1.

Theirs but to do and die

a) Who is ‘theirs’ in these lines?
b) What are they not to do?
c) What does this tell about ‘them’?
Answer: a) ‘Thiers’ refers to the Light Brigade’s 600 British soldiers.
b) The soldiers are not to respond, nor are they to question.
c) This explains the duties of a soldier. A soldier must simply carry out orders without
questioning authority.

2. Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d
a) Describe the scene of war as evident in these lines.
b) What did the soldiers do despite being attacked by cannon from all sides?
c) What, according to the poet, did the world do?
Answer: a. When the soldiers crossed the enemy’s border, they were surrounded by cannons
that volleyed and thundered to their right, left, and behind them. They could hear the
continuous and simultaneous explosion of a bomb and gunfire.
b. Despite cannon fire from all sides, the soldiers rode bravely forward. They broke through the
enemy border line by striking the enemy gunners with their bare sabres.
c. According to the poet, the world looked on in awe because the soldiers fought valiantly
despite their captain’s error. The entire world marvelled at their daring charge.

3. When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
a) Whose glory is referred to in the first line? Why will their glory never fade?
b) What is the world wondering over?
c) Why does the narrator call the soldiers ‘noble’?
Answer: a) The first line refers to the glory of the six hundred British soldiers of the light brigade.
According to the poet, the Light Brigade’s glory will never fade because they were brave and
bold. The poet wishes to immortalise the bravery of the Light Brigade soldiers.
b) The world is in awe of the bravery of the Light Brigade soldiers who fought against the
Cossacks and Russians.
c) The narrator refers to the soldiers as “noble” because they demonstrated high moral
principles. They were brave and courageous, not questioning even when they knew someone
had made a mistake.

4.Even after realising that their commander had ‘blundered’, the soldiers kept charging forward.
Write a note on the soldiers as portrayed in the poem.
 Answer: The Light Brigade soldiers are portrayed as brave and courageous. Although they were
aware of something going wrong, they didn’t contest the military order. The Light Brigade,
which was unarmored, launched a frontal assault on a heavy artillery battery. Their mission was
to do and die. As a result, they obeyed orders and rode into the Valley of Death. As he describes
the battlefield where the soldiers were doomed to die if they rode boldly, the poet emphasises
the bravery of the British soldiers. They were surrounded on three sides by cannons and
attacked with cannons and guns, but the British soldiers were still able to strike the enemy
gunners with their swords and charge at the enemy.

They rode boldly into the artillery smoke and broke through the enemy line, annihilating their
Cossack and Russian adversaries. As they rode back from the offensive, they had lost many men
and had become “not the six hundred.” Tennyson refers to them as the Noble Six Hundred, and
he wants people to remember and honour the soldiers of the Light Brigade. Even today, the
soldiers are worthy of honour and tribute, according to the poem

5. War never does anyone any good. Do you agree with this statement? Elaborate.

Answer: The poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” is one of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s most
famous poems, written in memory of the English soldiers who died in the Crimean War. It is a
memorial to the 600 soldiers, glorifying their bravery.

The effects of battle on soldiers are less well known, but one thing is for sure: war never brings
peace and harmony. Instead, it brings with it loss, death, and destruction. War accomplishes
nothing. It’s all about upheaval and conflict. The sole purpose of war is to occupy someone’s
territory, murder the opposing team, and destroy buildings and possessions. War is
unconcerned about people’s lives. War kills not only the enemy, but also innocent people who
have nothing to do with the conflict. The death of innocent people can never be justified.
Take, for example, the Second World War 1945 conflict between the United States and Japan,
which resulted in massive destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two US bombings killed
thousands of people, the majority of whom were civilians.

Thus, war creates horrific and terrifying images that only highlight the darkest and ugliest
aspects of people, the environment, and the world. As a result, it is never beneficial to anyone.
 -Explain what the poem is mainly about.
The poem is mainly about a battle where six hundred soldiers rode into a trap and were attacked by the enemy on three sides. It shows the courage of
these men who obeyed a command to charge even though they knew it was a mistake.

 -What does the poem say about courage? Do you agree with what it says?
The poem describes the courage of soldiers who obeyed an order that would cause them to lose their lives. It describes the horrific situation they faced
when they were attacked on three sided by fierce gunfire. It is saying that we should respect that kind of courage. I agree that such courage deserves
respect.

