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Power and Conflict Poetry: "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
This section of the Power and Conflict poems revision guide examines Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade," a poem that explores themes of conflict, suffering, the reality of war, and patriotism.
Published just six weeks after a disastrous battle in the Crimean War, the poem describes a cavalry charge against Russian forces. Despite being lightly armed, the British cavalry faced cannon fire from three sides of a long valley. Of the 600 soldiers who began the charge, over half were killed, injured, or taken prisoner.
Context: As Poet Laureate, Tennyson had a responsibility to inspire the nation and portray the war in a positive light, effectively serving as propaganda.
The poem celebrates the soldiers' courage and devotion to their country, symbolizing the might of the British Empire. Tennyson uses powerful language to convey the intensity of the battle:
- Biblical imagery: "Into the valley of Death" portrays war as a supremely powerful or spiritual experience
- Personification: "jaws of Death" and "mouth of Hell" present war as a consuming animal
- Glorifying language: "Honour the Light Brigade/Noble six hundred" elevates the soldiers to a celebrated and prestigious group
- Sibilance: "shot and shell" creates the whooshing sounds of battle
Quote: "Into the valley of Death / Rode the six hundred"
The poem's structure is significant:
- It's a ballad, a form traditionally used to remember historical events
- Six verses represent the 600 men who took part in the charge
- The first stanza is tightly structured, mirroring the cavalry formation, while later stanzas become more chaotic, reflecting the battle's disorder
- Dactylic dimeter mimics the sound of galloping horses and increases the poem's pace
Vocabulary: Dactylic dimeter - A metrical pattern in poetry consisting of two dactyls per line, where a dactyl is a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
Interestingly, while Tennyson glorifies the soldiers, he also subtly criticizes the leadership with the line "Someone had blunder'd," a controversial statement in Victorian times when blind devotion to authority was expected.
Power and Conflict Poetry: "Remains" by Simon Armitage
This section of the Power and Conflict poems GCSE guide focuses on Simon Armitage's poem "Remains," exploring its themes of conflict, suffering, and the reality of war.
The poem was written to accompany a TV documentary about soldiers returning from war with PTSD. It's based on the experiences of Guardsman Tromans, who fought in Iraq in 2003. The speaker describes the haunting aftermath of shooting a looter dead in Iraq, illustrating how mental suffering can persist long after physical conflict ends.
Highlight: The poem's title, "Remains," carries a double meaning, referring both to the physical remains of the victim and the lingering psychological effects on the speaker.
Armitage employs various linguistic techniques to convey the speaker's trauma:
- Colloquial language: "Legs it up the road" creates an authentic voice
- Dehumanizing imagery: "Then he's carted off in the back of a lorry" reduces humanity to waste or cattle
- Metaphor: "he's here in my head when I close my eyes / dug in behind enemy lines" portrays PTSD as an ongoing internal war
- Allusion: "his bloody life in my bloody hands" references Macbeth, drawing parallels to another warrior suffering from guilt and PTSD
Quote: "his bloody life in my bloody hands"
The poem's structure reinforces its themes:
- It's presented as a monologue in the present tense, mimicking a flashback
- The first four stanzas are set in Iraq, while the last three depict the aftermath at home
- Enjambment between lines and stanzas creates a conversational tone and fast pace, especially when describing the killing
- Repetition of "Probably armed, possibly not" emphasizes the speaker's guilt and bitterness
Vocabulary: Enjambment - The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without a pause
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Stefan S
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This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
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Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
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Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
AQA GCSE Power and Conflict Poems: Fun Themes & PDF Guides
The Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology PDFprovides an in-depth analysis of three significant poems: "Remains" by Simon Armitage, "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and "Kamikaze" by Beatrice Garland. This comprehensive guide explores themes of conflict,... Show more
Power and Conflict Poetry: "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
This section of the Power and Conflict poems revision guide examines Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade," a poem that explores themes of conflict, suffering, the reality of war, and patriotism.
Published just six weeks after a disastrous battle in the Crimean War, the poem describes a cavalry charge against Russian forces. Despite being lightly armed, the British cavalry faced cannon fire from three sides of a long valley. Of the 600 soldiers who began the charge, over half were killed, injured, or taken prisoner.
Context: As Poet Laureate, Tennyson had a responsibility to inspire the nation and portray the war in a positive light, effectively serving as propaganda.
The poem celebrates the soldiers' courage and devotion to their country, symbolizing the might of the British Empire. Tennyson uses powerful language to convey the intensity of the battle:
- Biblical imagery: "Into the valley of Death" portrays war as a supremely powerful or spiritual experience
- Personification: "jaws of Death" and "mouth of Hell" present war as a consuming animal
- Glorifying language: "Honour the Light Brigade/Noble six hundred" elevates the soldiers to a celebrated and prestigious group
- Sibilance: "shot and shell" creates the whooshing sounds of battle
Quote: "Into the valley of Death / Rode the six hundred"
The poem's structure is significant:
- It's a ballad, a form traditionally used to remember historical events
- Six verses represent the 600 men who took part in the charge
- The first stanza is tightly structured, mirroring the cavalry formation, while later stanzas become more chaotic, reflecting the battle's disorder
- Dactylic dimeter mimics the sound of galloping horses and increases the poem's pace
Vocabulary: Dactylic dimeter - A metrical pattern in poetry consisting of two dactyls per line, where a dactyl is a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
Interestingly, while Tennyson glorifies the soldiers, he also subtly criticizes the leadership with the line "Someone had blunder'd," a controversial statement in Victorian times when blind devotion to authority was expected.
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Power and Conflict Poetry: "Remains" by Simon Armitage
This section of the Power and Conflict poems GCSE guide focuses on Simon Armitage's poem "Remains," exploring its themes of conflict, suffering, and the reality of war.
The poem was written to accompany a TV documentary about soldiers returning from war with PTSD. It's based on the experiences of Guardsman Tromans, who fought in Iraq in 2003. The speaker describes the haunting aftermath of shooting a looter dead in Iraq, illustrating how mental suffering can persist long after physical conflict ends.
Highlight: The poem's title, "Remains," carries a double meaning, referring both to the physical remains of the victim and the lingering psychological effects on the speaker.
Armitage employs various linguistic techniques to convey the speaker's trauma:
- Colloquial language: "Legs it up the road" creates an authentic voice
- Dehumanizing imagery: "Then he's carted off in the back of a lorry" reduces humanity to waste or cattle
- Metaphor: "he's here in my head when I close my eyes / dug in behind enemy lines" portrays PTSD as an ongoing internal war
- Allusion: "his bloody life in my bloody hands" references Macbeth, drawing parallels to another warrior suffering from guilt and PTSD
Quote: "his bloody life in my bloody hands"
The poem's structure reinforces its themes:
- It's presented as a monologue in the present tense, mimicking a flashback
- The first four stanzas are set in Iraq, while the last three depict the aftermath at home
- Enjambment between lines and stanzas creates a conversational tone and fast pace, especially when describing the killing
- Repetition of "Probably armed, possibly not" emphasizes the speaker's guilt and bitterness
Vocabulary: Enjambment - The continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next without a pause
Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.
Students love us — and so will you.
4.9/5
App Store
4.8/5
Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user