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English > Power Poems > Flashcards

Power Poems Flashcards

1
Q

Who wrote “Ozymandias”?

A

Percy Bysshe Shelley.

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2
Q

What is “Ozymandias” about?

A

The poem describes a ruined statue in a desert, symbolizing the fleeting nature of power and human achievements.

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3
Q

Who is Ozymandias?

A

A king whose arrogance and legacy are mocked by the decayed statue and the vast, empty desert.

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4
Q

What themes are explored in “Ozymandias”?

A

Arrogance, impermanence, and the passage of time.

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5
Q

Why did Shelley write “Ozymandias”?

A

To critique human pride and show how time erases power and legacy, inspired by ancient artifacts like the statue of Ramses II.

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6
Q

Who wrote “My Last Duchess”?

A

Robert Browning.

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7
Q

What is “My Last Duchess” about?

A

A Duke reveals a portrait of his late wife, recounting her behaviour and hinting that he had her killed because she displeased him.

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8
Q

Why did Browning write “My Last Duchess”?

A

To critique the corrupting influence of power and explore the psychology of a controlling, arrogant aristocrat.

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8
Q

What form is “My Last Duchess” written in?

A

Dramatic monologue.

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9
Q

Why was the Duchess’s behaviour a problem for the Duke?

A

She was too friendly, easily impressed, and did not value his “nine-hundred-years-old name” as he expected.

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10
Q

Who wrote “The Prelude”?

A

William Wordsworth.

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11
Q

What is the prelude about?

A

A boy takes a boat out onto a lake, experiences the sublime power of nature, and reflects on the awe and fear it inspires.

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12
Q

What literary techniques does Wordsworth use?

A

Imagery (e.g., “glittering circles”), personification (e.g., the peak “strode after me”), and contrast (joy vs. fear).

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13
Q

Why did Wordsworth write The Prelude?

A

To explore his personal growth and the influence of nature on his life.

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14
Q

What role does nature play in The Prelude?

A

Nature acts as a teacher, shaping Wordsworth’s moral and spiritual development.

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15
Q

Who wrote London?

A

William Blake.

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16
Q

What is London about?

A

It critiques the social and political oppression in 18th-century London, highlighting suffering, corruption, and inequality.

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17
Q

Why did Blake write London?

A

To expose the impact of industrialization, poverty, and institutional control on individuals and society.

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18
Q

What are “mind-forg’d manacles”?

A

A metaphor for the restrictions and control placed on people’s minds by society and authority.

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19
Q

What themes are explored in London?

A

Social injustice, corruption, poverty, and the loss of innocence.

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20
Q

Who wrote Checking Out Me History?

A

John Agard.

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21
Q

What is Checking Out Me History about?

A

It criticizes the Eurocentric version of history taught in schools and celebrates important figures from Black and Caribbean heritage.

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22
Q

Why did Agard write this poem?

A

To challenge historical biases and reclaim his cultural identity through overlooked stories of Black and Caribbean figures.

23
Q

What themes are explored in Checking Out Me History?

A

Identity, power of history, cultural heritage, and resistance to oppression.

24
Q

What does the phrase “Bandage up me eye with me own history” mean?

A

It symbolizes how colonial education obscures and restricts the speaker’s understanding of his heritage.

25
Q

What does “Dem tell me” suggest?

A

Repetition emphasizes the control and selective nature of the information taught to him

26
Q

What does “I carving out me identity” mean?

A

It reflects the speaker’s active effort to reclaim his heritage and shape his sense of self.

27
Q

What is the significance of the historical figures in the poem?

A

Figures like Toussaint L’Ouverture, Nanny de Maroon, and Mary Seacole symbolize strength, resistance, and overlooked contributions.

28
Q

How does Agard use contrasts in the poem?

A

He juxtaposes trivial or Eurocentric figures with heroic Black and Caribbean figures to highlight the omissions in mainstream history.

29
Q

What does the line “But now I checking out me own history” suggest?

A

The speaker is now taking control of his own identity and reclaiming his heritage from the misrepresentation in traditional history.

30
Q

What is the significance of “Dem tell me bout 1066 and all dat”?

A

This phrase refers to the selective history taught in schools, focusing on events like the Norman Conquest, while ignoring important figures from Black and Caribbean history.

31
Q

How does Agard use rhyme and rhythm in the poem?

A

The poem has a strong rhythmic flow, using repetition and rhyme to emphasize the speaker’s frustration with the historical narrative and the importance of reclaiming his identity.

32
Q

What is the role of the poem’s title, Checking Out Me History?