 -Describe the general tone of the poem The Charge of the Light Brigade.
The general tone of the poem is that of praise and amazement at the

courageous action of the soldiers.

 -What effect does the personification of death in line 24 have on the mood of the poem?
The personification of death helps the reader to picture the horror of the battlefield where the six hundred soldiers were killed.

 -What effect does the repetition of ‘half a league’ have on the rhythm of the poem?
It creates a strong beat that reflects the galloping horses or marching soldiers.
 -Why is the location of this battle called ‘the valley of Death’?
It is called ‘the valley of Death’ to emphasise that it is the place where the soldiers will die in battle.

 -Whom does the pronoun ‘he’ in line 6 refer to ?

The pronoun ‘he’ refers to the leader of the six hundred soldiers.

 -What does the word ‘dismayed’ mean?

Sad and discouraged

 -How did the soldier know that someone had made a mistake?
They must have seen that the valley was surrounded by the enemy and that charging forward would mean certain death.

 -How would you feel if you were with the six hundred men in this situation?
I would feel terrified being surrounded by the enemy and being shot at from three directions.

 -If these soldiers were your countrymen, what would you think of them?
I would honour them for their heroic action and amazing courage. What they did is beyond the call of duty.

 -How many soldiers were involved in the battle?

600 soldiers

 -Why is it called ‘the valley of the death’?

No one will survive the battle.

Stanza 1 Analysis
The poem begins with the phrase, “Half a league” which is repeated three times which is to create a poetic effect as well as to
symbolise the parade of the light brigade towards the enemy during the Crimean War. League is an old method of measuring
distance and is equal to around 3 miles. Hence half a league would mean 1.5 miles.

The soldiers were commanded to march towards the enemy country which was probably 1.5 miles ahead. They were six
hundred in number and according to the poet, they were marching in the valley of Death. The poet uses the phrase “valley of
Death” to show that they (the Light Brigade) were soon going to be killed.

The commander, who is referred to as “he”here commands the soldiers to move towards the enemies and charge (i.e. attack the
enemies) to take their guns or probably destroy those holding the guns.

Stanza 2 Analysis
The second stanza begins with the command of their leader, “Forward, the Light Brigade!” The poet wonders whether any of the
soldiers of the brigade frightened because of the fatal danger ahead and answers himself that they didn’t know which the fear is,
though the idea of marching towards the enemy was a blunder committed by someone (means their leader).

However, the soldiers were loyal and brave enough to neither request their leader to return back or question his command. The y
nothing else in mind but to fight and die for their country and hence they marched into the valley of Death.

Stanza 3 Analysis
This stanza describes the scene where they are surrounded by their enemies. The poet explains their position by saying Cannon to
right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them. i.e. there were cannons of the enemies which were ready to kill
them.

The bullets and the shells of the guns and cannons respectively were flowing in their air. But they didn’t stop and went
ahead into the jaws of De

Stanza 4 Analysis
The soldiers took out their sabres bare i.e. the swords to fight the enemies. In spite of having swords, they fought with the gunners
bravely and killed them. The whole world wondered as they dared to fight with light weapons while the enemies were using guns
and cannons.
Crossing the border line, the soldiers then moved towards the artillery of the enemy through the dense smoke of shelling. They
fought and killed the enemies i.e.Cossack and Russians. Their attacks were so fierce that the enemies trembled with fear and
were torn apart to death.

After doing that, they returned back, but according to the poet, they were were not six hundred i.e. many of them died. The p oet
mourns here for the loss.

Stanza 5 Analysis
The five lines of the stanza 3 are repeated again to describe the war zone in which they were trapped. Many of those (the poet calls
them heroes) died along with their horse, but they fought so well. They then came back from the mouth of hell, all that was left
of them i.e. those who were alive.

Stanza 6 Analysis
In the final stanza, the poet asks rhetorical question “When can their glory fade?” i.e. their glory and the glorious deed (i.e. the wild
charge or brave attack they made) will always be remembered by the Britishers.

The poet says that the world wondered over their achievement i.e. the achievement of those 600 brave soldiers.