The Duty of a Soldier

One poem that I was hoping we would read but never touched on was Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade." This poem is one of Tennyson's most famous pieces and is alluded to in countless pieces of writing, film and other entertainment mediums. In it Tennyson praises the bravery of the British Dragoons who made a suicide charge against Russian cannons during the Crimean War. Tennyson narrates in a lyrical ballad the story of the Light Brigade as they rode into "the jaws of death." It is written to sound swift like a cavalry charge with the words making sounds like the thunder of hoofs on a plain. The second stanza contains what many modern military historians consider to be the best summary of the duty of a soldier; "Theirs not to make reply,/ Theirs not to reason why,/ Theirs but to do and die." Soldiers are never to question orders and just do them without hesitation. Tennyson seems to believe that this shows the utmost bravery as one must march unquestioningly to their death without remorse or fear. Willingly sacrificing themselves for an officer's say so, even if it is a mistake as the real Charge of the Light Brigade was.