Poem The Charge Of The Light Brigade: Meaning, Themes, Moral Values and Moral Lesson
Meaning
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
A league is an old way to measure distance, and it was equal to about 3 miles. So half a league is roughly a mile and a half– the brigade/battalion was charging forward in the battlefield
All in the valley of Death
The place where many soldiers would die in the battle (very scary & uncertain)
Rode the six hundred.
The exact number of soldiers was 600, riding horses
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
The captain commanded the soldiers to move forward bravely Note: they are called “Light” to separate them from the “Heavy Brigade,” another kind of cavalry unit at the time.Tennyson’s poem is based on real events. In 1854, there was a Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War.
Charge for the guns!” he said.
The soldiers were ordered to attack
Into the valley of Death
The soldiers moved to the battlefield, prepared to fight and to die fighting.The brigade was ordered into the valley, even though they knew that they were going to die.
Rode the six hundred.
Emphasis on the small number of soldiers – few but brave soldiers riding on horseback
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Again, the captain commanded the soldiers to move forward
Was there a man dismayed?
Was there any soldier who would lose his courage, be terrified or sad?
Not though the soldier knew
Of course the Light Brigade was too tough and loyal to feel dismayed. These men did not feel discouraged at all. They were ready to do their job, even though the order might be crazy (to meet their death).
Some one had blundered.
The soldiers knew that this charge was not a good idea, that someone had made a mistake.
Theirs not to make reply,
The soldiers were loyal and obedient – they did not talk back to their commander
Theirs not to reason why,
Or to figure out the point of the attack
Theirs but to do and die.
All they could do was to ride and fight and possibly die
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Repetition of stanza 1 – to emphasize courage/bravery, loyalty, commitment, duty
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
The soldiers were surrounded by enemy cannon on their left, right and front. Bad news for the Light Brigade – they were actually surrounded by enemies.
Volleyed and thundered;
So the huge walls of cannon all around them were firing and making a sound like thunder
Stormed at with shot and shell,
The soldiers in the Light Brigade were being shot at with bullets and big explosives fired from the cannon – a violent, noisy, destructive force that sounded like a storm.
Boldly they rode and well,
These soldiers were not scared of the gunfire. They rode bravely, confidently and with determination. It shows us how heroic these men were.
Into the jaws of Death,
They were ready/willing to die of honour
Into the mouth of Hell
‘Hell’ – suffering and torture but the soldiers were brave
Rode the six hundred.
600 brave/courageous soldiers – men of honour
THEMES:
Bravery / Courage
Honour
War and conflict
Death and destruction
MORAL VALUES:
Bravery / Courage
Loyalty
Determination
Confidence
Honour
Sacrifice
MORAL LESSONS:
We must struggle for peace, not war.
We must be loyal to our superiors.
Discipline is important in life.
Always be brave in facing challenges in life.
Poem The Charge Of The Light Brigade: Muat Turun Nota
Nota Ringkas: Tingkatan 4
