power and conflict Flashcards
Ozymandias
“king of kings”
“nothing beside remains”
London
“chartered streets”
“mind-forged manacles”
Prelude
“led by her”
“huge peak, black and huge”
My Last Duchess
“she liked whatever she looked on, and her looks went everywhere”
“notice Neptune, though, taming a sea-horse”
The Charge of the Light Brigade
“half a league, half a league, half a league onward”
“noble six hundred”
Exposure
“merciless iced east winds that knive us”
“But nothing happens”
Storm on the Island
“like a tamed cat turned savage”
“bombarded by empty the air”
Bayonet Charge
“his terror’s touchy dynamite”
“suddenly he awoke and was running”
Remains
“I see every round as it rips through his life”
“his blood-shadow stays on the street”
Poppies
“gelled blackthorns of your hair”
“your playground voice catching on the wind”
War Photographer
“editor will pick out five or six for Sunday’s supplements”
“half-formed ghost”
Tissue
“raise a structure never meant to last”
“paper that lets the light shine through”
Emigrée
“branded by an impression of sunlight”
“time rolls it’s tanks”
Kamikaze
“full of powerful incantations”
“little fishing boats strung out like bunting”
Checking Out Me History
“Bandage… blind”
“dem tell me wha dem want to tell me”
“king of kings”
ozymandias
“nothing beside remains”
ozymandias
“chartered streets”
london
“mind-forged manacles”
london
“led by her”
prelude
“huge peak, black and huge”
prelude
“she liked whatever she looked on, and her looks went everywhere”
my last duchess
“Notice neptune, though, taming a sea-horse”
my last duchess
“half a league, half a league, half a league onward”
the charge of the light brigade
“Noble six hundred”
the charge of the light brigade
“merciless iced east winds that knive us”
exposure
“But nothing happens”
exposure
“like a tamed cat turned savage”
storm on the island
“bombarded by the empty air”
storm on the island
“his terror’s touchy dynamite”
bayonet charge
“suddenly he awoke and was running”
bayonet charge
“i see every round as it rips through his life”
remains
“his blood shadow stays on the street”
remains
“gelled blackthorns of your hair”
poppies
“your playground voice catching on the wind”
poppies
“editor will pick out five or six for Sunday’s supplement”
war photographer
“half-formed ghost”
war photographer
“raise a structure never to last”
tissue
“paper that lets the light shine through”
tissue
“branded by an impression of sunlight”
emigrée
“time rolls it’s tanks”
emigrée
“full of powerful incantations”
kamikaze
“little fishing boats strung out like bunting”
kamikaze
“bandage… blind”
checking out me history
“dem tell me wha dem want to tell me”
checking out me history
what is ozymandias about
- narrator meets a traveller who talks about a statue in middle of the desert
- statue of a king who rules over a past civilisation
- face is proud and arrogantly boasts about his power shown in statue’s inscription
- statue fallen down and crumbled away, only ruins remain
ozymandias: form
- a sonnet poem but doesn’t follow regular sonnet rhyming scheme, reflects way human’s power can be destroyed
- story shown in second hand perspective, distances reader from dead king
ozymandias: irony
- nothing remains to show for the ruler’s arrogant boasting of great civilisation
- ruined statue, a symbol for temporary power of humans and their achievements against power of nature
ozymandias: language of power
- human power is limited and fragile towards the power of nature and power of time (ruined statue)
how does Ozymandias show Pride
- ruler proud of what he’d achieved
- called on other rulers to admire his works
how does Ozymandias show Arrogance
- inscription shows ozymandias believed he was most power ruler in the world and felt no one could compete with him
- believed he was better then those he ruled over
how does Ozymandias show Power
- human civilisation and achievements are insignificant compared to passing of time and power of nature
analyse: “I met a traveller from an antique land”
- shelley frames poem as a story to make clear that narrator hasn’t seen statue but only heard about it.
