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Charge Of The Light Brigade Essay

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The Crimean War is famed for “The Charge of the Light Brigade” written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson; this war “fundamentally alter[ed] the balance of power in Europe and set the stage for World War One” (Lambert). Tennyson wrote “The Charge of the Light Brigade” in a melodramatic way that simultaneously commemorates the soldiers involved while denouncing the act of war itself. Through this poem, the reader follows the British light cavalry as it charges the Russian forces. Soldiers at war do not question decisions made by a higher power, they simply perform what is asked of them and because of this Tennyson regards the soldiers as heroes while criticizing those who decide to act in wars as well as those who command soldiers to sacrifice their lives. Stanza one describes the soldiers as …show more content…
Since there are many examples of this throughout the poem the reader will feel frightened for the soldiers; the soldiers though are depicted as courageous men who are awe-inspiring to the reader. Tennyson is sure to show that these men are fighting a lost cause, doomed to die no matter what they do. Due to this, the soldiers seem to demand respect for sacrificing themselves while fighting another man’s battle. Lines five and six include the command “Forward the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns”! Although the reader never directly knows who the man giving the command is, it can be assumed that this is the leader of the Light Brigade. Tennyson intends to keep the commander unknown as to not take attention away from the soldiers themselves. Again, in line nine, the order is repeated. By repetition of this order, which is essentially asking the soldiers to sacrifice themselves, the reader begins to understand that the men are battling against their own free-will; they are purely following orders. Regardless of this fact, the soldiers continue their march and not one of them is

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