Charge of the light brigade

The Charge Of The Light Brigade 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 he line? Why or why not?” Yes because he is the commander. What is a brigade? A group of soilders. “Theirs not to make reply/Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die” - What did this mean for the soldiers? They just have to do it and die What makes this a narrative poem? A story 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? Because most of the people died Who is “he” in line 6? The commander What is the six hundred referring to? The six hundred soldiers and horses Stanza 2: Now that you see it in context, what does the line, “Theirs but to do and die” mean? It’s ment to be tragic and a sad poem Stanza 3: What weapons are used against the Light Brigade? Guns and cannons What two things are personified here? Jaws of death and mouth of hell 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? Six hundred What weapons did they carry? Sabre (sword) What weapons did they face? cannons and guns Why did the Light Brigade charge? They were ordered to but it was a mistake How are the members of the Light Brigade survived at the end of the poem? They are being honoured List 3 facts about the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson He was born in Lincolnshire, Somersby Born in 1809-1892 He joined his brothers at Trinity Collage