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a reference to a well-known character or event to deepen the reader’s understanding

Analysing the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade'

English

In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of power and conflict. In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'A World at War: Poetry', pupils explore how poets presents the atrocities of World War One through their poetry. In 'AQA Power and Conflict Poetry', pupils analyse how a variety of different wars have been presented through poetry.

Poetry anthology: first study

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

iambic pentameter to keep a traditional feel to the poem

dactylic dimeter to mirror the horses gallop

trochaic tetrameter to show the chaos in the poem

What meter is most of ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ written in and why?

Which line is the refrain of the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?

“Forward, the Light Brigade!” - it echoes the command being issued

''Theirs but to do and die.'' - it draws attention to the sombre tone

''Not tho' the soldier knew'' - it emphasises the cavalry's naivety

''Someone had blundered.'' - it draws attention to the commander's mistake

Which line from stanza two of 'Charge of the Light Brigade' breaks the dactylic dimeter and why?

he personifies it as a monstrous threat, reflecting the inevitability of tragedy

he uses a semantic field of suffering to show the plight of the soldiers

he uses alliteration to make the battle seem brutal

How does Tennyson present the battle in the following lines from 'Charge of the Light Brigade': "Into the valley of death" and "into the jaws of hell"?

with a direct attack on the commanding officer who blundered

memorialising the soldiers through the glorification of their bravery

How does Tennyson end the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' and why?

The commanding officers did not protect the soldiers as God offered protection.

The soldiers did not hear the commands properly as the shepherd heard God.

The horses betrayed the soldiers, but they ought to have obeyed as in the Bible.

How does the biblical allusion in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' bring a sense of irony to the poem?

The ''Light Brigade'' in the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' refers to...

they were tricked by the enemy to advance

they were given commands to charge for the guns

Why did the Light Brigade go towards the "valley of death" in 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?

The line: "Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why" from 'Charge of the Light Brigade' reflects the cavalry’s…

What does Tennyson indirectly cite as the catalyst for the huge suffering and loss of life in 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?

Match each method that Tennyson uses in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' to the evidence you could use to support it

He was good friends with one of the commanding officers

He was Poet Laureate and perhaps had a national duty to celebrate the military

He was asked to censor all gruesome details of the battle

In 'Charge of the Light Brigade', why might Tennyson have glorified the soldiers bravery, used euphemisms to describe their flight and memorialised the soldiers?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision recommended

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Analysing the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade'

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.