Starter quiz
- The ''Light Brigade'' in the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' refers to...
- the well-equipped Russian army.
- the lightly-armed British cavalry. ✓
- the British infantry.
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- Why did the Light Brigade go towards the "valley of death" in 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?
- they were tricked by the enemy to advance
- they wanted to sacrifice their lives
- they were given commands to charge for the guns ✓
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- The line: "Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why" from 'Charge of the Light Brigade' reflects the cavalry’s…
- stealth
- shock
- fear
- obedience ✓
- defiance
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- What does Tennyson indirectly cite as the catalyst for the huge suffering and loss of life in 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?
- low morale in the cavalry
- poor fighting skill in the cavalry
- the blunder of the commanding officer ✓
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- Match each method that Tennyson uses in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' to the evidence you could use to support it
- Glorification⇔''Honour the Light Brigade'' ✓
- Memoralise⇔The last stanza and ballad form ✓
- Euphemism⇔“While horse and hero fell’’ ✓
- In 'Charge of the Light Brigade', why might Tennyson have glorified the soldiers bravery, used euphemisms to describe their flight and memorialised the soldiers?
- He was good friends with one of the commanding officers
- He was Poet Laureate and perhaps had a national duty to celebrate the military ✓
- He was asked to censor all gruesome details of the battle
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Exit quiz
- What meter is most of ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ written in and why?
- iambic pentameter to keep a traditional feel to the poem
- dactylic dimeter to mirror the horses gallop ✓
- trochaic tetrameter to show the chaos in the poem
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- Which line is the refrain of the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade'?
- ''Rode the six hundred.'' ✓
- ''Stormed at with shot and shell''
- ''While horse and hero fell.''
- ''Came through the jaws of Death,''
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- Which line from stanza two of 'Charge of the Light Brigade' breaks the dactylic dimeter and why?
- “Forward, the Light Brigade!” - it echoes the command being issued
- ''Theirs but to do and die.'' - it draws attention to the sombre tone
- ''Not tho' the soldier knew'' - it emphasises the cavalry's naivety
- ''Someone had blundered.'' - it draws attention to the commander's mistake ✓
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- How does Tennyson present the battle in the following lines from 'Charge of the Light Brigade': "Into the valley of death" and "into the jaws of hell"?
- he personifies it as a monstrous threat, reflecting the inevitability of tragedy ✓
- he uses a semantic field of suffering to show the plight of the soldiers
- he uses alliteration to make the battle seem brutal
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- How does Tennyson end the poem 'Charge of the Light Brigade' and why?
- with a direct attack on the commanding officer who blundered
- memorialising the soldiers through the glorification of their bravery ✓
- describing the horrors of the battle
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- How does the biblical allusion in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' bring a sense of irony to the poem?
- The commanding officers did not protect the soldiers as God offered protection. ✓
- The soldiers did not hear the commands properly as the shepherd heard God.
- The horses betrayed the soldiers, but they ought to have obeyed as in the Bible.
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The poem is written in dactylic dimeter which echoes the forceful sound of horses galloping.
- The ballad contains a refrain, which could highlight the inevitability or scale of the tragedy.
- Tennyson personifies death to create a sense of foreboding, emphasising the vicious attack the soldiers faced.
- Tennyson alludes to Psalm 23, perhaps to criticise those in power who did not fulfil their duty to protect.
- The semantic field changes from that of danger and death to that of honour, bravery and heroism in the final stanza.
Common misconception
It is impressive to be able to identify and name structural techniques in an essay.
It is much better to be able to comment on why certain structural techniques have been used and the effects of them, over just naming them in an essay.
Keywords
Patriotic - showing love and devotion to your country
Refrain - a short part of a poem that is repeated
Allusion - a reference to a well-known character or event to deepen the reader’s understanding
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