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Essay on army poems
The charge of the light brigade by alfred tennyson
The history and purpose of war poetry
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The poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson is about a battle in which a commander commits a faux pas and orders his men to move forward with an defensive strategy that would result with their imminent death. As the poem goes on it tells us that we should honor these men because although they knew their leader had made a life altering decision, they carried through with it due to the fact that he was their leader. Tennyson uses personification, metaphor, imagery, symbolism, and anaphora in order to take the reader back in time and to help the reader understand the reason behind their tragic demise. There are three main themes in this poem and they are respect and reputation, duty, and warfare. In the poem Alfred says: “Not tho' soldier knew Some one had blunder'd: Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to and die: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.” This is a prime example of respect and reputation. Although the soldiers knew their superior had given them a disastrous command they followed it wi...
“The war correspondent is responsible for most of the ideas of battle which the public possesses … I can’t write that it occurred if I know that it did not, even if by painting it that way I can rouse the blood and make the pulse beat faster – and undoubtedly these men here deserve that people’s pulses shall beat for them. But War Correspondents have so habitually exaggerated the heroism of battles that people don’t realise that real actions are heroic.”
The first poem we are going to look at is ‘The Charge of the Light
the tent and during the “War!” – “the part that is not for show”, “a
In this essay I am going to compare and contrast the differences between ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ and ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ is written by Poet Lauriat Lord Tennyson and ‘The Destruction of Sennacherib’ is written by Lord Byron. They both contain different poetic techniques and write about a battle in completely different ways.
Throughout the history of war poetry, no aspect of war can be said to feature more prominently than the representation of death and dying. While such representations are constant in their inclusion in war texts, the nature of the representation varies greatly, be it as a noble act for ones country, or as the defining negative of war. Poems such as Brooke’s ‘The Soldier’ and Seaman’s ‘Pro Patria’ are strong examples of the former; while others such as ‘Dolce et decorum est’ by Owen and ‘The Rear Guard’ by Sassoon best exemplify the latter. The question remains however as to why these representations of death and dying differ so, and whether there is a relevant relationship between the type of depiction and the time period or conflict, as well as the author’s proximity to death’s harsh reality.
In We Were Soldiers, the officers such as Lt. Col. Hal Moore and Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley are portrayed as the men who make the hardest decisions, and the men that the enlisted soldiers lean on for support, advice and help. In Casualties of War, the officers were portrayed, as mean boss-type bullies who not only made bad decisions, but weren’t even somewhat respectful towards their men. These ideas hold a great part in building friendships and creating bonds between the men. Lt. Col. Hal Moore’s men were very close; they acted like brothers and stood by one another. Whereas Sgt. Meserves men formed cliques, and some soldiers were shut out completely from the rest of the squad. This showed that it is extremely hard to be successful fighters when all of the men are not on the same team. Due to Lt. Col. Hal Moore’s exceptional leadership, him and his men were able to successfully take down the Viet Cong at Ia Drang Valley. Small battles that are won because of good leadership and making the right decisions reflect positively on the United States army as a whole. And on the other side, the men who were apart of the raping and murder of the innocent Vietnamese woman were punished accordingly. Meserve received 10 years in jail and a dishonorable discharge from the army. Eriksson was able to go on with his life because he did the right thing and stood up for
Charge of the light brigade and O captain my captain are poems about the defects of war and the impact it can have on people and the nation. Both authors give their perspective of war and how it impacts them. In order to do so they use literary devices to give their opinions. Charge of the Light Brigade and O Captain My Captain both share a theme of war but the authors give their own point of view of war using metaphors, personification, and tone.
The themes of the two poems are portrayed in very distinctive ways. ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ explains in a majestic approach, that fighting in war is something every soldier should honour. The poem is also about the loyalty of the soldiers, not the bad luck or foolishness of men. Tennyson presents this in his poem to show the bravery of the soldiers, although, he only highlights on the benefits of war.
standards were placed of the hero’s in this poem. Many great men perished during the
Many war pieces express a distinct sense of truth, hatred, and anger that can be found in the style, tone, and imagery they possess. Incredible images are created in ones mind as war writings are read and heard. Works written by such writers as Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, and Tim OBrien really reach out to the audience by way of the authors choice of words and images that they use in their writing. These talented writers create very touching and heart-felt images as they write about the true occurrences, problems, feelings and emotions that soldiers encountered throughout times of war. It is by way of these writers words that the bloody truth of war is heard, rather than the glorified victories heard which overlook the pain that soldiers went through.
‘Poetry can challenge the reader to think about the world in new ways.’ It provokes the readers to consider events, issues and people with revised understanding and perspectives. The poems Dulce Et Decorum Est (Wilfred Owen, 1917) and Suicide in the Trenches (Siegfried Sassoon, 1917), were composed during World War One and represented the poets’ point of views in regards to the glorification of war and encouraged readers to challenge their perspectives and reflect upon the real consequences behind the fabrications of the glory and pride of fighting for one’s nation.
The Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson and The Last of the Light Brigade by Kipling
As poet laureate and patriot, Alfred, Lord Tennyson was very influential in 19th century England. He successfully showed the ignorance of the English Army leaders while still reflecting his strong nationalist views in an attempt to create propaganda for the Crimean War in his poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade.” The charge was a tragic incident that took place in 1854 during the Crimean War, which was England, France and Sardinia against Russia, when English Army generals blundered and sent over six hundred soldiers on a charge that was destined for disaster. The solders were known as the Light Brigade and the charge resulted in over two hundred deaths to soldiers and over three hundred deaths to horses. In this horrific aftermath, Tennyson responded to this event by writing a poem which went on to become a classic. Tennyson was a strong nationalist and very political. He was moved and troubled when he received news of the tragic charge. The poem became a form of propaganda for the Crimean War due to Tennyson glorifying the sacrifice of the soldiers by using his exceptional writing skills. Although this poem is regarded by many as propaganda, he included the word blunder in the poem which showed the ignorance of the Army leaders.
The two poems I will be comparing and contrasting are ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen along with ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Wilfred Owen wrote his poem in the duration of the World War one, the poem was first published in the 1920’s. Owens imagery shown in the poem is repulsive and presenting an ugly side of war, the language used by the poet is fierce. On the other hand Lord Tennyson wrote the poem at some point in the Battle of Balaclava in the 1854 however, Lord Tennyson has a diverse vision on war due to not understanding how war was, his imagery demonstrates a calm slow story explaining how he thought war would be. Both poems are similar however they tell there stories in different ways.
In Alexander Pope’s poem “Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady,” Pope uses a great amount of war-like imagery to enhance his vision of the suicide described. He creates allies and enemies, weapons and invasions, as well as the gruesome death that only seems to come from war. These pieces add to the overall meaning of the work and the vision of the event that has occurred, giving the reader an image of a battle occurring.