Attack and The Charge of The Light Brigade Analysis Essay

Attack and The Charge of the Light Brigade are similar only because both poems address issues of war. Attack is a poem clearly written with a cry for help, while help is needed in The Charge of the light Brigade, but one could not tell by the way that the author writes the poem. One narrator is a reporter of optimism and buoyancy whereas the other narrator is a reporter of trepidation and atrociousness.

In the poem Attack, author Seigfreid Sassoon presents the dreadful side of war. Throughout the whole poem, he uses words of terror not words of joy. There was not a cheerful word throughout the whole poem. The author paints a perfect picture. (A dawn, the ridge emerges massed and dun In the wild purple of the glowing sun), Sassoon starts the poem in the morning and he describes a ridge as being large and gloomy in wild purple of the glowing sun. Sassoon has the words dun and purple corresponding to one another. Dun purple symbolizes darkness. Sassoon described the morning as dark and gloomy before he even starts to talk about the war. (Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud the menacing scarred slope;) Sassoon was careful in choosing the word Smouldering. He could have used the words traveling or roaming, but he wants the reader know that the soldiers are not just traveling or roaming, they are actually smothering and suffocating as they travel through the drifting smoke. (and, one by one, Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire.) Again, Sassoon does not want the reader to envision tanks simply rolling to a wire. He says one by one, the tanks crept forward. He wants the readers to see into the minds of the soldiers, watching agonizingly as enemy tanks rolls slowly to the barrage and penetrating the torrents (The barrage roars and lifts.). The author wants the picture to be as negative as possible. (Then, clumsily bowed With bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear, Men jostle and climb to meet the bristling fire.) Sassoon describes the men as being clumsily equipped with ammunition. The fact that the soldiers have ammunition is one of two positive things in this poem, but Sassoon makes that appear as if it is not very good. He says that the men are clumsily equipped, he uses the word clumsily instead of courageously of boldly to alert readers that the men are not prepared for the task at hand. He wants his readers to realize that in war the victor is usually the one who makes fewer mistakes.

Accuracy and precision wins wars. If the soldiers are clumsy then they have no poise. If they have no poise, they are bound to make mistakes. If the soldiers make mistakes, they are bound to lose the battle or war. Next to being a traitor, being clumsy is the worst thing that a soldier can be. Soldiers go through training so that they will not be clumsy, so Sassoon describing the soldiers as clumsy says a lot. (Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear, They leave their trenches, going over the top,) The author uses the color grey to symbolize hopelessness and depression. Most soldiers are fearful in the time of war, if not all soldiers, but many soldiers do a good job of hiding and concealing their fears. Sassoon shows that this is not the case of these soldiers, for there faces where mask with fear as they left their trenches, going over the top. Sassoon wants the readers to know that the soldiers are experiencing a fear that is nearly impossible to be concealed. (While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists, and hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists, flounders in mud. O Jesus, make it stop!) There is an old saying that goes, time flies when you are having fun, well this is the opposite. Time seems to sit still when one is not having fun, and this is what these soldiers are experiencing. Time ticks blank and busy also could very well mean that time is irrelevant. Time is ticking but no one cares what the time is at this point, because no matter what time of the day it is the madness will continue. Sassoon does use the word hope in this poem. Hope is the other positive part of the poem, but it is really is not very positive, since hope is struggling violently and clumsily in the mud (flounders in mud). (with furtive eyes and grappling fists) Sassoon wants his readers to understand that the soldiers are their only hope, but it does not look like they are going to be successful, so they pray that all the madness would just stop ( O Jesus, make it stop!) Notice that the only exclamation mark used in the whole poem is used at the very end, simply because Sassoon did not want to create any excitement throughout the poem. He uses the exclamation mark as a cry for help. It does not represent excitement, for he uses the exclamation mark to represent sincerity. He wants the readers to know that the soldiers are in hell and they sincerely want Jesus to save them. The soldiers are so dismayed that they do not even want to win the war, they only want the war to stop.

(Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward) Alfred Lord Tennyson uses the word league in the first sentence to alert readers that the group is in unison. Tennyson repeats the words half a league at the beginning of the poem, in order to create excitement. Excitement is an element that is not apart of Sassoons poem. With a name like attack, one would think one portion of Sassoons poem would be exciting or thrilling, but Sassoon made sure that his poem was the opposite of that. (All in the valley of Death) At the beginning of Tennysons poem it seems as if the six hundred is going into a situation where there is no possible way to escape, but later in the poem that will prove to be untrue. (Into the valley of death Rode the six hundred) Once more, Tennyson is creating excitement. He previously states that the six hundred where riding to the valley of Death, so now that they are into the valley he wants to leave his readers wondering what happens next. Sassoon did not want his readers to wonder what happens, because he delivers every grueling detail. Tennyson explains his poem in way as if he was a grandfather telling his grandchildren about the battle he fought. Sassoon delivers his poem in a way that a soldier, who is giving up all hope, would write if he wrote a letter to the president or person who could stop the war.

(Forward, the Light Brigade! Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldiers knew Someone had blundered.) These soldiers were courageous; they are the opposite of Sassoons soldiers. Tennyson asks a question, was there a man who was dismayed (like Sassoons soldiers) even though they knew that someone had made a mistake, no, they do not say anything, they do not questions calls. They only do what theyre told and some die doing so (Their not to make reply...reason whyTheirs but to do and die.) (CannonCannonCannon in front of them) Tennyson is creating excitement here as well, but at the same time, he shows his readers what kind of danger that the soldiers were facing. He shows what kind of danger that the soldiers are in, but he does not tell what happens to them. He wants his readers to stay tuned to find out just what happens to the soldiers. (Volleyed and thundered; Boldly they rode as well) He shows that the soldiers are facing danger, but it does not matter because the soldiers are bold, and it is almost as if the soldiers are not aware of the current dangers they face. He says that the soldier rode well, and that is the opposite of Sassoons soldiers because his soldiers were clumsily equipped with ammunition. Tennysons soldiers were bold, they were not smouldering, or on menacing slopes, they did not meet bristling fire or have muttering faces. In all actuality, Tennysons soldiers probably were in the same conditions as Sassoon, but since Sassoons soldiers were so fearful, thats how they saw their environment. When one is brave, he or she does not recognize some dangers, this is why there is an old saying that goes, do not mistake your bravery for foolishness. ( Plunged in the battery smoke Right through the line they broke;) These soldiers are in smoke also, but are they smouldering? Probably so, but do they see themselves smouldering? No, they are too brave to notice. Tennyson states that they plunged through the smoke through the line they broke. These soldiers were not just traveling fearfully through the smoke, suffocating, they charged through the smoke headfirst. (They rode back, but not, Not the six hundred.) Tennyson is trying to put a positive spin on things, for he could have given the approximate number of soldiers that died, but he does not. If 600 soldiers go to battle and 598 die, it will sound depressing if someone says that two soldiers were all that returned. On the other hand, if 600 soldiers go to battle and 598 perish, it will sound less depressing if someone says they returned, but not the 600.

In the fifth stanza Tennyson takes his readers back to place that was mentioned in stanza three with all the cannons surrounding the soldiers, in the valley of Death. This time he tells what happened to the soldiers, in the valley of Death. (While horse and hero fell. They had fought so well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of hell,six hundred) Tennysons soldiers where in hell just as Sassoons soldiers were, but Tennysons soldiers were not crying for help, they were fighting. They defeated Death and they came out of the mouth of hell, well everyone that survived. ( When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made!... Noble six hundred!) Tennyson uses exclamation marks at the end of the poem just as Sassoon does but Tennyson has a very different meaning. Tennyson uses the marks to represent honor, grace and respect (Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!).

Tennyson tries his best to make the best to make the soldiers situation seem amazing. Sassoon tries his best to make the soldiers situation seem horrifying.