Compare and Contrast Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade with Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est
Compare and Contrast Tennyson’s Charge Of The Light Brigade with Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est
War and poetry have been linked for hundreds of years. The function of poetry in war is to aid the memory and convey details of war. Over the centuries it became a way in which people could communicate not only stories but also ideas and emotions in an imaginative and expressive way. One characteristic of the link between poetry and war has remained: Throughout the history of war, poems have provided a commentary on what people, communities and nations do.
The first of two poems that to be analysed is The Charge Of The Light Brigade written in 1854 by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 – 1892). Tennyson was a famous, well recognised writer. His father, George Clayton Tennyson was a rector and vicar so Tennyson was born into a religious family which could influence his poems. He was well educated and studies at Trinity College Cambridge. He wrote in blank verse and couldn’t follow conventional rhyme schemes as he was tone deaf. He attempted to write drama but had limited success. He was Poet Laureate from 1850 to 1892 and was made Baron in 1884. He died aged 83 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Tennyson did not fight in any wars so did not have the same knowledge of war when writing COTLB as the writer of the second poem, Wilfred Owen.
COTLB was written during the Crimean War. The Crimean War was fought between 1854 and 1856 and involved Britain, France and Turkey against Russia. It was for control over a holy land. The fighting should have ended in summer 1854 but it was decided that the great Russian naval base at Sevastopol was a direct threat to the security of the region and in September 1854 the French and British landed their armies on the Crimean peninsula. At the Battle of Balaklava the British suffered a great loss. The winter of 1854-55 brought great misery to the troops, particularly to the British as they were short of everything. Finally, in early 1856,
War and poetry have been linked for hundreds of years. The function of poetry in war is to aid the memory and convey details of war. Over the centuries it became a way in which people could communicate not only stories but also ideas and emotions in an imaginative and expressive way. One characteristic of the link between poetry and war has remained: Throughout the history of war, poems have provided a commentary on what people, communities and nations do.
The first of two poems that to be analysed is The Charge Of The Light Brigade written in 1854 by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 – 1892). Tennyson was a famous, well recognised writer. His father, George Clayton Tennyson was a rector and vicar so Tennyson was born into a religious family which could influence his poems. He was well educated and studies at Trinity College Cambridge. He wrote in blank verse and couldn’t follow conventional rhyme schemes as he was tone deaf. He attempted to write drama but had limited success. He was Poet Laureate from 1850 to 1892 and was made Baron in 1884. He died aged 83 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Tennyson did not fight in any wars so did not have the same knowledge of war when writing COTLB as the writer of the second poem, Wilfred Owen.
COTLB was written during the Crimean War. The Crimean War was fought between 1854 and 1856 and involved Britain, France and Turkey against Russia. It was for control over a holy land. The fighting should have ended in summer 1854 but it was decided that the great Russian naval base at Sevastopol was a direct threat to the security of the region and in September 1854 the French and British landed their armies on the Crimean peninsula. At the Battle of Balaklava the British suffered a great loss. The winter of 1854-55 brought great misery to the troops, particularly to the British as they were short of everything. Finally, in early 1856,