Compare and contrast two different media treatment of the Charge of the Light Brigade..
The Charge of the Light Brigade occurred on the 30th of November 1854 and the two different media treatments of this event which I will compare and contrast are: the poem - "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by the then poet laureate Lord Tennyson and the film regarding the same event by Tony Richardson.
Firstly, the poem begins with the words, " Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the Valley of Death rode the six hundred ... " First of all, Lord Tennyson immediately makes us feel engaged within the event itself and we are introduced to this dactylic rhythm. This rhythm mimics a horses gait and is continued throughout the entire poem. It seems quite peculiar that he is using the measurement of a "league," because he could either be exaggerating the amount of land the horses had to cover, or he could be using it because it is a mythological measurement which could imply that the soldiers are involved in a heroic act by indeed 'riding on' into the "Valley of Death." Notice also that he uses the "Valley of Death" which is a biblical setting which could imply Christian hope or perhaps more likely, - the inevitability of death. Then, Tennyson writes to complete the first stanza, “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns, he said. Into the Valley of Death, rode the six hundred." Here, there is an anonymous command telling them (the Light Brigade) to charge for their enemy. He then reiterates the fact that they (the six-hundred) are riding into the "Valley of Death." As a result of the repetition, there is a certain emphasis on the number - six-hundred, and the fact that they are riding into the "Valley of Death." This could make us feel that there exists this anxiety within the soldiers, and it backs up the point that I made earlier that there could be this feeling of inevitability amongst the soldiers. Tennyson wants us to feel sorry for them because six-hundred soldiers are few in comparison to what the Russian Goliath has. At the beginning of the second stanza, it is repeated that somebody orders the Light Brigade forward, and he goes on to write, “Was there a man dismay'd? Not tho' the soldier knew, some one had blunder'd." Again, there is an anonymous command at the beginning of the second stanza and there is a questioning of whether there was a soldier who was unhappy towards the command. Here, Tennyson is letting us interpret this for ourselves as it could mean that all the soldiers were indeed proud to be fighting for his country but it could alternatively be Tennyson telling us that the soldiers were proud on the surface but they were actually frightened internally. Where he writes, " Not tho' the soldier knew, Some one had blunder'd," he is making us feel that the soldiers were altogether innocent as they were heading for their death as there is a subtle statement that 'someone' had erred. Notice that the statement, " Some one had blunder'd" is again anonymous as were the commands. Tennyson then goes on to write, " Their's not to make reply, Their's not to reason why, Their's but to do and die: Into the valley of Death, Rode the six hundred." This again makes us pity the 'poor' soldiers for they had to do what they were told even though they knew that they were going to die. It implies that they knew that someone had made a mistake but even still, they had to ride on. Because of this, the second stanza ends on a sour note and there is a great emphasis on death, on togetherness and on the glorious soldiers. The fact that all three of those lines begin with the same word (their's) and end with the same sound, contributes well to the rhythmic quality of that stanza. The third stanza begins with, " Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them," This repetition adds to the feeling that there is no escaping the relentless assault on them . They all begin with the word “Cannon" and there is a hard and brutal sound that goes with that. Additionally, there is an emphasis on "them," which suggests that they are united and together on their day of death. He then goes on to write, " Volley'd and thunder'd; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell, Rode the Six hundred." Firstly, with “volley’d and thunder'd" he wants us to recognise the great level of noise present which suggests death. Then with, “Storm’d at with shot and shell," he uses alliteration to emphasise the sound which also suggests death. He wrote that they still rode on “boldly" into the "jaws of Death" and into the "mouth of Hell," and he uses imagery very effectively here as we picture them vividly riding to their deaths bravely and with acceptance. Here, the emphasis is very much on death and the courage of the men. The poem goes on to end with, “Noble six hundred!” which is a clear indication of what Tennyson wanted us remember about the men. He leaves this right at the end so that we remember it and so that we remember them as noble and brave.
