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Year 10
Edexcel

Analysing the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade'

I can explore how Tennyson uses language and structure to powerfully express his messages about conflict.

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New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Analysing the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade'

I can explore how Tennyson uses language and structure to powerfully express his messages about conflict.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The poem is written in dactylic dimeter which echoes the forceful sound of horses galloping.
  2. The ballad contains a refrain, which could highlight the inevitability or scale of the tragedy.
  3. Tennyson personifies death to create a sense of foreboding, emphasising the vicious attack the soldiers faced.
  4. Tennyson alludes to Psalm 23, perhaps to criticise those in power who did not fulfil their duty to protect.
  5. The semantic field changes from that of danger and death to that of honour, bravery and heroism in the final stanza.

Common misconception

It is impressive to be able to identify and name structural techniques in an essay.

It is much better to be able to comment on why certain structural techniques have been used and the effects of them, over just naming them in an essay.

Keywords

  • Patriotic - showing love and devotion to your country

  • Refrain - a short part of a poem that is repeated

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

Ask the students to pick out the ''most important'' line of the poem. This may help them articulate the effect of language.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the AQA Power and Conflict Anthology for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The ''Light Brigade'' in the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' refers to...
the well-equipped Russian army.
Correct answer: the lightly-armed British cavalry.
the British infantry.
Q2.
Why did the Light Brigade go towards the "valley of death" in 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?
they were tricked by the enemy to advance
they wanted to sacrifice their lives
Correct answer: they were given commands to charge for the guns
Q3.
The line: "Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why" from 'Charge of the Light Brigade' reflects the cavalry’s…
stealth
shock
fear
Correct answer: obedience
defiance
Q4.
What does Tennyson indirectly cite as the catalyst for the huge suffering and loss of life in 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?
low morale in the cavalry
poor fighting skill in the cavalry
Correct answer: the blunder of the commanding officer
Q5.
Match each method that Tennyson uses in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' to the evidence you could use to support it
Correct Answer:Glorification,''Honour the Light Brigade''

''Honour the Light Brigade''

Correct Answer:Memoralise,The last stanza and ballad form

The last stanza and ballad form

Correct Answer:Euphemism,“While horse and hero fell’’

“While horse and hero fell’’

Q6.
In 'Charge of the Light Brigade', why might Tennyson have glorified the soldiers bravery, used euphemisms to describe their flight and memorialised the soldiers?
He was good friends with one of the commanding officers
Correct answer: 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

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What meter is most of ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ written in and why?
iambic pentameter to keep a traditional feel to the poem
Correct answer: dactylic dimeter to mirror the horses gallop
trochaic tetrameter to show the chaos in the poem
Q2.
Which line is the refrain of the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?
Correct answer: ''Rode the six hundred.''
''Stormed at with shot and shell''
''While horse and hero fell.''
''Came through the jaws of Death,''
Q3.
Which line from stanza two of 'Charge of the Light Brigade' breaks the dactylic dimeter and why?
“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
Correct answer: ''Someone had blundered.'' - it draws attention to the commander's mistake
Q4.
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"?
Correct answer: 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
Q5.
How does Tennyson end the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' and why?
with a direct attack on the commanding officer who blundered
Correct answer: memorialising the soldiers through the glorification of their bravery
describing the horrors of the battle
Q6.
How does the biblical allusion in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' bring a sense of irony to the poem?
Correct answer: 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.