death because the foes were no
match for them. It was like committing suicide. They were 600 of them riding
horses figthing in a battle. Their leader ordered them to move forward and
consficate the guns to prevent the guns from being carried away by the enemies.
Stanza 2
The soldiers were still moving foward. No one was discouraged by the fact that
somebody had made a foolish mistake by giving them a wrong order. They were not
in the position to answer any questions nor to ask why. They kept on moving
because it was their responsibility and they recieved order from their superior.
Even if the were fated to die, all the six hundred of them were still moving
forward.
Stanza 3
The soldiers bravely fought the battle. They were attacked from their right, their
left but they still moved forward. True enough, they were also attacked from the
front. But they marched fearlessly to the Valley of Death and fought until their last
breaths.
THEMES
1. Heroism and courage
2. Patriotism
3. Duty
4. The tragedy of wars
5. Leadership failure
MORAL VALUES
1. We should be brave in defending our country.
2. Appreciate the peace that we have.
3. Sometimes, it is good to ask questions.