Poems

Question 1

Nothing beside remains

Answer 1

Ozymandias

Question 2

In every cry of every man,
In every infants cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban

Answer 2

London

Question 3

The mind forged manacles I hear:

Answer 3

London

Question 4

I met a traveller from an antique land

Answer 4

Ozymandias

Narrator hasn’t even seen the statue irl he’s only heard of it. This emphasis how unimportant ozymandias is now

Question 5

Vast, trunkless, stone

Answer 5

Ozymandias

Emphasises size and stature but also shows that the statue has been destroyed by nature

Question 6

Stand in the desert

Answer 6

Ozymandias

Setting suggests absence of life and vitality

Question 7

Shatter’d visage

Answer 7

Ironic — even a powerful human can’t control the damaging effects of time

Question 8

Sneer of cold command

Answer 8

Ozymandias

The sculpture understood arrogance of ruler

Question 9

Survive, lifeless

Answer 9

Ozymandias

Having ‘survive’ and ‘lifeless’ on the same line hints at how art can outlast human power, but the ruined statue shows that ultimately art can’t immortality, juxtaposed

Question 10

The hand that mock’d them

Answer 10

‘Mock’ can mean to ridicule, or the create a likeness of something — perhaps the sculpture intended his statue to make fun of ozy

Question 11

King of kings

Ye mighty

Answer 11

Ozymandias

Arrogant and powerful — he even challenged other rulers

Question 12

Look

Answer 12

Ozymandias

Having a stressed syllable on the start of the line heightens Ozymadias’s tone of command

Question 13

Despair!

Answer 13

Ozymadias

Irony — he tells other rulers to ‘despair’ because of the size and grandeur of his ‘works’ but in fact they should despair because their power is temporary and ultimately unimportant, like his.

Question 14

The decay of that colossal wreck

Answer 14

Ozymadias

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

Question 15

Nothing beside remains

Answer 15

Ozymadias

Irony of inscription on the pedestal contrasting with surroundings

Question 16

Boundless and bare

Lone and level

Answer 16

Ozymadias

Alliteration — emphasises the feeling of empty space in the surrounding desert

Question 17

Stretch far away

Answer 17

Ozymadias

The desert is vast and survive far longer than the broken statue, emphasising the insignificance of the statue and of ozymandias

Question 18

When was romanticism a thing?

Answer 18

Late 1700 and early 1800

Question 19

What did the ‘romantic’ poets believe in?

Answer 19

Emotion rather than reason, tried the capture intense experiences in their work and particularly focused on the power of nature

Question 20

Shelly dislike the monarchy, absolute power and the oppression of ordinary people. What were his political views inspired by?

Answer 20

French Revolution 1789-1799

Where the monarchy was overthrown

Question 21

Wander

Answer 21

London

This sounds purposeless — could reflect how he feels powerless to change what’s happening

Question 22

Each chartered street

Answer 22

London

Suggests the whole city is affected, not just one area

Question 23

Chartered Thames does flow

Answer 23

Humans try to control powerful natural features the the river Thames but the power of nature will prevail over human power

Question 24

Mark

Answer 24

London

Means ‘notice’ but also suggests everyone he sees is marked by experience

Question 25

Marks marks
Every
Every
Every

Answer 25

London

Repetition emphasises feeling of bleakness — despair effects everyone and there’s no escape from it

Question 26

Infants cry of fear

I hear

Answer 26

London

The speaker hears various distressing noises — makes this seem like a vivid, hellish experience

Question 27

Mind-forged manacles

Answer 27

London

People are trapped in every way, even by thoughts and attitudes

Question 28

Chimney-sweeper’s

Answer 28

London

Chimney sweeps were usually young children, emotive image of child labour encourages reader to reflect on inequality in hierarchy and how power of humans can easily be corrupted

Question 29

Black’ning church

Answer 29

London

Seems to be angry at all forms of power — describing church as blackening could suggest it is corrupt or that it is tarnished by the failure to look after the people. Or it could be a grim visual image of the ugliness caused by the Industrial Revolution

Question 30

Runs in blood down palace walls.

Answer 30

London

Might be a reference to the French Revolution — sounds like he thinks ordinary people suffer while this in the palace are protected behind walls

Question 31

Youthful harlot

Answer 31

London

Contrast between innocence of youth and sordidness of prostitution

Question 32

Curse

Answer 32

London

He hears prostitutes cording but may also mean they are a curse to London??

Question 33

Blast the new born infants tear

Answer 33

London

The innocence of newborn babies is lost immediately — society damages its members
Absence of hope for everyone suffering under the hand of the corrupt people in power

Question 34

Blights with plagues

Answer 34

London

Powerful language of illness and disease. Destruction is implied by ‘blights’ and ‘plagued’ hints at something that’s uncontrollable and destined to affect lots of people

Question 35

Marriage hearse

Answer 35

London

Oxymoron — links the happy image of marriage with death. Suggests that everything has been destroyed
Contrasts shows everything is effected and nothing is innocent

Question 36

What were the names of the two volumes of poetry Blake illustrated and wrote which explored the state of human soul ?

Answer 36

‘Songs of Innocence’ are positive poems which focus on childhood, nature and love, whereas the ‘Songs of Experience’ ( including ‘London’) look at how innocence has been lost, and how society has been corrupted