Poems Flashcards
Ozymandias
. Based on rulers of Egypt who considered themselves Gods
. Written in a sonnet (Structure)
. “And wrinkled lip”- Shows us how ugly and grumpy he was and what he was like as a reader
. “Colossal Wreck”- Indicates that an empire will always fall no matter what you try to do. Symbolises power isn’t important
. Links with poems like London
Extract from, The Prelude
. Looks at the spiritual and moral development of a man growing up
. Written in a very large piece (Is a progress of a journey
. “Went heaving through the water like a swan”- Simile reminds that anything man tries to produce in merely copying nature which does it best
. “No pleasant images of trees, Of see or sky, no colours of green fields”- After encountering the beast, he will never view nature in the same positive way
. Links to Exposure
My Last Duchess
. Talking to messenger about arranged marriage and how he was dissatisfied with his former wife and had her killed.
. “That piece of art”- Calling his last wife ‘that’ shows how he believed her to be property more than his wife. Shows he didn’t value her
. “Ample warrant that no pretence Of mice for dowry will be disallowed”- Suggests he’s more interested in money rather than love.
. Is an example of a dramatic monologue
. Links to exposure and bayonet charge
Charge of the Light Brigade
. Battle during Crimean War
. Divided into 6 stanzas with a lot of repetition
. “Honour the Light Brigade”- Was a heroic act as they took orders despite certain death
. “Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them”- Emphasis on bombardment and bravery to try and go through this barrier
. Similar to poems like exposure
London
. Themes of abuse of power and lack of power
. Written in 4 stanzas with an regular alternate scheme (Reflects on walking pace)
. “mind-forged manacles”- Metaphor showing that these people are not physically held back, but belief their own weakness holds them back
. “black’ning church”- Emphasis on pollution and toxicity of London. Something is wrong
. Links to poem Ozymandias
Storm on the island
. Themes of weather bombardment and war
. Unrhymed and conversational tone
. “Very windows, spits like a tame cat”- Can’t be distracted by vicious weather
. “Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear”- Fearful about the things we can’t do anything about and cannot prepare for this conflict
. Similar to exposure
Bayonet Charge
. About a soldier rushing out of trenches (Themes of war and humanity)
. Structure links to speed of the charge
. “King, honour, human dignity”- Trying to justify brutality. Not justified for nature
. “Bullets smacking the belly out of the air”- Personifying bullets to show they are more powerful than humans as we cannot stop them
. Similar to charge of the light brigade
Remains
. Main focus in the poem is conflict
. Ends in a couplet so poem leaves on a dramatic note
. “Pain itself, the image of agony”-Shows us he doesn’t like his job and sees images of pain and agony
. “Three of a kind all letting fly”- Comparing soldiers to poker, emphasis on war being luck if you libe or die
. Links to Bayonet and Light Brigade
Exposure
. Poem links to horrid conditions of weather and trenches (Man vs Nature)
. “Merciless iced east winds that knife us”- Personification of how the weather is fighting the soldiers, not soldiers fighting the soldiers
. “We cringe the holes, back on forgotten dreams”- Describing us how nature is the biggest predator. Humans compared to animal (animalised)
. Poem has large amounts of elipses and repetition
. Links to Bayonet Charge and Charge of the Light Brigade
Poppies
. Focuses on conflict of a son going to war and emotions of a family
. Written as monologue and no rhyme scheme
. “Flattened, rolled, turned”- Rule of 3 implies mum is very proud of son but doesn’t want her to leave
. “Single dove flew from the pear tree, and this is where it has led me”- Implication on son’s death. Pain felt
. Links to Remains
Checking out my history
- Themes of racial identity and history
- “Dem tell me”- Repetition, suggests constant barrage of learning by rote without insight
- “Bandage up me eye with me own history”- Although he’s covered up can still unravel his own history. Made to learn different things
War Photographer
- About a war photographer who returned home. Conflict between war zones and safety
- No rhyming used to emphasise chaos in photos
- “He is finally alone”- Finally suggests he has been haunted by experiences and allows him to escape
- “Simple weather can dispel to fields which explode beneath their feet”- Contrasting british weather to War zone. Making British weather seem great
- Links to exposure an poppies
Kamikaze
- Conflict about honor and Japanese Culture
- Structured as daughter speaking it
- “My mother never spoke again”- effects of not completing mission, treated as outcast
- “He must have looked far down at the little fishing boats”- Shows influence of nature over humans
- Links to Exposure
Tissue
- Looks at conflict in terms of politics and destruction
- Enjambement used to create a very human tone
- “The back of the Koran”- symbol of culture and religion and also emphasising a major conflict in modern society and the perceived war on Islam
- “On which sepia date”- means faded or yellowed. Suggestion of handed down
- Linked with War photograph
The Emigrée
- Deep sense of conflict in terms of emotions and memory
- 3 stanza structures, repetitive elements such as idea of ‘sunlight’
- “But my memory of it is sunlight-clear”- Pathetic Fallacy creates a positive image which juxtaposes her understanding as an adult.
- “I am branded by an impression of sunlight”- Connotation branded often conveys sense of marked wrongness, repetition of sunlight
- Links to Checking out my History
