Battling Adversity: Structure in “The Charge of the Light Brigade”
Question 5 • FL-1001040-M/J Language Arts 2 A-CR
Read the excerpt from "The Charge of the Light Brigade." HALF a league, half a league, Half a league onward,All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred."Forward, the Light Brigade!Charge for the guns!" he said:Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. Which describes the rhythm and meter in the poem?
Answer
A
a pattern of one unstressed syllable followed by two stressed syllables
B
a pattern of two stressed syllables followed by one unstressed syllable
C
a pattern of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables
D
a pattern of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable
Explanation
The poem mainly uses a dactylic rhythm: one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. You can hear that pattern in “HALF a league” and “ONward,” where the first syllable is emphasized and the following syllables are lighter. This matches choice C, a pattern of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.
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