LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

Background information The Crimean War (1853-56) was fought between Russia and an alliance (group) made up of British, French and Turkish troops. On 25th October 1854, the British commander Lord Raglan ordered a group of 670 horsemen (the ‘Light Brigade’), armed with only lances and sabres, to attack a Russian artillery battery during the battle of Balaclava. Of the 670 who set off, only 195 returned. Historians have suggested that the brigade was given the wrong order, and sent into a narrow valley where they were fired on from both sides. ‘Some one had blunder’d’ Alfred, Lord Tennyson was Poet Laureate at the time, and published this poem six weeks after the battle. The poem is a dramatic narrative poem that re-creates the scene of the battle. LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

Making it relevant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVbSQpoFDb0 From watching this clip, write down what you think the poem is about from reading the poem and the information provided in this clip. LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

Metaphorical phrase. Repeated throughout. Creates emotion Metaphorical phrase. Repeated throughout. Creates emotion. Foreboding – why? Also, highly religious Repetition of short phrase. Creates speed. 1 league = 3.4 miles. ½ = 1.7 miles... 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 Who is ‘he’? Why is this line repeated throughout? What could the effect be? What could it mimic? LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

Order is repeated = no going back = foreboding. 2. "Forward, the Light Brigade!" Was there a man dismay'd? Not tho' the soldier knew Someone had blunder'd: 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. Question that the reader may ask. Answer below. Shows the courage = they knew yet still attacked! 3 Rhyming lines sums up Army life! (Follow orders without question!) Those lines again. More foreboding… LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

5 Senses (Sight) repetition to show clear and horrific image! left F R O N T 5 Senses (Sight) repetition to show clear and horrific image! right 3. 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. 5 Senses (Sight & Sound) for powerful effective imagery or destruction reinforced with Sibilant –S sounds Now they start dying en masse… Adverb. Shows what? 2 Vivid metaphors LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

Vivid & brutal image of hand-to-hand combat 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. Stark reality of what they’ve done – totally outnumbered. Seems like they’ve succeeded! Good use of imagery (senses). Effective rhyming couplet to show bravery Repetition of –S sound = Sibilance to show their effect on the Russians Reality is brutal – massive losses; no success. LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

left F R O N T 5. 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. right Same structure and effect as Stanza 3. But, now they have to get back!!! Admiration and sadness here LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

Rhetorical question = why use it? A cry of emotion? Sums up what the reader is thinking – WHY??? 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. 2 Imperative verbs commanding us to ‘honour’ and therefore, remember them ‘glory’ ‘honour’ ‘Noble’ = 3 highly positive words used about ‘the 600’ A fitting adjective to describe them. Poet’s voice? LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

A note on Structure The poem is very regular in its structure, with several examples of repetition. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ is a narrative poem - each of the stanzas progress the story of the failed attack. LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

A note on Rhyme Let's look at Stanza 2, where there's a lot of interesting rhyming going on: "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) Have a look in the other stanzas. Every one has interesting rhymes. Select one now and prepare to tell me about it. LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

A ‘Grade 9’ note on Meter Now for the meter. This part of the poem's form is definitely less complicated, once you get the hang of it. The first thing we'll look for in each line is which syllables are emphasized. We call that the ‘stress.’ In general, there are two main stresses in each line of the poem. For example, in Stanza 2, the stressed syllables in bold: "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.  See the pattern there? The stressed syllables come at the beginning and in the middle of the line. They are always followed by two unstressed (or less stressed) syllables. Try saying that first line out loud: "For-ward, the/ Light Bri-gade!" Hear that rhythm? DUM-da-da DUM-da-da. LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

A ‘Grade 9’ note on Meter See how we've split the lines up with slashes? In poetry, those little groups of syllables between the slashes are called ‘feet’. When the ‘feet’ look like this – with a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables – we call that a dactyl. When there are two feet per line, that's called dimeter. So the full, fancy English teacher name for the rhythm of this poem is dactylic dimeter. All well and good, but what I really want is for you to be able to hear that steady heartbeat rhythm running through the poem: DUM-da-da DUM-da-da DUM-da-da. This could represent the courage under fire that The Light Brigade showed during their ill-fated charge: their hearts never faltered! #boom LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

Summarise your knowledge Complete the table below: Once finished, start making notes in your anthology from the activities you have completed within the lessons. Verse What is described? 1 670 horsemen are given orders to charge into the ‘Valley of Death’ 2 3 4 5 6 LO: To be able to comment on the structure and rhythm of a poem.

To summarise… Key vocabulary: Key theme: Views of heroism, bravery and miscalculation in war. Key vocabulary: Light Brigade: Horsemen armed only with swords so that they could travel quickly. League: A distance of about three miles. Blunder’d: Made a mistake or miscalculation. Battery: A place where one or more guns are located. Volley: Guns or cannons firing all at once. You could compare ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ to: ‘Bayonet Charge’