Background: This poem is about the Battle of Balaclava (Ukraine) fought during the Crimean Wat 91854 - 1856) between Russia and the combined forces of Turkey, Britain and France. The charge of 637 soldiers across open terrain led to the wounding or death of 247 men.
Finding Repetition: It is hard to miss the direct repetition, but look for more sophisticated uses as well. Also, reading the poem out loud will help you be more aware of the sound or rhythm created by the repeated words and phrases. Do you think this poem could be set to music?
Half a league half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
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!
Did you notice? What is the closest thing to a refrain (chorus) that this poem has?
Video: How does repeating something again and again strengthen an idea? When does that backfire? Here is an video featuring poet Allen Ginsberg reading "Hum Bom" which is also about war. Decide if the use of repetition works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2FXdJ8VvD8&feature=related
Nice compare/contrast between the two pieces.
ReplyDeleteI think they areboth very successful in getting the message across
The best guess I have at the chorus is the part that ends with "rode the six hundred" and maybe a line or two before it.
ReplyDeleteThe closest thing to a refrain is "___ ___ six hundred."
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, the video really annoyed me, which was perhaps the point.