Power and Conflict Poetry Flashcards
Ozymandias - summary
Ozymandias - name of for powerful Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramses II.
Shelley was a Romantic poem.
Inscription implies he is arrogant, proud and boastful.
Ozymandias - Key Ideas
Arrogance of rulers: Shelley points out arrogance of Ramses whose power led to pride and misleading of others. (“The hand that mocked them”)
Power of art: describes how nothing remains but a work of art (“two vast and trunkless legs of stone/Stand in the desert”). Suggests art is more enduring than human power.
Insignificance of humans.
Human vs Nature.
Timelessness.
Ozymandias - themes
Human power: - caesura (line 12 after “remains”) highlights that Ozymandias’ power has come to an end.
- The juxtaposition of “colossal” and “wreck” emphasises the contrast between his former power and his current state.
- Metaphor of ruined statue for/presents political power. Just as the face of the statue is “shattered”, “decay[ed]” and a “wreck”, so too is Ozymandias’ power.
Negative portrayal: - Alliteration: The use of sound in the poem contributes to the speaker’s distaste towards Ozymandias.
For example, the alliteration of the harsh ‘c’ and ‘b’ sound in “cold command” and “boundless and bare”.
- negative language: The language used to describe the ruler is deeply negative. For example, “frown”, “sneer”, “wrinkled”, “stamped”.
This reflects the poet’s own feelings towards the king and those who rule in a cruel manner.
- repetition: The repetition of “king” in “king of kings” shows how Ozymandias wished to portray himself as omnipotent (all- powerful).
It suggests he is trying to deify himself (make himself a god) and wants to be worshipped as one.
- imperative language: The imperative verb “look” indicates how controlling the king was.
Ozymandias- Irony and Rhythm
- irregular rhyming scheme.
- line 10: ozymandias’ voice - breaks iambic pentameter. This could reflect the king’s belief that he is above the law.
- enjambment and caesura: could mirror the broken statue and the way Ozymandias’ power has crumbled.
- statue: ozymandias’ uses an author authoritative tone. He commissioned the statue to make sure he was immortalised in people’s memories, instead he is surrounded by a “boundless and bare” desert and therefore seen by no one. Those that do see him are reminded of how his power crumbled, just like his statue.
- second hand account: speaker is telling a story that was told to him. Highlights how insignificant ozymandias has now become and how few people have seen for themselves the statue he created to be immortalised.
- sonnet form.
Ozymandias -key quotes
- ‘half sunk’
- ‘vast and trunkless Legs of stone’
- ‘shattered visage’
- ‘sneer of cold command’
- ‘my name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
- ‘nothing besides remains. Round the decay / or that colossal wreck, boundless and bare.’
Ozymandias - comparisons (power of nature vs humans)
X exposure.
- storm on the island.
- tissue.
- the prelude.
Ozymandias - comparisons ( misuse of power and corruption)
- my last duchess.
- London
London - summary
- speaker describes his experience of walking through the streets of London. He is struck by the poverty, disease and misery he sees and expresses anger that those in power do nothing to help.
- Blake’s radical views: critical of rich’s lives of luxury compared to the suffering of the poor. He was also against religion and saw the church as corrupt.
- influence of French Revolution: Blake saw the French Revolution of 1789 as the mark of a wonderful new beginning. In response to events in France, the authorities in London limited freedom of expression to prevent a repeat in their country. This is referred to in the poem through the links to the streets being “chartered” and the “mind-forged manacles”.
London - themes and structure
- Regular rhythm and rhyme: there is a regular ABAB rhymes scheme and 4 stanzas, 4 lines each.
- Iambic tetrameter (this could echo the never-ending suffering and misery in London.)
- Enjambment.
Shifting focus: First part describes deprivation and misery then moves to who Blake feels are responsible for the ‘blackening church’ and ‘palace’. In the final stanza it moves to how widespread the problem is and how it affects people who have just been born. (emphasis). - Dramatic Monologue: strong sense of speaker’s anger and frustration of the pain surrounding him.
- Metaphor: (runs down palace walls) emphasises monarchy are guilty o living in luxury whilst others suffer.
Colour imagery: (blackening church) is associated with ideas of corruption and death.
London - themes and structure (2)
- Emotive language: expresses extent of suffering and also Blake’s anger at the institutions that fail to help (e.g. “weakness”, “woe”, “in every infant’s cry of fear.”
- Vivid language. (“blast”)
- Repetition of “every” : emphasis the sense that the problem is widespread.
- Sensory language: brings horror of London at this time alive. (“Cry of fear”, “marks of weakness, marks of woe”)
- Trapped imagery
London - quotes
“I wander through each chartered street/ Near where the chartered Thames does flow”
“The mind forged manacles I hear”
“In every cry of every Man/ In every Infant’s cry of fear”
“Every blackening church appalls”
“Runs in blood down palace walls”
London - comparisons
Unpleasant/powerful experiences: the prelude, exposure, bayonet charge, remains.
Human power and misuse of power: ozymandias, my last duchess
Storm on the island - summary and structure
- Key ideas: poet explores ideas of inhospitality and cruelty of nature. Man is presented as insignificant compared to nature (emphasises this). Encourages readers to question the source of human fear: is it the unknown that frightens us the most?
- Context: first 8 letters are STORMONT, stormont is a suburb in Belfast, the poem has been interpreted as a metaphor for the conflict in Northern Ireland.
- Summary: speaker describes a storm attacking the island he lives on, as the poem goes on it becomes clear that the storm was powerful and frightening, their feeling of security turn to fear.
> storm: speaker describes a storm attacking the island he lives on.
> community: the community thought they were prepared, but becomes clear the storm was powerful and frightening.
> fear: feelings of security turn to fear.
> structural change: poet moves from creating images of safety to danger and destruction. the poet contemplates how strange it is that something cannot be seen or touched but is the source of great fear. - Rhythm and rhyme: unpredictable - reflects storm.
- direct adress: involves reader and makes storm appear more threatening.
- images of danger and destruction, images of safety, contemplation.
Storm on the island - themes
- Images of danger: “blows full blast”, “it pummels your house too”, “exploding”, “Spits like a tame cat/ Turned savage”. “we are bombarded”.
- Images of safety (contrasting): “sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate”, “Wizened earth”, “Never troubled us”.
- Simile: (cat one) gives the impression that the storm is wild and uncontrollable, it also reminds the readers hat something that seems innocent can be deadly. the use of enjambment highlights how the storm cannot be contained or controlled.
- Military metaphors: “We just sit tight while wind dives/ And strafes invisibly. Space is a salvo/ we are bombarded by the empty air”
> salvo, strafe and bombarded are associated with air attacks.
> the military imagery emphasises how violent and aggressive the storm is.
Storm on the island - themes (2)
- Juxtaposition: of ‘huge” and “nothing” in “huge nothing that we fear” in the final line highlights how strange the situation is. Despite huge physical preparations.
- Contrast of “huge nothing” and “rock”
- irony
- caesura: in opening line it reinforces the idea that islanders feel safe. it conveys the speaker certainty, as well as the sense that they are safely barricaded in their homes.
