![]() ![]() It also gives a smooth, dignified rhythm to the poem. It emphasizes the main action of the poem, which is these men riding to their death. In poetry, that's called a refrain (like the chorus in a song). These last two lines are the same as the last two lines in the first stanza.Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. All they can do is to ride and fight and possibly die ("do and die"). That job doesn't let permit them to talk back to their commanders ("make reply") or to figure out the point of the attack ("reason why"). The speaker uses these lines to sum up all of the honest, humble heroism of these men.Do you see how they fit together, the way they share the same first word and the same rhyming sound at the end? Do you see how simple they are, too? There's no showing off, no fancy words (in fact almost all the words in these lines are one syllable). This is a famous group of lines, and for good reason.Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. ![]() The speaker is no revolutionary, but we think you can feel some anger at the commanders simmering under this poem, especially at this moment. This is as close as the poem gets to criticizing the men who ordered this attack.They know this charge isn't a good idea, that someone has made a mistake, has "blundered." This is a really important point in this poem.They're ready to do their job, even though the order might be crazy. That first word, "not," implies that these men don't feel discouraged at all.Of course the Light Brigade is too tough and loyal to feel dismayed. ![]() Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered. That would be a pretty normal reaction to a situation like this. This brigade was supposed to pursue a Russian artillery train but, due to miscommunication, was instead sent into a frontal assault against heavily fortified Russian defenses.
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