Determined to avoid Sevastopol’s capture, the Russians regrouped and attacked at the battle of Balaclava on 25 October. In September 1854 allied troops landed in the Russian-held Crimean peninsula and defeated the more technologically backward Russian armies at Alma, before marching on the strategically important port of Sevastopol. Watch Now A military blunder of epic proportions This creates a strong impression of controlled military marching, reflecting the sound of marching drums or horses’ hooves.In this fascinating discussion with Dan Snow, Cambridge University’s Dr Kate Fleet takes us on a tour of the hugely successful and long lasting empire, and questions how we should view its legacy in the modern era. It is written in dactylic dimeter (with two main stressed syllables in each line). Whilst there is no formal rhyme scheme in Charge of the Light Brigade, there is a strong rhythm to the poem. The horrors of war are simply too difficult to put into any easily comprehensible order. The use of para-rhyme in Wilfred Owen’s Exposure (words which appear to rhyme, but sound slightly different) creates an unsettledness in the poem – mirroring how the soldiers are feeling. Whilst Tennyson’s poem glorifies the men more than Wilfred Owen’s, they nonetheless both demonstrate the bloodshed caused by being forced to mindlessly follow orders. A “Light Brigade” would have been incredibly lightly equipped, which meant that when the men rode against the opposing side at the Battle of Balaclava (fought in 1854 during the Crimean War), they realistically stood no chance against the enemy. As well as the lines ending each stanza, Tennyson also uses repeated phrases throughout the poem (for instance “Cannon to the right of them / Cannon to the left of them” and “Volleyed and Thundered”) to show the scale of the Russian forces and reference the circular nature of a military advance and retreat. The phrase “rode the six hundred” finishes the first three stanzas, which then shifts to “Not the six hundred”, what’s “Left of the six hundred” (referencing the losses of battle) before finally glorifying the sacrifice of the “Noble Six Hundred”. In a similar manner, Tennyson also uses repetition – but to give the poem structure and reference the different stages of the battle. Despite the bloodshed, the military generals didn’t learn their lessons and the bloodshed continued – just as the phrase continues throughout the poem, interspersed by Owen’s accusatory interrogatives – “what are we doing here?” During the Battle of Somme for example, over 60,000 British soldiers died in just one single day. Owen personally fought as a soldier in World War One, where the huge loss of life (for very little territorial gain) was frequently criticised. The soldiers are frozen in time and the hell of warfare. The repetition of the half-line to end each stanza, with the phrase “But nothing happens” recurring throughout the poem reinforces this sense of stasis. In Exposure, Wilfred Owen uses lots of ellipses, caesuras and repetition to create an on-going sense of waiting and boredom. Whilst the individual soldiers are glorified by Tennyson, the complete futility of conflict is highlighted by Owen. In both Exposure and The Charge of the Light Brigade, the loss of war is presented. Ready to get started? Get those marking pens at the ready… But how do they do this? Is one poet angry, do they present an emotive, poignant picture of war? Does another celebrate the individual men, whilst criticising war itself? Do they argue war is completely pointless? Whatever your personal view… don’t be scared to make this clear. For example – both poets present war differently. This should also help you pick four or five useful quotes for each poem, that you can memorise for final exams.Īs a final tip, when you’re writing poetry comparisons, try to be as specific as possible with your points. Have a read through, see what you think of the points (look up any terms you don’t know) – and have a go writing your own comparison. It focuses quite heavily on structure and context, which are two elements students often overlook in GCSE English essays. To help you get started comparing Exposure and Charge of the Light Brigade, here is a sample essay. Having said this (in my humble opinion), they are two of the best poems in the whole AQA Conflict poetry anthology… and there’s so much you can say about both! Exposure by Wilfred Owen and Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson are two reasonably tricky poems.
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