Power And Conflict Flashcards
- Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley 4 Quotes
Themes: Power, Legacy, Time, Hubris
1.“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
– Theme: Power, Hubris
– Analysis: Ozymandias, the king, boasts about his greatness, but the desolate ruins surrounding him demonstrate the fleeting nature of power.
2.“Nothing beside remains. Round the decay / Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
– Theme: Time, Legacy
– Analysis: This describes the vast emptiness surrounding Ozymandias’s broken statue, illustrating how time erodes all achievements, no matter how mighty.
3.“I met a traveller from an antique land / Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert.”
– Theme: Time, Impermanence
– Analysis: The imagery of a ruined statue represents the inevitability of decay, challenging the permanence of power.
4.“And on the pedestal, these words appear: / My name is Ozymandias, king of kings.”
– Theme: Hubris, Power
– Analysis: The inscription reveals Ozymandias’s arrogance, but the irony is evident: his power is now a mere memory, swallowed by time.
- London by William Blake 4 Quotes
Themes: Power, Corruption, Social Injustice
1.“I wander through each chartered street, / Near where the chartered Thames does flow.”
– Theme: Power, Corruption
– Analysis: Blake criticizes the way even nature is controlled and restricted by human authority, representing the oppressive structures in London.
2.“In every cry of every man, / In every infant’s cry of fear, / In every voice, in every ban, / The mind-forged manacles I hear.”
– Theme: Oppression, Corruption
– Analysis: Blake emphasizes how the city’s inhabitants are metaphorically imprisoned by societal constructs, signifying widespread mental and social oppression.
3.“How the chimney-sweeper’s cry / Every blackening church appalls.”
– Theme: Social Injustice
– Analysis: The suffering of the chimney sweepers contrasts with the indifference of the church, highlighting the moral decay in London’s power structures.
4.“But most thro’ midnight streets I hear / How the youthful harlot’s curse / Blasts the new-born infant’s tear.”
– Theme: Power, Corruption
– Analysis: Blake condemns the moral degradation that results from both social and institutional neglect, with the harlot’s curse symbolizing corruption in every aspect of society.
- Extract from The Prelude by William Wordsworth 4 Quotes
Themes: Nature, Power, Fear, Innocence
1.“One summer evening (led by her) I found / A little boat tied to a willow tree.”
– Theme: Nature, Innocence
– Analysis: Wordsworth begins the poem by expressing the innocence and beauty of nature, in contrast to the darker emotions that follow.
2.“A huge peak, black and huge, / As if with a mountain’s weight upon my heart / It seemed to me that I was in the presence of a superior power.”
– Theme: Nature, Fear
– Analysis: The mountain symbolizes nature’s overpowering force, and Wordsworth reflects on how small and insignificant humans are in the face of it.
3.“There hung a darkness, call it solitude / Or blank desertion, no, / Not of the kind / That had been his.”
– Theme: Nature, Fear
– Analysis: Wordsworth contrasts nature’s beauty with the terrifying sense of isolation, illustrating how nature can evoke both awe and fear.
4.“With trembling hands I turned, / And through the darkness, I began to see / How weak my hopes and thoughts were.”
– Theme: Power, Fear
– Analysis: The speaker’s trembling and realization of his vulnerability shows the powerful emotional response that nature can invoke.
- My Last Duchess by Robert Browning 4 Quotes
Themes: Power, Control, Jealousy, Manipulation
1.“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive.”
– Theme: Power, Control
– Analysis: The Duke’s control over the portrait reflects his desire to control his late wife’s image, symbolizing his possessiveness and jealousy.
2.“She had / A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad.”
– Theme: Jealousy, Control
– Analysis: The Duke criticizes the Duchess for being too easily pleased by others, showing his jealousy and emotional manipulation.
3.“I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together.”
– Theme: Power, Jealousy
– Analysis: This chilling line suggests that the Duke had his wife killed, reflecting the extremes he will go to in order to maintain control over his surroundings.
4.“Notice Neptune, though, / Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, / Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!”
– Theme: Power, Objectification
– Analysis: The Duke ends the monologue by shifting to another piece of art, showing how he treats everything, including people, as objects to be controlled and admired.
- The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 4 Quotes
Themes: Heroism, Sacrifice, War, Loyalty
1.“Half a league, half a league, / Half a league onward.”
– Theme: Loyalty, Heroism
– Analysis: The repetitive structure conveys the relentless march of the soldiers, emphasizing their loyalty and determination.
2.“Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die.”
– Theme: Sacrifice, Obedience
– Analysis: The soldiers’ unquestioning obedience to orders symbolizes the power dynamics in war, where duty often overrides personal agency.
3.“Cannon to right of them, / Cannon to left of them, / Cannon in front of them / Volleyed and thundered.”
– Theme: War, Sacrifice
– Analysis: The imagery of the Light Brigade surrounded by cannons highlights the dangers and sacrifice inherent in military conflict.
4.“When can their glory fade? / O the wild charge they made!”
