The Charge of The Light Brigade vs Kamikaze

Alternative transcript:

receive a good education attending grammar schools, which allowed him to gain the role of poet laureate. This position meant he was duty bound to glorify war to the British public and defend the position of aristocracy. The poem is based on The Crimean War, and more specifically the Battle of Balaclava, the battle was against the Russians. Some may argue this was a pointless war and was unpopular with the British public. Kamikaze (Beatrice Garland) - Garland was inspired into writing Kamikaze as she was looking into the motivations as to why people want to die for their country. During WWII Japanese pilots flew planes filled with explosives into military targets as Japan was losing and this was their last resort. Japanese culture was very patriotic and military fighting would focus on dying for your country. It was better to be killed then named a coward by the public. The Japanese culture was also very honour based, so the dishonour of one person would bring shame to the whole family name, which emphasised the importance of bravery in order to be honoured. Structure: Charge of The Light Brigade - The poem takes on a form of a ballad which is used to commemorate a story, COTLB has the purpose to memorialise the people who were killed. The poem also follows dactylic dimeter which is a group of three syllables in a line, where we emphasise the first syllable of the three. This repetitive strong beat creates momentum, which emphasises the momentum of the horses charging into the depths of battle. Alternatively, as the first syllable is strong and then dies off this could mirror the men dying off. The sound that falls off mirrors the devastating fall of the brigade. The poem follows an irregular rhyme scheme which may highlight the chaos the charge created, and the unexpected firing of canons exploding from every direction. The poem also opens in media res, which creates a tense atmosphere, causing the listener to view the poem through a lens of threat and risk. Kamikaze - The poem is arranged in tight 6-line stanzas, which may reflect the tight regime in Japan. The soldiers are expected to have order and obedience just like the constant stanzas. However, this structure is juxtaposed by the free verse and enjambment which may reveal the kamikaze pilot trying to break free of social expectations by not completing the mission. The father had his own desires, roles and individuality within the constructions put in place by Japan. The free verse and enjambment are clear indications that the pilots are still people that want to experience the freedom of life. However, the tight structure is a constant reminder of the restriction put in place by Japan, and the overwhelming power of them. Garland selected the last word of the poem to be "die", which creates a sense of futility and inevitable fate as the soldier was destined for death either way. The poet sets a reminder that the societal expectations cannot be overcome and that the soldier would either die a coward or a hero. The poet also reminds us about the futility of life, revealing that we all eventually die. Quotes: "Theirs not to reason why // Theirs but to do and die" vs "which had been the better way to die" Here both poems criticize the powerlessness of the soldiers, essentially in both poems the soldiers are destined to die, and this destiny is inescapable. "Theirs not to reason why // Theirs but to do and die" (COTLB) - This rhyming couplet emphasises these two lines within a poem following an irregular rhyme scheme. Tennyson may have emphasised these lines to reveal that the soldiers are submissive and follow any command given. Although it is clear this order is a mistake, no soldiers were discouraged an still was aware of the role they must fulfil. The soldiers are essentially programmed to follow the orders of the government, regardless of whether they will lead to certain death. Tennyson may be questioning the heroism of the soldiers here, he may be suggesting that the soldiers are not as courageous as they appear, instead they were left with no choice but to "do and die". Overall, we see the powerlessness of the soldiers as it is clear that they are in no position of power to even be able to question the command. "which had been the better way to die" (K) -This is the final line of the poem which also emphasises the message of the poet regarding the lack of power the pilot had. The pilot was essentially controlled by fate and was destined to die, whether that was as a soon to be forgotten hero or as a coward. Both options offer a kind of death, which implies that the soldiers are controlled by indoctrination and propaganda and are used as tools of the government. This suggests that the pilots have no value, and are not seen as humans, highlighting the lack of power and agency they have. When the pilots try to go against the government in attempts to gain freedom of life, this is still taken away from them by the harsh social expectations imposed by the government. Overall, we learn that the pilots are hopeless and possibly have no control over their lives, this control has been taken over by the government. "Into the jaws of Death // Into the mouth of hell" vs "green-blue translucent sea" Here the poets reveal contrasting views -COTLB uses cruel and harsh metaphorical language to emphasise the certain death that the soldiers are heading towards, whereas Kamikaze uses natural imagery as a turning point for the pilot to rethink the beauty of life. "Into the jaws of death // Into the mouth of hell" (COTLB) - "mouth" has been personified; this may literally represent the mouth of the commander who made the blunder sending the soldiers into certain death. Alternatively, this may symbolise a "mouth" that is consuming the soldiers, which emphasise the brutal deaths they experienced as they were demolished by the cannons. This may also be a metaphor for human decisions as the great consequences they hold. This quote may also show the bravery and heroism of the soldiers as they are charging into their own deaths. Furthermore, the metaphorical language "jaws" gives predator connotations. These savage, animalistic connotations show the soldiers are in a fierce and vulnerable situation. "Green-blue translucent sea" (K) - This reveals contrasting connotation than the ones seen in COTLB. The colour imagery creates connotations of peace through the colour imagery. The colours are rather calm and not fierce which juxtaposes the situation that the pilot is in as he flies towards his own death. The pilot's eyes are glued to the nature surrounding him, and he no longer wants to deny himself or those who he will kill the beauty of nature and the beauty of life. The imagery associates nature as precious, which also indicates that life is precious. Overall this calm imagery juxtaposes the fierce imagery seen in COTLB, which reveals the different perspectives of the soldiers. The pilot was alone and had time to admire the calm nature around him, meanwhile the charge was fast and full of momentum only allowing the soldiers to see what was ahead of them - death. "Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade" vs "one way journey into history" Here both poems ultimately reveal the purpose these soldiers fight for, to appear heroic and be memorialised for their courage and bravery, dying for their country. "Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade" (COTLB)- The repetition of the imperative verb "honour" emphasises Tennyson's message that the men should be glorified, and their bravery should be celebrated as well as instructing the reader to respect and admire the charge. The world marvelled at the courage of the soldiers; their glory is undying. The poem urges its reader to honour the noble 600 men, who remain worthy of it. The exclamatory sentence further emphasises Tennyson's beliefs that the men are honourable and noble. The glorification in war is evident in this poem as the death of the soldiers is portrayed as a positive, the public should aspire to be as brave as these men. Tennyson may not have had the same message as displayed in the poem and may have mocked it through the pathetic blunder that killed all these men but his poem had to glorify war due to his poet laureate position. "One way journey into history" (K) - Reveals the harsh reality of war, for the pilot to be admired he has to sacrifice his own life. This is quite ironic as he will never get to live or feel the glory he has gained as he will be dead, all that will remain after the pilot are memories. Also reveals the glorification of war as the noun "journey" makes the trip seem so casual despite how terrifying it really is. This simple casual noun glorifies war making it appear simple to complete an important act for your nation and forever be forgotten. Unlike Tennyson, Garland criticizes this glorification by highlighting that this decision is not simple for the pilot. We also learn that the pilot will only be respected and placed into history if he completes this suicide mission, which is quite painful for us as the reader to see the lack of respect in the pilot - he almost isn't treated like a human. Line of Argument: Both poems reveal the glorification of war and the heroism those have, who die for their country. Although both poems present emphasise the impacts of war and they reveal contrasting ideas about the conflict that comes with the decision of sacrificing yourself for your country. Garland highlights the high expectations of a Japanese society and culture; its better to die a hero than die a coward. Whereas Tennyson warns the reader about the horrors of war, and emphasises that the soldiers deserve to be honoured and memorialised for the sacrifice they made. Nevertheless, both poems successfully reveal the harsh brutality of war and the conflict that comes alongside it.