Repetition can also be seen in ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ when in the third stanza it states, ‘Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volley’d and thunder’d’ (18-21). This section of the poem repeats that phrase over and over again to reinforce into the leaders head how many soldier were involved in the battle. This can be seen in the first stanza when it reads, ‘Half a league, half a league, half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred’ (1-4). Repetition is a literary device that repeats a word or a phrase a handful of time to get the point across and or make it memorable. Throughout ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ Tennyson uses a multitude of literary devices, one of those being repetition. These three lines state that not all 600 troops would return from the Valley of Death, implying that there were a great many casualties. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred’ (35-38). Another example would be in the fourth stanza when Tennyson discusses the amount of troops returning when he says, ‘Reel’d from the sabre-stroke Shatter’d and sunder’d. This section of the poem definitely shows a gloomier and darker side of war than the previously discussed section that glorified war. These lines of the poem also presents the journey into the battle felid as jaws of Death and the mouth of Hell. In this part of the poem it is describing the battle scene and how there is cannon fire coming from every direction at the charging soldiers. This can be seen it the third stanza which reads,” 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. While this poem celebrates the heroism and glory in battle, it also shows the scarier and tragic parts of it too. This clearly depicts the obedience and loyalty of the soldiers to follow their leader’s orders and continue to go into battle even though they knew that it wouldn’t end well. In the second stanza the obedience of the soldiers is forcefully expressed when is states,” 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” (10-15). this section of the poem really shows his compassion and respect for the soldiers and their bravery while fighting. Honor the charge they made! Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!” (50-56). Near the end of the poem it reads, ‘When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wonder’d. Tennyson purpose writing this poem was to honor the valor and bravery of the British forces. As soon as Tennyson caught wind of this story in a newspaper article he immediately wrote ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’. This was a job that seemed suitable for a group of 600 troops, but due to miscommunication in the chain of command the men were led right into a frontal assault that would not end well. Lord Raglan, who was the commander of the British forces, ordered his men to purse a group of retreating Russian troops who had possession of some British firearms. Near the middle of the war is when the Battle of Balaclava took place. Another cause of this war was the reluctance of the British forces to allow the Russian forces to gain power and territory at the expense of France. The Russians would not recognize the rights of the Catholics whereas the French did. One of the causes of this war was the rights of Christian minorities in the Holy Land. The Battle of Balaclava took place in during the Crimean War which was a war where Russia was defeated by the alliance of France and Britain. The Battle of Balaclava was just a small clash in a much more in depth war. He also uses a handful of literary devices like repetition, personification, and rhyme while doing so. Tennyson wrote this poem to honor those soldiers’ obedience and bravery after he read about the Battle of Balaclava in a newspaper article. This poem also highlights the nobility and bravery of the British forces in that battle, and also the ugliness and horrors in war. This poem tells the story of the Battle of Balaclava where a group of six hundred lightly equipped British soldiers who charged into The Valley of Death during the Crimean War while they were extremely outnumbered by Russian forces on all sides who had stolen some of their weapons. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
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