Ozymandias

Question 1

what type of poem is Ozymandias? (form)

Answer 1

a sonnet

Question 2

what does the no regular rhyme scene reflect? (Ozymandias)

Answer 2

reflects the way human power and structures can be destroyed

Question 3

is iambic pentameter used? (Ozymandias)

Answer 3

yes but often disturbed

Question 4

how does the second hand account effect the reader? (Ozymandias)

Answer 4

distances the reader even further from the dead king

Question 5

what does the fact the poem ends with describing the desert sum up about the statue?(Ozymandias)

Answer 5

its insignificance

Question 6

what is the statue a symbol of?(Ozymandias)

Answer 6

the temporary nature of political power

Question 7

what does the use of irony reflect?(Ozymandias)

Answer 7

Shellys hatred of oppression and his belief that’s it is possible to overturn social and political order

Question 8

what are the 3 attitudes and feelings in Ozymandias?

Answer 8

pride, arrogance and power

Question 9

explain the attitude/feeling of pride in Ozymandias

Answer 9

-the ruler was proud of what he achieved
-as he called on other rulers to admire him

Question 10

explain the attitude/feeling of arrogance in Ozymandias

Answer 10

-the inscription shows that the ruler believed he was the most powerful

Question 11

explain the attitude/feeling of power in Ozymandias

Answer 11

-human power and achievements are insignificant over time

Question 12

‘two …. trunkless legs of …..’
explain it
(Ozymandias)

Answer 12

vast, stone
-emphasises the size
-‘trunkless’ means incomplete and not maintained/ worthless

Question 13

‘….. in the desert’
explain it
(Ozymandias)

Answer 13

stand
-setting suggests absence of life and vitality

Question 14

‘shatter’d …. lies’
explain it
(Ozymandias)

Answer 14

visage
-ironic
-even human power can’t control effects of time

Question 15

‘sneer of …. command’
explain its
(Ozymandias)

Answer 15

cold
-the sculptor understood and portrayed his arrogance

Question 16

explain the significance of having ‘survive’ and ‘lifeless’ on the same line
(Ozymandias)

Answer 16

-hints how art can outlast human power
-art can immortalise power

Question 17

‘the hand that …’. them’
explain it
(Ozymandias)

Answer 17

mock’d
-‘mock’ can mean to ridicule
-perhaps the sculptor intended his statue to make fun of Ozymandias

Question 18

‘king of …..’ ‘.. mighty’
what do these quotes suggest?
(Ozymandias)

Answer 18

kings, ye
-arrogant and powerful he sees himself as better than any king
-the tyranny of the ruler is suggested through aggressive language

Question 19

‘…. on my works’
explain it

Answer 19

look
-imperative used
-stressed syllable at the start of the line heightens Ozymandias’s tone of command

Question 20

‘despair’
explain it
(Ozymandias)

Answer 20

-irony
-he tells others to despair but in fact hr should despair because their power is temporary

Question 21

‘colossal …..’
explain it
(Ozymandias)

Answer 21

wreck
-the ruined statue shows how human achievements are insignificant compared to the passing of time

Question 22

‘boundless and ….’ ‘…. and level’
explain them
(Ozymandias)

Answer 22

boundless, lone
-alliteration
-emphasises the feeling of empty space

Question 23

‘stretch … ….’
explain it
(Ozymandias)

Answer 23

far away
-the desert is vast and survives for far longer than the broken statue
-emphasising the insignificance

Question 24

what are the 3 themes in Ozymandias?

Answer 24

1. power of humans
2. power of nature
3. negative emotions- pride

Question 25

what poem could Ozymandias be compared to?

Answer 25

-storm on the island

Question 26

in what way can Ozymandias be compared to 'Storm on the Island'

Answer 26

-the power of nature