– Theme: Heroism, Sacrifice
– Analysis: Tennyson commemorates the bravery and glory of the soldiers, elevating their sacrifice in battle as a symbol of heroism.
- Exposure by Wilfred Owen 4 Quotes
Themes: War, Suffering, Nature, The Futility of War
1.“Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us…”
– Theme: Suffering, War
– Analysis: Owen’s description of physical and mental exhaustion underscores the soldiers’ suffering, showing the harsh conditions of war.
2.“We cringe in holes, back on forgotten dreams, and stare, / Slowly the night is bleeding.”
– Theme: Suffering, Death
– Analysis: The soldiers’ sense of abandonment and isolation is heightened by the bleak imagery of night, symbolizing the futility of their struggle.
3.“But nothing happens.”
– Theme: Futility, War
– Analysis: This repeated refrain reflects the inaction and the helplessness of soldiers facing an unyielding environment, critiquing the senselessness of war.
4.“For love of God seems dying.”
– Theme: Faith, War
– Analysis: The soldiers’ loss of faith in God reflects the emotional toll of war, suggesting that nothing, not even spirituality, can escape its ravages.
- Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney
Themes: Nature, Power, Fear, Isolation
1.“We are prepared: we build our houses squat, / Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate.”
– Theme: Preparation, Nature
– Analysis: The speaker highlights human efforts to fight against nature’s power, showing humanity’s vulnerability despite preparation.
2.“The flung spray hits / The very windows, spits like a tame cat / Turned savage.”
– Theme: Power, Nature
– Analysis: Heaney likens the storm to an animal, emphasizing its violent and unpredictable force, which challenges human control.
3.“We just sit tight while the gale is shrieking.”
– Theme: Isolation, Fear
– Analysis: The calm reaction to the storm contrasts with its violent intensity, symbolizing the helplessness and isolation humans feel when faced with nature’s wrath.
4.“It is a huge nothing that we fear.”
– Theme: Fear, Power
– Analysis: The “nothing” could symbolize the intangible, overwhelming force of nature, emphasizing how fear of the unknown can be more terrifying than the storm itself.
- Bayonet Charge by Ted Hughes 4 Quotes
Themes: War, Courage, Fear, Power
1.“Suddenly he awoke and was running – raw / In raw-seamed hot khaki.”
– Theme: War, Fear
– Analysis: The soldier’s sudden shift from sleep to action represents the abrupt violence of war and the physical discomfort soldiers endure.
2.“In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations / Was he the hand pointing that second?”
– Theme: Fate, War
– Analysis: The soldier’s questioning of his purpose reflects the existential uncertainty and futility of his actions within the grand scheme of war.
3.“His rifle pointed at the belly of the enemy.”
– Theme: War, Violence
– Analysis: The rifle symbolizes the violence and conflict that define war, placing the soldier in a constant state of aggression.
4.“The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye / Sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest.”
– Theme: Sacrifice, War
– Analysis: The soldier’s initial sense of patriotic duty fades as he faces the brutality of war, highlighting the disillusionment that comes with violence.
- Remains by Simon Armitage 4 Quotes
Themes: Guilt, Memory, War, Trauma
1.“On another occasion, we got sent out / to tackle looters raiding a bank.”
– Theme: War, Trauma
– Analysis: The mundane nature of the soldier’s task contrasts with the brutal consequences of his actions, highlighting the traumatic aftermath of war.
2.“End of story, except not really.”
– Theme: Guilt, Memory
– Analysis: The soldier’s attempt to dismiss the event shows how deeply trauma lingers, never truly disappearing from his mind.
3.“I see every round as it rips through his life.”
– Theme: Guilt, War
– Analysis: The soldier is haunted by the image of the looter’s death, showing how the traumatic memory shapes his existence.
3.“His bloody life in my bloody hands.”
– Theme: Guilt, Trauma
– Analysis: The soldier’s acknowledgment of his responsibility for another’s death shows the weight of war on the human conscience.
- Poppies by Jane Weir 4 Quotes
Themes: Sacrifice, Loss, War, Remembrance
1.“Three days before Armistice Sunday / And poppies had already been placed.”
– Theme: Sacrifice, Remembrance
– Analysis: The early presence of poppies symbolizes the anticipation of loss and the looming remembrance of those who sacrificed.
2.“The dove pulled freely against the sky, an ornamental stitch.”
– Theme: Loss, Peace
– Analysis: The dove represents peace, but its flight contrasts with the violence of war, emphasizing the tension between life and death.
3.“I listened, hoping to hear / Your playground voice catching on the wind.”
– Theme: Loss, Memory
– Analysis: The speaker longs for the sounds of her son, highlighting the profound emotional impact of loss.
4.“All my words / flattened, turned into felt, / slowly melting.”
– Theme: Memory, Sacrifice
– Analysis: The speaker’s words about her son become ineffective, symbolizing how memory and grief can overwhelm and silence one’s ability to express feelings.
