The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Alfred, Lord Tennyson was born in 1809 and died in 1892. He was an English poet who studied at Cambridge University. He was honored with the title of Poet Laureate of Great Britian and Ireland. 

From The Charge of the Light Brigade

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 

   Rode the six hundred. 

II

“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. 

   Into the valley of Death 

   Rode the six hundred. 

In the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson, the author uses a strict structure to tell the story of the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava. Tennyson uses dactylic feet to praise the Brigade. He emphasizes the honor is serving one's country and being loyal to your leaders. This is shown by the soliders knowing that their commander made a mistake and carrying on anyway, "Was there a man dismay'd?/ Not tho' the solider knew/ Someone had blunder'd." The author praises the soliders but it does not make light of the cruelties of war. Tennyson makes it clear that war is brutal by using diction like "the vallley of Death" to describe the battlefield. In addition to honoring the men in the brigade, the author emphasizes the idea that the role of the solider is to obey. He does this by using repetion of structure and the word "their" in the lines, "Theirs not ti make reply/ Theirs not to reason why/ Theirs but to do and die." In these lines he is saying that the job the solider is not to talk back or question commands, it is to do what is told even if that means death. Just like soliders repeat what their commanders tell them, Tennyson repeats sentence structure.