Compare the presentations of war in Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson and Exposure by Wilfred Owen.

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Compare the presentations of war in Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson and Exposure by Wilfred Owen.

Alfred Tennyson and Wilfred Owen wrote poems about war, Tennyson from a report written about the Crimean War and Owen from his own horrifying experience. In Tennysons time going to war was honourable. It was essential to be patriotic, and his poem portrays war as quite exciting and dramatic. Owen went to war and his poem is about the reality of war.

Tennyson is quite encouraging, talking about how noble the six hundred were, and how they will never be forgotten. “When can their glory fade? … Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble Six Hundred!”

Owen questions war, his poem is about the reality of war, the fear, the destruction; the massive number of deaths. However he called war necessary. He wrote “Since we believe not otherwise can kind fires burn; nor ever suns smile true on child, or field or fruit… therefore, not loath, we lie out here, therefore we were born…” He says that they were born to protect these things and keep themselves free. Both Tennyson and Owen are patriotic, Tennyson more so, “noble six hundred!” but then Tennyson did not fight in a war.

Tennyson sounds quite naïve, he talks about the basic aspects of war, the cannons, “cannon to the right of them, cannon to the left of them,” the sabres and the horses. Owen talks about the snow, and the weather and how cold and lonely it is. “The merciless iced east winds that knive us…”

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Tennyson uses metaphors, for example when he uses the phrase “the Valley of Death” a lot to tell you that the men went into a valley and they die. He does not use much imagery; he is direct and immediate. However he calls the battlefield the “Mouth of Hell” and the “Jaws of Death” which is scary because he gives death a mouth, and he personifies death which makes it feel alive and threatening.

Owen uses a lot of imagery to indicate the soldiers losing their grip on reality and hallucinating because of their hypothermic state. He personifies ...

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