Alfred Lord Tennyson
LI: to understand the story behind this narrative poem
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.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
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.
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.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to 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 six hundred.
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!
At the Battle of Balaclava in 1854 during the Crimean War, the ‘Light Brigade’, (a group of British soldiers), charged down a narrow valley to fight the Russian soldiers who had captured British guns. The Russians were at the end of the valley as well as on each side of it. The attack was not a wise choice and happened because of a misunderstanding of an order sent by the commander-in-chief. After following orders less than a third of these men survived.
Answer these questions in full sentences:
- “If you were in the military and you were given an order, would you obey it – even if it meant putting your life on the line? Why or why not?” yes i will.... because if i don't obey the order then i will get punished.
- What is a brigade? A Large unit of an Army.
- “Theirs not to make reply/Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die” - What did this mean for the soldiers? Tt might be a leader saying it at if they don't follow they can be punished.
- What makes this a narrative poem? It is different to a recount but it is a poem.
Read the poem again and answer these questions about the language used:
LI: To explore the language of a narrative poem
Stanza 1:
- What does the Valley of Death mean?A valley where you die.
- Who is “he” in line 6? Alfred Lord Tennyson
- What is the six hundred referring to? His camp force.
Stanza 2:
- Now that you see it in context, what does the line, “Theirs but to do and die” mean? Just do it and just it done.
Stanza 3:
- What weapons are used against the Light Brigade? Guns and cannons smoke
- What two things are personified here? keep shooting don;t stop until you are injured
Stanza 6:
- Did the Light Brigade win or lose? lose
- Are they seen as heroes? Yes
Use short answers to answer the following questions.
LI: To show that I am reading for meaning and understanding
- About how many soldiers were in the Light Brigade?600
- What weapons did they carry? Sabre (sword)
- What weapons did they face? battery smoke
- Why did the Light Brigade charge? They were order to but (it was a mistake)
- How are the members of the Light Brigade survived at the end of the poem? 600 no-one died
Click on the link on the picture to help you find your information
List 3 facts about the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson
In 1830 21 he published Poems Chiefly Lyrical, which was attacked by Professor John Wilson writing in Blackwood’s Magazine as Christopher North, who complained of the infantile vanity and painful striving after originality of the poems, though he did add that he had good hopes of Alfred Tennyson.
In 1816 7 Tennyson was sent to Louth Grammar School, which he disliked so intensely that in later life he refused even to walk past the school.
In 1831 22 Tennyson’s father, who had returned home, died.
(Comment) This is the Charge of the Light Brigade work that I did today Tuesday 16 April
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