The poems that I will discuss, are 'Charge of the Light Brigade' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and 'Dulce Et Decorum' by Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen was actually a fighter in the war, where as Alfred, Lord Tennyson

'"Forward, the light Brigade!" Was there a man dismay'd? Not tho' the soldier knew someone had blunder'd'. We also imagine them showing great courage, 'Their's but to do and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.'

In stanza three we picture them staring death straight in the eye as they are directly in front of the opposition, 'Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them' although they are in a terrifying situation the writer still makes them sound noble and courageous 'Boldly they rode well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred.'

Stanza four tells us about the battle. There is a great deal of onomatopoeia in stanza four which works well as it causes us to picture and hear exactly what is happening. Words such as: 'Plunged', 'Reel'd', Shatter'd and sunder'd' are used.

In stanza five we are told about them leaving the battle 'Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them' at this point the writer helps us to feel thankful for what the warriors did and persuades us to earn a great deal of respect for the fighters as he says:

While horse and hero fell,

They that had fought so well

Came thro' the jaws of Death

Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred

This quote gives the impression that those who fight in the war are brave, courageous and are strong enough to face anything. The writer uses fearful phrases such as 'the jaws of Death' to emphasise the way they boldly and bravely, faced these problems. The reality of war would not be calm and brave but fearful and a shamble, like how Wilfred Owen presents war in his poem, Dulce et decorum.

Stanza six is the poet's thoughts aimed at the audience. This is an effective way to end the poem as it leaves us thinking about everything that has been said in the poem. He says, 'Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred. This tells us the point of the poem. The point is to tell us to respect and appreciate what they have sacrificed for our country.

'Dulce Et Decorum' makes us picture chaos, pain and suffering. Stanza one starts with, 'Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,'. The use of alliteration with 'L' makes us to read it more slowly. This puts emphasis on the simile 'like old beggars under sacks' as reading slower helps us to picture this image. The stanza goes on to tell us about the how the men continued with determination even though they were in pain and tired.

Stanza two tells about them being gassed. It is dramatic and gives a clear picture on the men fumbling around trying to protect themselves.

Stanza three tells us about a man which had unfortunately been attacked by the gas, 'He plunges at me, guttering, chocking, drowning.'. The use of alliteration and onomatopoeia causes us to see the pain and struggle that man must be going through.

Stanza four is the poet telling the audience his thought of war and how it is a horrible experience. Wilfred Owen uses a lot of similes so that everyone can relate war to sufferings they know of. Therefore expressing clearly the chaos and suffering that is war.

It is not only the words that express the poet's thoughts and feelings. The way the poem looks also has a large effect. 'Charge of the Light Brigade' is written in neat stanzas. This represents the horses in a tight formation heading to war. When the fight is occurring, in stanza four, the stanza becomes slightly untidy. This untidy stanza has a good effect as it represents the mess of the fight.

The structure of 'Dulce Et Decorum' seems neat and tidy, but when read aloud the punctuation changes that. Where the punctuation is in the middle of lines and not at the end, like expected, the poem does not sound as neat and tidy as it looks. This shows that although war can be easily planned and look organised on paper when taken a closer look you can see clearly that it is actually chaos. The structure and punctuation works extremely well with the message the poet is trying to deliver.

It is safe to say that 'Charge of the Light Brigade' has no set rhyming scheme. 'a b c d d c b d d e b f f f c b'. However the rhythm is roughly the same through out the poem. This could possibly show the fact that there is a tight formation with the men through out the poem. The rhythm changes slightly during the fight this represents them coming out of their tight formation. The rhyme and rhythm of this poem shows that war is a chaotic experience but you will get a lot out of it. You will be seen courageous, a hero, noble and you will be respected.

'Dulce Et Decorum' is very different. It has a set rhyme 'a b a b c d c d e f e f g h g h' although it has a definite rhyme when read aloud it is not heard. This is because there is punctuation in the middle of lines instead of at the ends like expected. It also has a rather continuous rhythm. This has a good effect as it shows was can seem organised but is not.

'Charge of the Light Brigade' uses a lot of onomatopoeia to express the fight. 'Volley'd and thundre'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell,' this gives us a clear picture of what is happening through out the poem. A lot of assonance is also used. ' Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them'. The use of assonance sounds smooth and allows the poem to flow. This makes war sound glorious and noble. Which specifies with the message the poet is trying to deliver. That war is a good thing to participate in. Metaphors are also frequently used. This is because the poet is trying to tell the audience exactly what war is and not what it is like. The language used in this poem helps deliver the message that war is glorious and noble as it does not give you any other options. It tells us that war is glorious and is noble and the poem suggests nothing other then this.

'Dulce Et Decorum' consists of lots of alliteration. The alliteration used is words which have a harsh sound such as: 'Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watched the white eyes writhing in his face' . The poet chose to use this piece of alliteration as the harsh sound expresses the pain and suffering in war. Where as in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' they use more assonance to sound soft and glorious. 'Dulce Et Decorum' also uses lots of similes this is so that everyone can relate to the pain and suffering that the poet is talking about. He compares the pain and suffering of war to things such as: 'Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues' when talking about the gas attacks he says 'As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.' This great use of similes is very effective in this poem as the poet can explain to everyone exactly what war is like and he does this by comparison he wrote like this as his poem is targeted at everyone so that they can all see and understand what war is actually like.

The message delivered from 'Charge of the Light Brigade' is that war does have its downside but to die for your country is noble and if you die for your country you're a hero and you should be honoured.

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wondered.

Honor the charge they made,

Honor the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred.

The message that 'Dulce Et Decorum' delivers is a complete contrast. It tells the reader that war is chaos, pain and is not worth a life. Wilfred Owen makes his point at the end of the poem in which he says 'My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori' Which is Latin for 'It is sweet and meet (fitting) to die for one's country.' This is a powerful end to such a powerful poem not only does it express the point of the whole poem but it also addresses the reader as 'My friend' making it feel more direct and personal.

Michaela Scott.