- shows unimportance of ozymandias
analyse: “shatter’d visage”
- shows irony
- suggests even a power ruler can’t control damaging effects of time
- power of nature
analyse: “king of kings”
- emphasises arrogance and power
- he challenged other rulers
analyse: “The hand that mock’d them”
“Mock” can mean to ridicule or create a likeness of something, perhaps the sculpture intended his statue to make fun of Ozymandias
analyse: “That colossal wreck”
- ruined statue shows how human achievements are insignificant compared to passing of time
- power of nature
analyse: “lone and level”
- Alliteration
- emphasises the feeling of empty space in the surrounding desert
analyse: “Boundless and bare”
- desert is vast and survives far longer than the broken statue, emphasises insignificance of the statue and of Ozymandias
- power of nature
what is london about
- narrator describing walk around the city of london
- everywhere he goes he meets people who have been affected by the misery and despair
- misery seems relentless, no one can escape it. not even young and innocent
- people in power are behind the problems, do nothing to help those in need
london: form
- a dramatic monologue
- narrator speaks passionately about suffering he sees
- the ABAB rhyme scheme is unbroken, echo’s relentless misery of city
- regular rhythm reflects sound of his feet as he trudges around
london: structure
- narrator presents relentless images of downtrodden, deprived people
- first two stanzas focus on people he sees and hears
- stanza three focuses on institutions he holds responsible
- final stanza focuses on people, show how babies are affected
london: rhetoric
- uses powerful, emotive words and images to reinforce the horror of the situation
- repetition used to emphasise number of people affected, also show how society needs to change
london: use of senses
- included depressing sights and sounds of city
- first stanza, what he sees
- second stanza, what he hears
- last two stanzas combine the visual and aural
london: contrasts
used to show how everything is affected and nothing pure or innocent remains
how does London show Anger
- use of emotive language and repetition
- “every black’ning church” suggests he angry at people in power who could do something to change things but don’t
how does London show Anger
- “mind forged manacles” suggest that people have done this to themselves, trapped by their own actions
- appear hopeless because they are not able or not even trying to help themselves
analyse: “I wander”
- personalises the poem and makes it seem more real
- reflects that he feels powerless
analyse: “each chartered street”
suggests every street is affected and not just one area
analyse: “In every… In every… In every”
- repetition emphasises feeling of bleakness
- despair affects everyone and there’s no relief from it
analyse: “mind-forged manacles”
people are trapped, by thoughts and attitudes
analyse: “infant’s cry of fear”
speaker hears distressing noises which make this place seem like a hellish experience
analyse: “how the chimney-sweeper’s cry”
we’re usually young boys, emotive image of child labour
analyse: “Runs in blood down palace walls”
ordinary people suffer while those in palace are protected behind walls
analyse: “marriage hearse”
- oxymoron
- links happy image of marriage with death
- suggests everything has been destroyed
what is The Prelude about
- begins when narrator find a boat tied to a tree and takes it out onto lake
- initially narrator seems happy and confident, describes a beautiful scene.
- mountain appears and narrator is afraid of its size and power
- turns boat around and goes home, but view of nature has changed
The Prelude: Form
- first person narrative
- personal and describes turning point in poets life
- use of blank verse makes it sound serious and important
- regular rhythm makes it sound like nature speech
The Prelude: Structure
- first section, tone fairly light and carefree
- distinct change when mountain appears, tone becomes darker and more fearful
- final section narrator reflects on how the experience changed him
The Prelude: Beautiful Language
poem begins with a series of pretty, pastoral images of nature
The Prelude: Confident Language
- narrator appears sure of hime self at first, alr mot arrogant in his view of himself and his place in the world
- gives impression of feeling powerful
The Prelude: Dramatic Language
- initial glimpses of threatening language becomes more intense after mountain appear
- narrator comes to understand how powerful nature is
The Prelude: Fearful Language
- narrator is far less confident at end of extract
- troubled by glimpses of nature he has seen
- experience has a lasting, haunting effect on him
how does the Prelude show Confidence
- narrator feels comfortable and in control at start
- changes and confidence in himself and the world around him fades
how does the Prelude show Fear
- nature shown to be more powerful than a human being
- narrator left with feeling of awe and respect for nature but also very scared by it
how does the Prelude show Reflection
- poem ended with narrator reflecting on how he has been changed by this event
- thoughts and dreams, troubled by his experience
analyse: “(led by her)”
- personification
- nature is already in control of him, shows infinitive power
analyse: “a little boat tied to a willow tree”
happy, rural image
analyse: “ act of stealth… troubles pleasure”
