Epitaph of a Tyrant

Question 1

Body 1: what is shown within the context and medium of Auden’s “Epitaph of a tyrant”?

Answer 1

The enunciations of the societal ideals of militarism and totalitarianism

Question 2

Body 1: what does it openly condemn and criticise (topic sentence)

Answer 2

tyrant

Question 3

Body 1: what does “the poetry he invented was easy to understand” refer ti?

Answer 3

allusion and reference to paraphernalia and propaganda of tyrannical regimes such as Nazi party

Question 4

Body 1: what does “the poetry he invented was easy to understand” connotate?

Answer 4

his manipulation and deception despite being introduced as an ‘idealistic’ leader where “Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after”.

Question 5

Body 1: cliched simile?

Answer 5

“He knew human folly like the back of his hand”

Question 6

Body 1: what does cliche simile imply?

Answer 6

implies that the tyrant knows his people, but on other hand, represents an image of a dictator smacking down the populace

Question 7

Body 1: The colloquial expression of war connotation?

Answer 7

“armies and fleets”

Question 8

Body 1: what does armies and fleets show?

Answer 8

the power and force dangerous leaders, such as Stalin, Hitler, and Mussolini all possessed in order to protect his territory

Question 9

Body 1: what does the necessity to control territorial lines lead to?

Answer 9

to a desire to consolidate personal power, seen in his growing influence of those around him in government

Question 10

Body 1: what is human nature?

Answer 10

to want power over individual lives

Question 11

Body 1: what does it act as?

Answer 11

as a warning and representation of the influence of the totalitarian regimes and their involvement in societal decay and oppression of individuals

Question 12

Body 2: what is seen through descriptions of the consequences of tyranny?

Answer 12

an inherent understanding of people and politics can be seen in the poem

Question 13

Body 2: what does Auden comment on satirically and mockingly?

Answer 13

comments upon the societal values that constitutes a tyrant, signifying the decay of society during the 20th century

Question 14

Body 2: juxtaposed hyperbole?

Answer 14

“When he laughed” and “when he cried”

Question 15

Body 2: what does juxtaposed hyperbole show?

Answer 15

shows dichotomy between influence and oppression, and care people administer towards political figures, as they often subvert their ethics to achieve a position of power

Question 16

Body 2: what reveals the extent of power he holds?

Answer 16

The Tyrant’s ability to manipulate even the most respectable intelligent man of “senators”

Question 17

Body 2: tonal shift and metaphor?

Answer 17

“the little children died in the streets”

Question 18

Body 2: what does tonal shift and metaphor demonstrate?

Answer 18

demonstrates the loss and the reality that the end of every tyrannical totalitarian rule leads to a loss of innocent civilians, the children symbolic of innocence.

Question 19

Body 2: what does the poem effectively represent?

Answer 19

represents the impact abuse of power and position of authority has to the detriment of the public

Question 20

Body 2: how is the impact abuse of power and position of authority has to the detriment of the public made?

Answer 20

through a simplified representation of a tyrant, allowing for a thorough connection to people and politics and the way large scale events and ideals influence individual and public