A

The title reflects the speaker’s active process of examining and rejecting the version of history imposed on him, while exploring and embracing his own cultural past.

33
Q

What does Agard’s use of non-standard English reveal in the poem?

A

It reflects the speaker’s rebellion against traditional structures and emphasizes the importance of reclaiming one’s own voice and identity.

34
Q

How does Agard describe the effect of the history he was taught?

A

He describes it as blinding and limiting his understanding of his own identity, using phrases like “Bandage up me eye with me own history.”

35
Q

Who wrote The Émigrée?

A

Carol Rumens.

36
Q

What is The Émigrée about?

A

It explores the memories and emotional attachment of an émigré (a person who has left their home country), reflecting on the contrast between their idealized memory of their homeland and the harsh reality they now face.

37
Q

Why did Rumens write The Émigrée?

A

To explore themes of displacement, nostalgia, and the power of memory in shaping identity, particularly for people who have fled oppressive regimes.

38
Q

What is the significance of “sunlight” in the poem?

A

“Sunlight” symbolizes the speaker’s idealized, untainted memory of their homeland, representing hope, clarity, and the emotional warmth of their past.

39
Q

What is the effect of the contrast between the idealized city and the current reality in the poem?

A

The contrast highlights the tension between the speaker’s memory of a peaceful, beautiful place and the darker, oppressive reality they now experience, emphasizing themes of loss and exile.

40
Q

What is Tissue about?

A

The poem reflects on the fragility of life, the impermanence of human-made structures, and the idea of using tissue (skin and paper) as a metaphor for life and legacy.

40
Q

Who wrote Tissue?

A

Imtiaz Dharker.

41
Q

Why did Dharker write Tissue?

A

To explore themes of fragility, memory, and the connections between human life and the materials that shape our world, suggesting a need for transparency and humility.

42
Q

What is the significance of “paper” in the poem?

A

Paper symbolizes fragility, transparency, and the passage of time, highlighting how things can be altered, erased, or rewritten, much like human lives and history.

43
Q

What is meant by “raised a structure never meant to last”?

A

This refers to the idea of building with impermanent materials like paper or tissue, representing the transient nature of human life and creations, in contrast to the pride and permanence associated with traditional building materials like brick and stone.

44
Q

What is the role of the portrait in My Last Duchess?

A

The portrait acts as a symbol of the Duke’s control over his wife, even in her death. It allows him to preserve her image, reflecting his need to possess and dominate her, treating her as an object to be admired by others.

45
Q

How does the Duke describe his late wife’s actions toward others?

A

He criticizes her for being too easily impressed by others, enjoying life’s simple pleasures without understanding the value of his noble title. His feelings of entitlement lead him to view her actions as disrespectful.

46
Q

What is the significance of the line “There she stands / As if alive”?

A

: It emphasizes the Duke’s obsession with controlling the memory of his wife, treating her even in death as an object to be admired and displayed, rather than a person with a past.

47
Q

What does the Duke mean when he says, “I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together”?

A

The Duke implies that he ordered the death of his wife because she was too kind and flirtatious with others, showing his cold, controlling nature and his belief that he had the power to end her life.

48
Q

What is significant about the quote “She thanked men—good! but thanked / Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked / My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name / With anybody’s gift”?

A

The Duke reveals his jealousy and possessiveness, feeling that his noble name and status should have been seen as more important than the attention his wife gave to others, especially men of lower status.

49
Q

What is the meaning of “The depth and passion of its earnest glance”?

A

The Duke comments on the portrait of his late wife, implying that her passionate nature was captured in the painting. It reflects his jealousy of her ability to show warmth and affection to others.

50
Q

What does the phrase “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall” suggest?

A

It suggests that the Duke views his late wife as a possession, something to be displayed and controlled, rather than a person with her own agency.

51
Q

What is the meaning of the phrase “Will’t please you sit and look at her?”

A

This phrase highlights the Duke’s control and arrogance, as he invites the visitor to admire the portrait of his late wife, as if her image is his to show off at will.

52
Q

What does “The bough of cherries some officious fool / Broke in the orchard for her” suggest?

A

This phrase shows the Duke’s resentment toward his wife’s innocent actions, interpreting her enjoyment of simple gestures (like receiving cherries) as flirtation and a sign of her disrespect toward him.

53
Q

What is the meaning of the phrase “I am not sure of the heart that fed”?

A

This suggests the Duke’s suspicion of his wife’s affections, implying that her kindness and smiles were not solely reserved for him, which he resented. The phrase shows his possessive nature and lack of trust.

English (7 decks)

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