- oxymoron
- hints narrators guilt and that he knows he’s doing something wrong
analyse: “Upreared it’s head”
- personification
- ugly image
- contrasts with beautiful images before
analyse: “trouble to my dreams”
- unsettling image, helps us to emphasise with him
- hug contrast to the tone and mood at the start
analyse: “in grave”
- event has big impact on him
- connotations with deat which is very serious
- reminds him of his own mortality
analyse: “no pleasant images of greets, of sea or sky”
narrator no longer thinks of nature in terms of pretty images
what is MLD about
- Duke proudly shows visitor painting of wife
- wife treated him like anyone else, which angered him
- acted to stop the wife’s flirtatious behaviour, doesn’t say but hints of murdering her
- Duke and guests walk away from painting, reader discovers visitor coke to arrange next marriage
MLD: Form
- a dramatic monologue written in iambic pentameter, reinforces the impression that Duke is in conversation with visitor
- rhyming couplets show the Duke’s desire for control
- enjambment suggests he gets carried away by his anger and passions
- creates picture of unstable character, obsessions with power is unsettling
MLD: Structure
- poem framed by visit of Duke’s gallery
- distracted by talking about Duchess instead of art
- poem builds to a confession before visitor’s identity is revealed and the Duke moves on to talk about other art
MLD: Power and Objectification
- Duke felt need to have power and control over Duchess
- saw her as another possession to be collected and admired just like his other expensive art
MLD: Dramatic Irony
- things Duke says about Duchess seem innocent, but often have more sinister meaning for reader
- gap between what Duke tells listener, and what poet allows us to read between the lines
MLD: Status
- really important to the Duke
- cares about how others see him
how does MLD show Pride
very proud of his possessions and his status
how does MLD show Jealousy
he couldn’t stand that the Duchess treated him the same as everyone else
how does MLD show Power
- he enjoys control that he has over the painting
- he didn’t have power over Duchess when she was alive
analyse: “my last Duchess painted on the wall”
- sounds as if he controls her and not just the picture
- she has no control now
analyse: “Will’t please you sit and look at her?”
- sounds polite but is actually quite forceful
- shoes he wants and needs the control of the full room
analyse: “none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I”
he controls he looks at her now, because he couldn’t when she was alive
analyse; “The bough of cherries some official fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule”
the enjambment makes it sound as if he’s getting carried away by his anger
analyse: “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together”
- emphasises the wife’s murder
- how he was in control and killed her
- “ I gave commands” very cold and cynical
analyse: “Notice Neptune, though, taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity”
- returns to the subject of his art collection, emphasises power and wealth
- poem is a warning on how his next wife should act and behave
what is CotLB about
- describes a disastrous battle between British cavalry and Russian forces during Crimean War
- a misunderstanding meant that soldiers ordered to advance into valley surrounded by enemy soldiers
- russian had guns while british had swords, british defenceless, many killed
CotLB- Form
- narrated 3rd person, seems like story
- regular rhythm creates a fast pace, cavalry’s advance
- rhyming couplets and triplets drive poem, momentum broke by unrhymed lines, mirror horses stumbling, soldiers falling
- overall lack of rhyme scheme hints at chaos of war
CotLb- Structure
- poem tells story of battle in chronological order
- final stanza shorter and summarises the heroism of the brigade
CotLb- Repetition
- creates a sense of impeding doom and inevitably
CotLb- Violent Language
- narrator chooses powerful verbs and adjectives to give strong sense of violence of battle
- uses sounds to create vivid, noisy, hellish setting
how is Admiration shown in CotLB
- narrator admires bravery and sacrifice of men because they obeyed orders and can though they knew the risk of death
- thinks world should recognise the bravery and appreciate their sacrifice
how is Patriotism show in CotLB
men followed orders because of their duty to their country, speaker portrays them as heroes for this
how is Horror shown in CotLB
suggestion that narrator is horrified by the violence of battle
analyse: “Half a league, half a league, half a league onward”
rhythm sounds like galloping horses’ hooves, gives the impression that the horses are unstoppable
analyse: “Death”
- sounds sinister
- reader earned from start that something bad will happen
analyse: “Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them, Cannon in front of them”
- repetition shows how surrounded they are by enemies
- replicates gunfire
analyse: “shot and shell”
sibilance emphasises the idea of ammunition flying towards them
analyse: “jaws of Death…mouth of Hell”
images personify death and hell, make them seem like monsters that soldiers can’t escape from
analyse: “Cannon to the right of them, Cannon to the left of them, Cannon behind them”
- repetition to show soldiers surrounded by enemy
- but are now retreating
analyse: “All the world wonder’d:”
