What massage is the poet trying to convey about “The Charge Of The Light Brigade”? In the poem “The Charge Of The Light Brigade” Alfred Tennyson tries to convey the readers to honor the qualities of the actual Light Brigade. With the use of figurative language, effective structure and techniques he achieve to show the determination and bravery of the six hundred soldiers that fought in the Brigade. Tennyson firstly introduce us to the heroes of the poem in the first stanza when he says “All in the valley of Death rode the six hundred”.
This metaphor show the bravery of the “six hundred” because they where riding towards their death. The personification of Death suggest that something terrible happened to the soldiers, and the phrase “valley of Death” helps the creation of an image of the setting,uncertain and terrible, which the six hundred where riding towards. Tennyson then decides to put a man shouting a military order, “Charge for the guns”. He leaves the person unknown to emphasize at the brave men and that they were following orders. The word “guns” confirms that the destination of the Brigade was towards their death.
The stanza ends with the repetition of the lines ” into the valley of death rode the six hundred” to emphasize more their fatal lost and their strength to face death. The message of the poem is described using a variety of techniques. The rhetorical question “Was there a man dismayed? ” Suggest that the soldiers didn’t lost their courage and they didn’t overcomes by terror while facing the death. This shows the loyalty and toughness of the heroes. The rhetorical question is contrasting with the following group of lines “Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die”.
There is alliteration being used. These lines sum up the heroism and nobility of the six hundred, which they did their job without reasoning, without replying even that their lives where based on that. Tennyson attempts to make us feel the way the soldiers did when they where surrounded, by using onomatopoeia through the lines “Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them”. The use of senses(optic and hearing) successfully help the reader to feel the moment, the terror of the soldiers as well as understanding better the quality of heir pride and strength to keep fighting and not be overcome by their fears. Their bravery is being described by the phrase “Bodly they rode and well”. There is a powerful personification of “jaws of Death/mouth of Hell” which represent the battlefield and the dangers, which again emphasize how heroic the men fought but it contrasting again with their fatal lost. Tennyson tries to show the response of the world to this charge by saying ” charging an army while all the world wondered”. Tennyson imagines that the viewers of the battle are wondering with awe and amazement.
At the end of stanza four, the poet through the phrase “Then they rode back, but not, not the six hundred” shows that the charge has ended, the soldiers are turning back. The repetition of the word “not” shows the terrible casualties of the Light Brigade, the lost of many men out of the six hundred. Furthermore, Tennyson recognize the soldiers as heroes as he emphasizes to the lost of their life ” while horse and hero fell”. There is a vivid image been created of the horse and the hero fall to the ground dead. The poem last stanza begins with a rhetorical question “When can their glory fade?
The speaker tries to make the soldiers of the Light Brigade legends, to emphasize that their glory should never fade. Tennyson want us to remember the Light Brigade as a “wild charge” and repeats the line “all the world wondered” this time Tennyson is referring to us, to show that we should be amazed with the wild charge of the brave heroes and we should wonder for their strength and pride. The poem ends with some commands “Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred”. These commands summarize the purpose of the poem, to tell us, that we should remember and respect these noble war heroes, to honor their lives.