LO: TO be able to make clear and detailed annotations Annotating the Poem LO: TO be able to make clear and detailed annotations Stanza 1  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. Stanza 2 "Forward, the Light Brigade!"  Was there a man dismayed?  Not though the soldier knew  Someone had blundered.  Theirs not to make reply,  Theirs not to reason why,  Theirs but to do and die.  Into the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. Stanza 3 Cannon to right of them,  Cannon to left of them,  Cannon in front of them  Volleyed and thundered;  Stormed at with shot and shell,  Boldly they rode and well,  Into the jaws of Death,  Into the mouth of hell  Rode the six hundred. Stanza 4  Flashed all their sabres bare,  Flashed as they turned in air  Sab'ring 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  Reeled from the sabre stroke  Shattered and sundered.  Then they rode back, but not  Not the six hundred. Stanza 5 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 through the jaws of Death,  Back from the mouth of hell,  All that was left of them,  Left of six hundred. Stanza 6 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!

Courage Death Duty Warfare Respect Themes Courage Death Duty Warfare Respect

Themes Warfare Courage Death Duty Respect Number 1 theme! This is a poem about a battle All images in the poem relate to it: Cannons Bullets Smoke Sabres Poem about guts Every last soldier charges forward to the enemy line – they know how dangerous it is but they do it anyway Message about the heroism of ordinary, nameless soldiers Many of the soldiers die = tragedy Death is everywhere in this poem – constant presence Almost like a character Valley where battle takes place belongs to death Death = physical presence that you can see and touch Just soldiers doing their job - duty to fight This is what makes their deaths tragic Celebration of loyalty to commander who they know has given a bad order ALT has written this so that their memory lasts forever

Themes Warfare Death Duty & Courage Warfare Courage & Death Description of intense warfare Death Biblical place – adds hope? Warfare War imagery Stanza 1  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. Stanza 2 "Forward, the Light Brigade!"  Was there a man dismayed?  Not though the soldier knew  Someone had blundered.  Theirs not to make reply,  Theirs not to reason why,  Theirs but to do and die.  Into the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. Stanza 3 Cannon to right of them,  Cannon to left of them,  Cannon in front of them  Volleyed and thundered;  Stormed at with shot and shell,  Boldly they rode and well,  Into the jaws of Death,  Into the mouth of hell  Rode the six hundred. Stanza 4  Flashed all their sabres bare,  Flashed as they turned in air  Sab'ring 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  Reeled from the sabre stroke  Shattered and sundered.  Then they rode back, but not  Not the six hundred. Stanza 5 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 through the jaws of Death,  Back from the mouth of hell,  All that was left of them,  Left of six hundred. Stanza 6 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! Duty & Courage Unity and strength as a whole. The tragic loss of so many lives Courage These men are heroes Warfare Sums up what the poem is about – the battle Courage & Death Shows their bravery AND skill in the face of death Warfare & Courage They are fighting guns with sabres. Are they doomed? Courage EVERY one of the 600 shows courage, whether dead or alive at the end Duty & Courage They do it even though they know they will probably die because it is their duty Warfare Real, brutal violence Respect We should remember them. Why the poem was written.

Charge of the Light Brigade Imagery & Symbolism Opposite to ‘heavy brigade’ in war Charge of the Light Brigade Misleading title? ‘Light’ suggests good/sun/brightness/happiness/holy light Actually about the opposite

Imagery & Symbolism Jaws of Death Variation on the theme (valley/jaws) but jaws = more violent. Personification of Death – makes it a character in the poem – not just a valley, but a monster. Cannon Now the guns/cannon are real & very deadly – they are surrounded by gunfire. Faceless enemy. Stanza 1  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. Stanza 2 "Forward, the Light Brigade!"  Was there a man dismayed?  Not though the soldier knew  Someone had blundered.  Theirs not to make reply,  Theirs not to reason why,  Theirs but to do and die.  Into the valley of Death  Rode the six hundred. Stanza 3 Cannon to right of them,  Cannon to left of them,  Cannon in front of them  Volleyed and thundered;  Stormed at with shot and shell,  Boldly they rode and well,  Into the jaws of Death,  Into the mouth of hell  Rode the six hundred. Stanza 4  Flashed all their sabres bare,  Flashed as they turned in air  Sab'ring 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  Reeled from the sabre stroke  Shattered and sundered.  Then they rode back, but not  Not the six hundred. Stanza 5 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 through the jaws of Death,  Back from the mouth of hell,  All that was left of them,  Left of six hundred. Stanza 6 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! Light Makes them sound like the ‘good guys’ Valley of Death 1st major visual image Haunts whole poem Mouth of Hell Personification of hell/evil Powerful image of fear & danger – they are being swallowed up. Hell = fire/heat/suffering Coming back from the other side: They’ve seen hell, faced death and are now returning Sabres Symbol of their heroism & power. Romantic image of soldier on horse with sword. Guns Dangerous image of charging towards guns. Is this a good idea? Repetition of ‘not’ and ‘left’ Emphasises those who did not return - Tragic

Form & Structure Irregular Rhyme Not a firm rhyme scheme – ‘nearly’ rhymes Gives the effect of uneasiness or something not being quite right Dactylic Dimeter DACTYL = 1 stressed syllable followed by 2 stressed syllables in a foot DIMETER = 2 feet per line Strict metre that creates a regular rhythm Sound effects Trotting hooves/boom of cannon Pulls you into the world of the poem

Form & Structure Dactylic Dimeter creates sound effects Booming sound of each stressed syllable = sound of cannon Stanza 1  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. Stanza 2 "Forward, the Light Brigade!"  A Was there a man dismayed?  A Not though the soldier knew  B Someone had blundered.  C Theirs not to make reply,  D Theirs not to reason why,  D Theirs but to do and die.  D Into the valley of Death  E Rode the six hundred. C Stanza 3 Cannon to right of them,  Cannon to left of them,  Cannon in front of them  Volleyed and thundered;  Stormed at with shot and shell,  Boldly they rode and well,  Into the jaws of Death,  Into the mouth of hell  Rode the six hundred. Stanza 4  Flashed all their sabres bare,  Flashed as they turned in air  Sab'ring 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  Reeled from the sabre stroke  Shattered and sundered.  Then they rode back, but not  Not the six hundred. Stanza 5 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 through the jaws of Death,  Back from the mouth of hell,  All that was left of them,  Left of six hundred. Stanza 6 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! Like the sound of hooves/cannon …Pulls you into the world of the poem 1st half of poem = charge 2nd half of poem = retreat

Irregular rhyme scheme Form & Structure Dactylic Dimeter Strict metre creates a regular rhythm. Reflects the strictness of the army & creates sound effects Feet Rhyming couplet "Forward, the Light Brigade!"  A Was there a man dismayed?  A Not though the soldier knew  B Someone had blundered.  C Theirs not to make reply,  D Theirs not to reason why,  D Theirs but to do and die.  D Into the valley of Death  E Rode the six hundred. C Rhyming triplet Stressed syllables Near/slant rhyme Irregular rhyme scheme Creates a sense of uneasiness – all is not well. Reflects that mistakes have been made.