The Charge of the Light Brigade

Source : http://www.apache.be
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.
OVERVIEW
The Charge of the Light Brigade was written by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Those who
can still remember the poem Monsoon History would still remember the line
Reading Tennyson at six p.m.

. Anyway, this poem was inspired by a true

event that happened during the Battle of Balaclava that occured on 25 October
1854 in the Cremean War between the British and the Russian. As the name
suggests, the Light Brigade was supposed to pursue a retreating Russion artelliry
battery, a task well-suited to a light calvary. However, due to miscommunication in
the chain of command, the Light Brigade was sent on a frontal assault against the
more well-prepared artelliry battery specialised in defensive fire.
Adapted from : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade
THE POET

Lord Alfred Tennyson was born on August 6, 1809, in Somersby, Lincolnshire,

England. He is one of the most well-loved Victorian poets. Tennyson, the fourth of
twelve children, showed an early talent for writing. At the age of twelve he wrote a

6,000-line epic poem. His father, the Reverend George Tennyson, tutored his sons in
classical and modern languages. In the 1820s, however, Tennysons father began to
suffer frequent mental breakdowns that were exacerbated by alcoholism. One of
Tennysons brothers had violent quarrels with his father, a second was later
confined to an insane asylum, and another became an opium addict.
Tennyson escaped home in 1827 to attend Trinity College, Cambridge. In that same
year, he and his brother Charles published Poems by Two Brothers. Although the
poems in the book were mostly juvenilia, they attracted the attention of the
Apostles, an undergraduate literary club led by Arthur Hallam. The Apostles
provided Tennyson, who was tremendously shy, with much needed friendship and
confidence as a poet. Hallam and Tennyson became the best of friends; they toured
Europe together in 1830 and again in 1832. Hallams sudden death in 1833 greatly
affected the young poet. The long elegy In Memoriam and many of Tennysons other
poems are tributes to Hallam.
Source : http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/lord-alfred-tennyson
VOCABULARY
WORD
League
Valley

MEANING

an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or

mountains, especially one following the course of a
stream.
Charge
to attack by rushing violently against:
Dismayed
to break down the courage of completely, as by
sudden danger or trouble; dishearten thoroughly; daunt:
Blundered
to make a gross or stupid mistake, especially
through carelessness or mental confusion:
Volleyed
to fly or be discharged together, as missiles.
Shell
a hard, protecting or enclosing case or cover.
Boldly
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.
MORAL VALUES
We should be brave in defending our country.
Appreciate the peace that we have.
Sometimes, it is good to ask questions.