Poems Flashcards
Ozymandias
“And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command”
Power and arrogance
“Half sunk, a shattered visage lies”
Broken face, no longer tell who
Percy Bysshe Shelly
Ancient pharaoh in Egypt - power lost to sands of time
Theme: powerful ruler, king of kings.
Ironic as all that remains ruined statue.
Structure: written as sonnet with loose iambic pentameter
London.
“And blights with plagues the marriage hearse”
Joy of wedding, misery of death
“Mind-forged manacles”
Not physically held back, more belief own weakness
By William Blake
Victorian/Georgian England - youth/age, relationships
Theme: lack of power or abuse of, set in powerful city,
Structure: written in 4 stanzas, last line of each stanza delivers powerful statement
Predulde by William Wordsworth
Romantic poet challenges as grow up
Theme: has a sense of conflict between man and nature, nature more powerful. Structure: written as larger piece, no real structure. In iambic pentameter to give consistent pace,
“A little boat tied to a willow tree”
Metaphor of man’s influence, still anchored by tree (nature)
“The horizon’s bound, a huge peak, black and huge”
Language darker, nature own aggressive
Poem changes from “euphony” pleasant sounding to a “cacophony” harsh and rough sounding words.
My last Duchess
“My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name”
How vain, cares more about heritage, ironically mocking
“This grew, I gave commands, then all smiles stopped together”
Suggests killed on request, culmination of conflict, euphemism to suggest the fact she was killed?
by Robert Browning
19th century, familiar with controlling patriarchs, loosely based on Duke of Ferrara - dissatisfied by former wife, killed organises new wife
Theme: duke shows off power, suggest control over wife.
Structure: example of dramatic monologue, uses caesuras (pauses), lines that flow into each other (enjambment)
Charge of the Light Brigade
“Valley of death” biblical allusion to show horror of what faced
“Someone had blundered, theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do or die” repetition of theirs objectifies them as symbol rather than men, tone = solemn
“Honour the charge they made!” Imperative to give respect, solider to be honoured, even if decision wrong.
by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Crimean war, British troops in Russia, miscommunication led sacrifice (life & death)
Theme: about war, life and death, sacrifice and folly.
Structure: written in dimeter & dactylic = means two di- stresses in each line, military rhyme similar to sound of marching drums of horse hooves.
Storm on the island
“Forgetting that it pummels your house too”
Violent language of power, dominant over man
“Spits like a tame cat turned savage”
Simile poet uses familiar image to describe powerful & majestic, undermines strength of weather, only scary if let it.
by Seamus Heaney
Poet from Ireland uses agriculture and nature as metaphor for human nature.
Theme: Conflict between people & nature, fear of weather, however fear small in grand scheme of things, compared to war and conflict.
Structure: unrhymed and very conversational.
Bayonet charge
“The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye, sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest” juxtaposed ideas patriotic tear (noble thing) contrast sweating molten iron (further dehumanises solider more like tank or machine)
“Cold clockwork of the stars and the nations, was he the hand painting that second?” Rhetorical question, marks change of pace, happening slow motion, thinks of what he has become
by Ted Hughes
Nameless solider over top trenches, becomes more weapon than man. Very raw and primal,
Themes: transformation, humanity & nature.
Structure: picks up speed towards doom. Uses enjambment and caesuras to give bizarre and erratic speed to poem.
Remains
“He’s probably armed, and possibly not”
Repetition from start, thought replayed in mind, racked with guilt, now feels powerless
“His bloody life in my bloody hands” bitter/dark humour, expression of anger/hate, solider at conflict more with his mind, no resolution
by Simon Armitage
Solider in Iraq or Afghanistan- on patrol - looters - open fire, PTSD horrific memory,
Theme: after effects of war (power over life),
Structure: monologue, conversational, enjambment & caesura used to emphasis speaker, uses heightened realism
Poppies
“I resisted the impulse to run my fingers through the gelled blackthorns of your hair” metaphor short hair/stubble, military require, looks aggressive
“The world overflowing like a treasure chest” simile suggest attractive the world appears to son, also aspiration for his opportunities
by Jane Weir
Mother of son going to war, modern conflict, suggestion his death. Based on memorial - memory, key moments of life.
Themes: emotions - sadness, pride, fear.
Structure: a lot enjambment & familiar nouns to enhance idea of natural tone and mothers voice.
Checking out me history
“Dem tell me” repetition suggest constant barrage of learning, no insight
“I carving out me identity” monosyllabic pronoun - almost drum best, conflict between dem and I
by John Agard
How history taught obscured by race/gender, Caribbean ethnicity,
Theme: racial identity important, written in phonetic style to captive voice/tone.
Structure: written in irregular rhyme, speaking out anger/frustrated
Kamikaze
“Til gradually we too learned to be silent” implies behaviour not natural, forced upon
“This was no longer the father we loved” dramatically emphasise loved and creates empathy
by Beatrice Garland
Great honour to die for country, pilot doesn’t, returns home, rejected by family. Questions whether to die as pilot or grow old shut out.
Theme: rules of society, honour in culture, profound as no right answer.
Structure: final couplet hits home, very sombre tone but does not offer opinion, challenging reader to make own opinion. Futility of avoiding own roots