- people marvelled at their bravery
- or people wondered why they had been sent on the charge
- this poem focuses on the bravery of soldiers rather than the mistakes of the military leaders
what is Exposure about
- soldiers in trenches of WW1 at night
- nature is the main enemy, very cold
- me imagining returning home, but the doors there are closed to them
- they believe sacrificing themselves at war is only way of keeping people at home safe
- return to thinking about their deaths in icy trenches
Exposure- Form
- written in present tense using first person plural (Our, We, Us)
- collective voice shows the experience was shared by soldiers
- each stanza has regular rhyme scheme, reflecting monotonous nature of men’s experience, most rhymes are half rhymes (snow and renew)
- rhyme scheme is jagged like reality of men’s experience, reflect their confusion and fading energy
- each stanza ends with half line, leave a gap suggest lack of activity or hope for men
Exposure- Structure
- 8 stanzas, but not real progression
- last stanza ends with same words as first stanza, relegate monotony life in trenches and absence of change
Exposure- Questions
uses rhetorical questions to ask why men exposed to such dreadful conditions, and whether there is any point of their suffering
Exposure- Break Language
- includes lots of break imagery to remind reader of means pain, awful weather and lack of hope for soldiers
- assonance and onomatopoeia carefully chosen verbs add to bleak mood, make description vivid and distressing
Exposure- Personification
nature repeatedly personified, seems like real enemy of way
how is Suffering shown in Exposure
- reminders of real and physical pain and exhaustion that soldiers experience
- thinking about home is painful for men because they’re not welcome there
how is Boredom shown in Exposure
sense of frustration because they are left watching and worrying while nothing happens as they contemplate their own deaths
how is Hopelessness shown in Exposure
- soldiers helpless against power of nature
- nothing they can do to change their situation
- poem offers little hope of a future for the men
analyse: “Our brains ache”
a shared painful experience
analyse: “confuse…worries…curious, nervous”
- different emotions
- other reason why their brains ache
analyse: “merciless iced east winds that knive us”
- nature personified
- nature is attacking them
analyse: “…”
ellipsis hints they are waiting for something to happen “but nothing happens”
analyse: “but nothing happens”
- half line
- emphasises boredom and tension
analyse: “like twitching agonies of men among its brambles”
- “brambles” of the barbed wire
- reminds us of pain caused by nature
analyse: “ranks on shivering ranks of grey”
- the description of dawn approaching mirrors the soldiers in the trenches
- grey is no colour, battlefield is cold and lifeless
- grey was the colour of German uniforms, aligns nature with enemy
analyse: “dawn massing in the east her melancholy army”
- dawn is personified using the language of battle
- dawn normally brings hope, but not here
analyse: “black with snow”
- snow is normally white (symbolising purity)
- but here it’s black (symbolising death)
analyse: “snow-dazed… sun-dozed”
half-rhyme creates link between what was before and what is now
analyse: “- is it that we are dying”
- rhetorical question
- possible answering the first question in stanza 2
analyse: “shutters and doors, all closed: on us the doors are closed”
- caesura creates a division of each line, reflects how men are shut out of their homes
- reflects soldier’s concern that people back home were losing interest in their fate as was went on
analyse: “For love of God seems dying”
- their love of God is disappearing
- feel God’s love for them is dying because he won’t save them
analyse: “All their eyes are ice”
- metaphor
- refers to eyes of living and dead men
- vivid description of how they’ve been overpowered by nature
- living men no longer able to feel emotion, dead inside
what is SOTI about
- narrator describes, community thinks well prepared for storm
- poem goes on confidence disappears
- ending of poem describes fear
SOTI: Form
- written in blank verse, reflects patterns of everyday speech, sound like conversation
- poem all in one stanza, company and sturdy like house
SOTI: Structure
- poem shifts from security to fear
- “But no:” shows the turning point by using the caesura to reflect calm moments before storm
SOTI: Violent imagery
writer uses personification metaphors and similes to emphasise the storms war like danger and effects
SOTI: Use of sounds to show power of nature
- the plosive forceful sounds like “blast” show power of nature
- sibilance to show danger and whistles of the waves and winds
how does SOTI show helplessness
- people can’t do anything and forced to wait for storm to end
- nature show as powerful and in command, ruler of man king
analyse: “We are prepared”
feeling of safety
analyse: “Exploding comfortably”
oxymoron juxtaposes the feelings of fear and safety
analyse: “bombarded”
- language normally used to describe war
- island being attached by planes dropping bombs
analyse: “tragic chorus”
- in Greek “chorus” means events
- no trees to act as a chorus suggests islanders are alone
analyse: “houses squat”
- lots of words about safety and security in first two lines
- feeling of security disappears with the enjambment in rest of poem
