poetry revision Flashcards
Ozymandias
“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
the powerful image depicts the final fate of Ozymandias’s kingdom and his statue, emphasising the destructive power of time and the insignificance of human endeavours in the face of nature
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
This quote reveals Ozymandias’s boastful and arrogant nature, as he demands respect and acknowledges his immense power.
London
“Marks of weakness, marks of woe”:
This line encapsulates the pervasive suffering and despair that Blake observes in the city, suggesting that the signs of hardship and misery are visible everywhere
“How the youthful harlot’s curse, Blasts the new-born infant’s tear”:
This quote highlights the plight of the vulnerable, particularly women and children, who are often the victims of societal injustice. The “youthful harlot’s curse” suggests the harsh realities faced by women in a society that marginalises them
my last duchess
“She thanked men–/The Count your master’s known munificence/Is ample warrant that no just pretense/Of mine for dowry will be disallowed”:
This shows the Duke’s belief that the Duchess should be grateful for his status and wealth, and his concern for his own financial gain.
“I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together”:
This is a pivotal line, suggesting the Duke’s ruthlessness and the drastic measures he took to control his wife.
checking out me history
“Dem tell me / Wha dem want to tell me”:
This opening line establishes the conflict between the narrator’s received education and his desire for a more inclusive history. The repetition of “Dem tell me” emphasizes the narrator’s sense of being told a history that is not his own.
“Toussaint de beacon”:
This line refers to Toussaint L’Ouverture, a key figure in the Haitian Revolution, and uses the metaphor of a “beacon” to represent the hope and guidance that he offered to his people.
exposure
“Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us”
: This opening line establishes the poem’s bleak and brutal tone, personifying the weather as an enemy that physically and mentally torments the soldiers. The phrase “knive us” creates a vivid image of the cold’s destructive power.
“All their eyes are ice”
: This line suggests that the soldiers have lost their humanity and are now hardened by the experiences of war.
kamikaze
“All their eyes are ice”
: This line suggests that the soldiers have lost their humanity and are now hardened by the experiences of war.
“This was no longer the father we loved”
Meaning: This quote marks a shift in the narrator’s perception of her father, suggesting that his actions have changed him and their relationship
the prelude
“But huge and mighty forms, that do not live / Like living men, moved slowly through the mind / By day, and were a trouble to my dreams”
: This final passage encapsulates the poem’s central themes, suggesting that the experience has profoundly changed the speaker’s perception of the world and left a lasting impact on their psyche.
“One summer evening (led by her)”
: This quote marks the beginning of the poem, establishing a sense of idyllic childhood and a harmonious relationship with nature.
poppies
“A split second and you were away intoxicated”
: This line suggests the suddenness and inevitability of the son’s departure and the mother’s feeling of being overwhelmed by the situation.
“The world overflowing like a treasure chest”
: This image captures the son’s youthful, optimistic view of the world, contrasting with the mother’s more somber perspective, and the son’s innocence.
tissue
“If buildings were paper, I might feel their drift, see how easily they fall away on a sigh, a shift in the direction of the wind.”:
This passage uses the metaphor of buildings being made of paper to illustrate the fragility of even the most seemingly permanent structures.
It suggests that civilization and its structures are delicate and easily susceptible to change or collapse.
“let the daylight break / through capitals and monoliths.”:
This imagery suggests that even the most imposing and seemingly impenetrable structures can be penetrated by light, implying that even the most powerful entities can be vulnerable.
storm on the island
We are prepared: we build our houses squat, / Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate.”
(This opening establishes the islanders’ sense of control and preparedness for the storm.)
“Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear.”
(This final line is a powerful juxtaposition, highlighting the strange nature of their fear of something that is, in essence, nothing.)
war photographer
“spools of suffering set out in ordered rows”
: This line establishes the setting as the photographer’s darkroom, where the physical evidence of war – the film spools – is organized, yet the suffering they represent is not.
“he sought approval without words to do what someone must”
: This quote explores the photographer’s need for validation and the difficult choices he makes while documenting the war.
charge of the light brigade
“Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell”
: This phrase vividly portrays the soldiers’ charge into a certain death, using powerful imagery of a hungry beast and a fiery abyss.
“Honour the charge they made! / Honour the Light Brigade / Noble six hundred.”
This quote highlights the poet’s message that these men are worthy of a reader’s admiration and respect
bayonet charge
“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera / Dropped like luxuries in a yelling alarm”
: This quote powerfully illustrates how the soldier, in the face of immediate danger, abandons the ideals of patriotism and duty that he was previously taught to uphold. These ideals are presented as “luxuries” that are discarded in the face of the “yelling alarm” of war.
“Open silent, its eyes standing out”
: This quote refers to the hare, a symbol of the innocent caught in the crossfire of war. The hare’s “eyes standing out” suggests a sense of fear and vulnerability, mirroring the experiences of the soldiers.
the emigree
“It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants, but I am branded by an impression of sunlight”
: This quote highlights the speaker’s unwavering, positive memory of her homeland, even in the face of adversity. The phrase “branded by an impression of sunlight” emphasizes the indelible mark of this idealized image on her memory.
“My original view, the bright filled paperweight”
: This quote emphasizes the speaker’s unwavering, positive memory of her homeland, even in the face of adversity, using the metaphor of a “paperweight” to represent the weight of her memories.
