Year 10 Poetry Collection Lesson 8 – ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Learning Objective To appreciate how the poet uses emotive language and strict adherence to metre to convey the drama and horror of a real historical event. Outcomes: You MUST annotate your poem independently with as much info as possible. You will need this for your revision next year. Anything you miss, it is your responsibility to catch up/complete Flipped Learning

Read and listen First impressions? What is it about? Repeated ideas? Tone? Message? Words – specific/interesting/unusual? Alliteration or other devices? Rhyme and rhythm? Structure?

Glossary light brigade cavalry league dismay’d sabre wonder’d battery Cossack sunder’d company of soldiers using light weaponry soldiers on horseback about 3 miles upset cavalry sword admired them heavy artillery/guns people from Russia, Ukraine and Siberia famed for their horsemanship torn apart

Glossary metre dactyl dactylic dimeter rhythm and pace of a poem one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables in poetic metre two feet in a line of poetry, with each foot consisting of a dactyl (see above)

Glossary alliteration hyperbole anaphora onomatopoeia rhetorical question repeated use of the same consonant in a phrase or line exaggeration for dramatic or emphatic effect repetition of word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines words that sound like their meaning question posed without any expectation of getting an answer

Glossary bias partisan propaganda censorship taking one side in a conflict or argument one-sided, biased biased or misleading information put out by governments to publicise or promote a political cause or point of view official examination of reports, texts, films, etc., possibly resulting in suppression of parts considered unacceptable

Context Crimean War (1854-6) Victorian Poet Laureate Lord Tennyson commissioned to write poem in 1854 – memorialising a catastrophic charge by British light cavalry over open terrain (637 involved, 247 killed or wounded) Victorian Poet Laureate

Exploring the poem… Listen to the rhythm and rhyme of the poem as you read it aloud. Dramatic narrative poem Heroic theme and tone Brisk tempo What do you notice about the rhythm? Regular metre and pace, sounds like drumbeats/galloping horses/booming cannon Overall tone of poem? Heroic/patriotic/defiant/dramatic

Technical stuff… Dactylic dimeter – has a ‘falling’ rhythm, where the voice fades on the unstressed syllables – suited to poem about courage of horsemen destined to fall to their deaths Forward, the Light Brigade! / Was there a man dismay’d? 2 stresses in line = dimeter 3 syllables per foot: 1 stressed, 2 unstressed = dactyl So, metre = dactylic dimeter Poets deviate from strict rhyme scheme to keep it interesting – and to stress specific words and ideas

Remember to comment on form, structure, metre, rhyme and poetic devices in exam What type of poem is it? lyric (emotions)? narrative (story)? epic (saga)? ballad (song-like)? Structure How many stanzas? How many lines per stanza? Are they all the same/each one different/mixed? Rhythm/Metre How many feet in the line? How does the stress fall in each foot? What is this called? Rhyme Is there a regular rhyme scheme? Any variations, e.g. couplets? triplets? near-rhymes? internal rhyme? Other poetic devices Alliteration? Repetition? Anaphora? Hyperbole? Rhetorical questions? Tone Is it elegiac (mournful)? light- hearted? gloomy? ironic? heroic? funny? dramatic? patriotic?

Themes of poem… Glory of war Heroism Death Courage/self-sacrifice Patriotic duty/loyalty Respect/reputation Honour What does the list imply about Tennyson’s attitude? Select quotes to support these themes

Viewpoint in poem Look at each stanza individually and explore. Example for stanza 1 explanation: Direct quote given so viewpoint possibly from an eye-witness who actually heard the order – a foot- soldier not involved in the charge, perhaps, or a lucky survivor of the cavalry casualties? Commander is not named – anonymous ‘he’ used instead. All the focus is on the brave 600.

Consolidation How does Alfred, Lord Tennyson present the ill-fated battle charge and its tragic outcome in his poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’, focusing in particular on effective use language, metre, tone and voice? Two paragraphs, please.

Peer assessment Are they using correct terminology? Are they using appropriate quotations? References to language, structure and form? GCSE Mark Scheme for Paper 2 Section B  Level 1 Identification of language, form and structure is minimal. Little evidence of relevant subject terminology. Level 2 There is some comment on the language, form and structure of the text. Limited use of relevant subject terminology to support examples given. Level 3 The response shows an understanding of a range of language, form and structure features and links these to their effect on the reader. Relevant subject terminology is used to support examples given. Level 4 Analysis of language, form and structure features and their effect on the reader is sustained. Relevant subject terminology is used accurately and appropriately to develop ideas. Level 5 The response is a cohesive evaluation of the interrelationship of language, form and structure and their effect on the reader. Relevant subject terminology is integrated and precise.