Compare and contrast Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade with Kipling's The Last of the Light Brigade.

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Emma Louise Raynsford                                                                                    Page

Compare and contrast Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade with Kipling’s The Last of the Light Brigade.

Tennyson and Kipling both wrote the story of the Light Brigade who fought in the Crimean war, in the battle of Balaclava. This battle took place between the English and the Russians in Eastern Europe on the 25th October 1854.

Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote his poem also in 1854, just after the battle had ended, and his aim was to build national pride in the hearts of the English people, and to           “ Honour the charge they made.” Tennyson wanted to boost the moral of the English people because of the Light Brigades defeat. Tennyson wanted to change the feeling of defeat, to one of heroism, and to show that the Light Brigade were in fact brave to go up against the “ Jaws of death” with only “six hundred men.”  

Kipling on the other hand, who wrote his poem in 1891, 37 years after the battle had ended, saw how the Soldiers were living in poverty and wanted to make the public feel guilty for abandoning the soldiers when they needed support the most. Kipling wrote the poem as a response to Tennyson’s poem, and refers to Tennyson as being the “Master singer.” Kipling also tries to shed a reality on the battle, and how the English were loyal to the soldiers when they were need, but now that the battle is over the broken soldiers returning no longer fit the heroic image the public hold, and so their country no longer cares. In fact exposing the publics expressed support to be only shallow lip service.  

Tennyson wrote his poem with rigid, rhythmical, and evocative language, and tries to glamorise the Battle, and in doing so, makes the poem too fanciful.

While Kipling on the other hand wrote his poem using looser, harsher, and more cynical language to portray his anger at the disloyalty of the English people.

Kipling, in fact tries shows that Tennyson’s version of the glamorous battle is not true, and that war is bloody and gruesome, and that the soldiers are but victims of war, who rode to their deaths because of one wrong command.

Kipling wrote that the soldiers in his poem who “ look for the master singer who had crowned them all in his song” only wanted justice to be served, and for Tennyson who wrote “ we were heroes once ” to write “we are starving now.”  

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Tennyson’s poem was written quickly and it is felt in the pace. He uses rhythm in his poem, which is one of the horse’s charging hooves. He does this because the soldiers are said to have ridden bravely into battle, and that they were part of a strong unit.                                                                                                   ...

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