After reading both “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson and “The Dead” by Rupert Brooke, I have found that “The Dead” is actually more about life. The former focuses on a battle where 600 soldiers were killed. The latter focuses on the life and the happinesses in life of the deceased. Both poems are about wars and both are memorials to the deceased soldiers. However, Tennyson has a focus on the battle itself and the “shots”, “shells”, and “mouth of Hell” associated with war and battle. Brooke writes about the “joys”, “flowers”, “and wandering loveliness” of the lives of the soldiers. Brooke is able to paint a beautiful picture of life and happiness. Tennyson’s piece has lots of imagery of war and death. Tennyson never mentions the soldiers individually; he only refers to them as “the six hundred”. Brooke, as well, does not mention any soldiers individually, but his piece humanizes the soldiers as people rather than just as dead soldiers.

After reading both pieces, I tend to like “The Dead” because of its focus on life and joys of life. I appreciate “The Charge of the Light Brigade” as it is a beautiful eulogy to the battle. However, I like how “The Dead” doesn’t even mention death, but is a celebration of life.

Dani