Big 5 Poems

• Who is the speaker in the poem "Ozymandias"?

  Ozymandias, king of kings
• What does Ozymandias challenge the mighty to do?

  To look on his works and despair
• What does the phrase "Nothing beside remains" imply about Ozymandias's empire?

  It suggests that nothing is left of his once-great empire
• What imagery is used to describe the remains of Ozymandias's statue?

  Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
• What does the phrase "the hand that mocked them" refer to in the poem?

  It refers to the sculptor who created the statue of Ozymandias
• What does the final line "the lone and level sands stretch far away" suggest about time and legacy?

  It suggests that time erases all legacies
• In the poem "London," what does the speaker wander through?

  Each chartered street
• What does "Marks of weakness, marks of woe" signify in the poem "London"?

  It signifies the suffering and despair of the people
• What does the phrase "the mind-forged manacles" suggest about the people's condition?

  It suggests that their suffering is a result of mental constraints
• What does the speaker hear in "London" that appalls him?

  Every black'ning church
• What does "Runs in blood down Palace walls" imply about the relationship between the government and the people?


  It implies that the government is responsible for the suffering of the people
• What does the phrase "blights with plagues the Marriage hearse" suggest about society in "London"?

  It suggests that societal institutions are corrupted and suffering
• In the poem "Exposure," what do the soldiers experience in the merciless winds?

  Brains ache
• What does "twitching agonies of men" refer to in "Exposure"?

  It refers to the suffering of soldiers in the harsh conditions
• What does the line "But nothing happens" convey about the soldiers' situation?

  It conveys a sense of hopelessness and stagnation
• What does "Dawn massing in the east" symbolize in "Exposure"?

  It symbolizes the arrival of a new day
• What does "Sudden successive flights of bullets" suggest about the environment in "Exposure"?

  It suggests a chaotic and dangerous situation
• What do "Pale flakes with fingering stealth" represent in the poem "Exposure"?

  They represent the snow and its chilling effect on the soldiers
• In the poem "War Photographer," what does the speaker describe in the line "Suddenly he awoke and was running"?


  It describes a soldier's sudden awakening in a state of panic
• What does "Bullets smacking the belly out of the air" convey in "War Photographer"?

  It conveys the violence and intensity of war
• What does the phrase "The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye" suggest about the soldier's feelings?

  It suggests a conflict between patriotism and the harsh realities of war
• What does the soldier feel in "War Photographer" when he almost stops?

  Bewilderment
• What do "King, honour, human dignity, etcetera" represent in the poem?

  They represent the ideals that are discarded in the face of war
• What does "His terror's touchy dynamite" imply about the soldier's state of mind?

  It implies that he is on edge and traumatized by his experiences