All for a cause which few people really understood. As the war dragged on and on without seeming purpose, the public demanded to know why its sons and brothers were in a far-off foreign land, ill-supplied and ill-led, dying of disease and in battle. The Crimean War was the first war in which public opinion played a crucial part because it was the first war in which correspondents could file dispatches almost immediately back to home via the telegraph. It’s praise for mindless obedience to utterly brainless orders was seen as epitomizing all that was wrong with conformity and “the system.” It is ironic that at the time it was published, Tennyson’s poem was criticized as being anti-war and unduly fanning the flames of public opinion against its conduct. Many a shoolchild had to memorize all or part of the poem for public recitation.īy the 1960’s, though, the poem was falling out of favor. The poem’s rapid, rhythmic cadence, suggestive of the thunder of charging horsemen, its use of plain, mostly familiar vocabulary, and its story of unquestioning valor and unthinkable tragedy made it a popular exemplar of literary artistry and patriotic virtue. For most of the century which followed the poem’s publication, it was a classroom standard throughout the English-speaking world. The Charge itself had occurred on October 25th that year – the renowned “Saint Crispin’s Day” of national pride in England, famous for the victory of Henry V over the French 439 years earlier. All 202 women and 168 men in the race are charging toward the same goal: the valley of Death is 26.2 miles long, and we intend to cross it.It was on this day in 1854 that Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s classic poem The Charge Of The Light Brigade was published in London’s Examiner. So I’m going to toe the start line in L.A. In short, I want to feel like a motherfucking badass.Īnd I’ll be honest: I am terrified. What I’m hoping to gain from the experience is close to what Tennyson captured in his famous poem: the wild, unthinking charge, (wo)man against faceless peril with nigh a second thought for physical risk, driven by courage sweetened with the promise of eternal glory. The marathon finish chute is a survivor’s club. If the ancient Greeks are to be believed, Phidippedes, the first ever marathoner, collapsed upon finishing and died. The marathon is (arguably) no longer the most “extreme” running challenge, but it is the most storied. In a few days, I will line up for my debut marathon. Over the course of the past six weeks, Tennyson’s words have lodged themselves front and center in my brain like a stubborn commercial jingle. You have to make peace with the fact that once the starting gun fires, there is no going back. You have to look forward to weathering adversity. To be a runner requires a masochistic mentality. But I think it applies to our sport especially well. This poem, in particular, has supplied the battle cry before the big game in locker rooms the world over (especially since the release of a certain Sandra Bollock movie). But something about the rhythm, the recklessness, even the gravity of the poem reminds me of racing. Not that I have ever been to battle, or experienced anything close to a war zone –I can’t begin to imagine the kind of courage soldiers require. It felt weirdly relatable, like this nineteenth-century British poet-Baron was reaching through time and writing to me. Since I first encountered (and was subsequently forced to memorize) this poem in seventh-grade English class, it has been one of my favorites. – Alfred, Lord Tennyson (from: The Charge of the Light Brigade)
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