- Tissue by Imtiaz Dharker 4 Quotes
Themes: Identity, Power, Fragility, Life
1.“Paper that lets the light / shine through, this is what could alter things.”
– Theme: Fragility, Power
– Analysis: Paper symbolizes the fragility of life and power, but also the possibility of change and transformation.
2.“The kind you find in well-used books, / the back of the Koran.”
– Theme: Identity, Faith
– Analysis: Dharker uses religious imagery to highlight the power of written words and their influence on shaping identity and belief.
3.“When the sun shines through / their borders, the kind you see in the form of a sheet.”
– Theme: Power, Transformation
– Analysis: The light breaking through paper suggests the potential for growth and change, showing how even fragile things can hold transformative power.
4.“The world is a vast rug of tissue.”
– Theme: Fragility, Life
– Analysis: The metaphor of life as fragile tissue highlights the delicate, interconnected nature of existence.
- The Emigree by Carol Rumens 4 Quotes
Themes: Memory, Identity, Conflict, Loss
1.“There once was a country… I left it as a child / But my memory of it is sunlight-clear.”
– Theme: Memory, Loss
– Analysis: The speaker’s clear memory of a lost homeland contrasts with the uncertainty of exile, highlighting the tension between past and present.
2.“I am branded by an impression of sunlight.”
– Theme: Memory, Identity
– Analysis: The sunlight represents the speaker’s enduring connection to her homeland, which remains fixed in her identity despite the passage of time.
3.“My city takes me dancing through the city of walls.”
– Theme: Conflict, Memory
– Analysis: The speaker envisions herself dancing in a city of walls, symbolizing the conflict and division caused by her exile.
4.“They accuse me of being dangerous.”
– Theme: Identity, Conflict
– Analysis: The speaker’s identity is challenged by those who view her as an outsider, reflecting the alienation and powerlessness felt by exiles.
- Kamikaze by Beatrice Garland
Themes: War, Honor, Family, Sacrifice
1.“Her father embarked at sunrise, / With a flask of water, a samurai sword.”
– Theme: Honor, Sacrifice
– Analysis: The imagery of a samurai sword emphasizes the honor and martial duty expected of the pilot, while foreshadowing the personal sacrifice he will make.
2.“But half way there, she thought, / better to die than to return with shame.”
– Theme: Honor, Sacrifice
– Analysis: The pilot’s internal conflict is revealed, as he must choose between his duty and personal survival, illustrating the tension between societal expectations and personal choices.
3.“And though he came back, / His daughter’s words clung to him.”
– Theme: Family, Honor
– Analysis: The pilot’s return, haunted by his decision, shows how family bonds and societal expectations weigh heavily on the individual.
4.“They treated him as though he had been dead.”
– Theme: Sacrifice, Honor
– Analysis: The pilot is ostracized for his failure to fulfill his mission, underscoring the harsh expectations placed on individuals in times of war.
- War Photographer by Carol Ann Duffy 4 Quotes
Themes: War, Memory, Suffering, Guilt
1.“In his darkroom he is finally alone / With spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.”
– Theme: Memory, Suffering
– Analysis: The darkroom represents both physical isolation and the emotional weight of the photographer’s work, with the “spools of suffering” symbolizing the trauma captured in his photographs.
2.“A hundred agonies in black-and-white / From which his editor will pick out five or six.”
– Theme: War, Suffering
– Analysis: The trivialization of human suffering for media consumption reflects the commodification of pain and the ethical dilemmas faced by war photographers.
3.“The reader’s eyeballs prick / With tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.”
– Theme: Guilt, Memory
– Analysis: Duffy critiques the fleeting emotional reactions of readers who are momentarily moved by war images but quickly move on, highlighting the disconnect between suffering and action.
4.“They do not care. / The reader’s eyeballs prick / With tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers.”
– Theme: Guilt, War
– Analysis: Duffy emphasizes the detachment of people from the realities of war, revealing the photographer’s sense of helplessness in conveying the true horror of conflict.
15.Checking Out Me History by John Agard 4 Quotes
Themes: Identity, Colonialism, Cultural History, Rebellion
1.“Dem tell me / Dem tell me / Wha dem want to tell me.”
– Theme: Colonialism, Oppression
– Analysis: The repetition emphasizes the speaker’s frustration with being taught a one-sided, biased history shaped by colonial forces.
2.“Bandage up me eye with me own history / Blind me to me own identity.”
– Theme: Identity, Oppression
– Analysis: The metaphor of a “bandage” highlights how colonialism has obscured the speaker’s understanding of his own cultural identity.
3.“I carving out me identity.”
– Theme: Self-empowerment, Identity
– Analysis: This line shows the speaker actively reclaiming and shaping his identity, rejecting the imposed history.
4.“Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon / But dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon.”
– Theme: Cultural History, Rebellion
– Analysis: The contrast between trivial nursery rhymes and important historical figures like Nanny de Maroon shows the neglect of non-Western histories in traditional education.
