Examining the images of 'the fighting man' as portrayed by the poets, Winifred Letts and Alfred Lord Tennyson.

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In this piece of coursework, I will be examining the images of ‘the fighting man’ as portrayed by the poets, Winifred Letts and Alfred Lord Tennyson who I have been studying.  The two poems I have analysed are “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson and “The Deserter” by Winifred Mary Letts.

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” was written pre 1900.  “The Deserter” was written post 1900.  There are many differences between the two poems especially the way the writers portrayed war and soldiers’ reaction to war.

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson is a poem that was written during the Crimean War in November 1854.  The war started when Britain and France confronted Russia over their claim to lands in Turkey.  The Allied army landed in Crimea to oppose Russia.  The Russians then attacked the British base at Balaclava.  The devastating charge of the light brigade occurred on a November morning at Balaclava at the Black Sea area of Russia known as Crimea.

The British cavalry commander was the Earl of Cardigan, whose misunderstanding of his orders led to the suicidal charge of the light brigade.  Six hundred British cavalry men took part in the charge and each soldier was on horseback with only one weapon.  This weapon was a sabre which is a curved sword.

The courageous six hundred rode straight down a valley without questioning orders or even thinking about what they were told to do.  When the soldiers went into the valley, they were surrounded by cannons.  They tried to attack with their swords but they had no chance.  Three quarters of the cavalry men were killed all because of a mistake one person had made.

The army’s problems were made public by the first real war correspondent, William H. Russell of the ‘London Times’.  He wrote a report on the charge.  Alfred Lord Tennyson read the report and later wrote a poem about the misconception that happened during the charge of the light brigade.  Alfred Lord Tennyson used words and phrases from the article in ‘The Times’ to write the poem, such as “Last century”, “sabres”, “flashing”, gunners and clouds of smoke.

In stanza I, Tennyson uses a rhythm of marching.  This may have been used to give us the impression of how proud, brave and happy the soldiers were, marching without a worry.  He uses “Valley of Death”, which is a metaphor to highlight the horror they were going to enter.  He tells the story of 600 men, who set off proudly into a valley.  Capitals were used for “Valley of Death” to personify it.  Perhaps he wanted to show death as a cruel person.  Direct speech was also used to emphasis the exact command of order e.g.

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“Forward the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns”!

In the second stanza, the poet states the order made by someone.

“Forward the light Brigade”

He does not mention who says it.  He shows no emotion, anger or bitterness towards the mistake.  He only questioned how someone made such a mistake.  

Tennyson gives us the illusion that the soldiers were well disciplined as they never questioned their commands  e.g.

“Theirs not to make reply

  Theirs not to reason why

  Theirs but to do and die”

They followed the orders made to them until their death.  Rhyme ...

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