Alfred Lord Tennyson
By Quaid Fletcher
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 thundered;
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 wondered:
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
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed 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 wondered.
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 would because otherwise they might decide to punish you.
What is a brigade?
A subdivision of an army, typically consisting of a small number of infantry battalions and/or other units and often forming part of a division: "he commanded a brigade of 3,000 men".
“Theirs not to make reply/Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die” - What did this mean for the soldiers?
It might be a leader saying it and if they don't follow they can also be punished.
stor
What makes this a narrative poem?
A narrative is a fairy tale and made up of fantasy creatures
A narrative poem is a form of poetry which tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and characters as well.
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 place of where people lay dead
Who is “he” in line 6? The Commando
What is the six hundred referring to? 600 soldiers and there horses of course
Stanza 2:
Now that you see it in context, what does the line, “Theirs but to do and die” mean?
Go do it, listen to the commando and die.
Stanza 3:
What weapons are used against the Light Brigade?Guns cannons
What two things are personified here? JAWS OF DEATH and MOUTH OF HELL.
Stanza 4:
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? Six Hundred
What weapons did they carry?Sabre(sword)
What weapons did they face? Cannons Guns
Why did the Light Bergade Charge?They were told too
How are they survived of the Light Bergade at the end of the poem?
Click on the link on the picture to help you find your information
List 3 facts about the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson
Death
He died in 1892 (83) and was buried in We
stminster Abbey.
In 1833 (24) Hallam made a trip abroad with his father, and died suddenly in Vienna, an event which had a profound emotional impact on Tennyson, and led him later to write some of his most memorable verse, including In Memoriam, Ulysses, Tithones and the Passing of Arthur.
In 1831 (22) Tennyson’s father, who had returned home, died.
By Quaid Fletcher
