Power & Conflict Facts/Context Flashcards
Who was Ozymandias based on?
Pharaoh Ramases II
How many voices are there in Ozymandias?
3 - the poet, the traveller and Ozymandias.
What was the purpose of London by William Blake?
To make a political statement about the power of the government the church and the royals.
It also conveys the lack of power in lower/working class.
What does Extract from The Prelude tell us about nature?
That nature has more power over man and that man is made to feel small and insignificant by the natural world.
William Wordsworth said…
Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings; it takes it’s origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.
How does My Last Duchess link to Ozymandias?
Art represents power in both poems.
Ozymandias and The Duke are both possessive egocentric characters.
How does the Duke feel about the Duchess in My Last Duchess?
He is possessive over her even after her death, and that he still feels for her.
Her painting is covered by a curtain, so he can have control over who sees her.
What is the purpose of Charge of the Light Brigade?
Written as a command to honour the Light Brigade. The language is simple so all people can understand it.
Poem is written in chronological order.
When was the Crimean war? (Which the Light Brigade fought in)
October 1853. The poem was written just after.
What are the main themes in Exposure?
Passive suffering
Violence of war and nature
The ongoing pointlessness of their suffering (shown through the repetition of “but nothing happens”)
How is Exposure structured?
Chronological order.
Begins and ends at night.
In the middle, the dawn brings misery because they can see the reality of war in the sunlight.
What is the context for Storm on the Island?
Stormont is a place in Ireland where political debates and decisions where made. The idea of the storm coming could be a metaphor for this. (Seamus Heaney was an Irish catholic)
What is the structure of Bayonet Charge?
Chronological order. First there is fighting, then he stops and realises the urgency of his situation, then he runs.
Which war does Bayonet Charge represent?
WW1
What tone is Remains written in?
Conversational tone, like My Last Duchess.
“On another occasion…”
“One of my mates..”
“So we’ve hit this looter a dozen times”
What mental disorder does the speaker seem to have as a result of his experience?
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which he tries to block out using drugs and alcohol. Guilt has overcome him.
What is the form of Poppies?
Dramatic monologue - the speaker talks to her dead son and reminisces.
Where is the power and conflict in Poppies?
Inner conflict in the mother: she wants to protect her child but she also wants him to experience the world.
Long lasting power of war and grief.
What attack are the children fleeing in War Photographer?
Napalm attack in Vietnam.
What is the main story in War Photographer?
That God is eternal but human life is transitory.
The photographer accepts the photos will make no difference to the conflict.
What is the extended metaphor in Tissue?
Tissue/paper is an extended metaphor for life.
Where is the power in Tissue?
Power of time on buildings and on human life.
Power of paper in that it can hold records and memories.
Who is speaking in The Emigrée?
A woman who left her hometown as a child due to conflict.
Where is the power and conflict in The Emigrée?
Power of war
Power of the woman’s memories: they are still clear in her mind.
Conflict between her memories of her hometown and her present life - she misses it.
What does the repetition of sunlight show in The Emigrée?
Her happy memories of her hometown will always shine through.
What is the story in Checking Out Me History?
That black history has not been fully appreciated, and that it shouldn’t be all about white history.
Where is the power in Checking Out Me History?
The power is with the British, having control over which parts of history is taught.
What is the effect of the dialect in Checking Out Me History?
Native dialect shows the resistance to control and how he is “carving out” his own identity by using his own form of language.
Who is the speaker in Kamikaze?
The daughter of a kamikaze pilot, who abandons his mission and returns home.
What did kamikaze pilots do?
They flew their planes into American ships in WW2 in order to sink them, sacrificing their lives. It was considered a brave and honourable act.
What happens when the kamikaze pilot returns from his mission?
He is shunned by society and his family.
“Till gradually we too learned to be silent” (to ignore their father)
“To live as thought he never returned, that this was no longer the father we loved”
