Some poems from PAC

• What are the themes for Ozymandias?


  - Power of Nature.

  - Negative influence of Pride.

  - Powerlessness of people.

  - Power of time.
• What is Ozymandias about?


  - A ruthless leader called Ozymandias who sees himself as more powerful than God. After his death, his statue is destroyed by nature.
• What is the structure of Ozymandias?


  - One short Stanza - represent the memory of Ozymandias. It moves from powerful to powerless.
• Whats the context of Ozymandias?


  - Written after hearing about an explorer that had retrieved the statue from the desert.

  - Ozymandias is the Greek name for the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II, known as the greatest and most powerful leaders of Egypt. he is also remembered as a cruel and oppressive king.
• Ozymandias: "wrinkled lip,and sneer of cold command."


  - The poet has used 'frown', 'wrinkled lip' and 'sneer of cold command' to give us an impression that the subject of the statue, Ozymandias the ruler, was an angry, commanding and often upset man. It is to give a hint to the character of the ruler.
• Ozymandias: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings."


  - " King of kings." shows how he thought he was the most powerful person but now is unknown and has been destroyed by nature.
• Ozymandias: " Nothing beside remains: round the decay of that colossal wreck."


  - The noun "decay" shows the decline of both physical decline and power decline of Ozymandias.

  - The noun "remains" shows the death of power.

  - The noun " Nothing" shows that the statue has lost its identity connotating that Ozymandias power has greatly fallen and has been taken over by nature.
• What are the themes of War Photographer?


  - Individual experiences.

  - Anger / Guilt.

  - Effects of Conflict.

  - Reality of conflict.

  - Memories.
• What is War photographer about?


  - A war photographer comparing life in the war zone to life at home. Feels helpless and that people at home do not care.
• What is the structure of War Photographer?


  - Volta (something is happening) moves from describing the war zone to reflect from home.
• What is the context of War Photographer?

  - The media portrayal of conflict - people read it but don't really react.
• War Photographer: "to field that don't explode between the feet / of children running in a nightmare heat."


  - Contrasting the different situation children in war and children out of war experiences - they want to all play but some have the fear of war which prevent them.

  - The use of the adjective " nightmare" shows the horror of war that it brings to those children.
• War Photographer: "a hundred agonies in black and white."


  - The use of the hyperbolic noun " hundred" empathising the amount people experiencing this.

  - The use of the verb "agonies" - shows the suffering and distress every person on war goes through.

  - Juxtaposition of black and white is used to shows war is happening in different places.
• War Photographer: "The reader's eyeballs prick / with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers."


  - People may be slightly upset by the pictures, but they do nothing to end the wars, and simply carry on their comfortable Sunday rituals regardless.

  - The word "prick" can be likened to the pain felt when pricking one's finger. It is quickly forgotten.
• What are the themes of Kamikaze?


  - Individual experiences.

  - Anger / Guilt.

  - Power of Nature.

  - Memories.

  - Identity.
• What is Kamikaze about?


  - A Kamikaze pilot decides to turn around when he sees the beauty of nature that reminds him of life. He is disowned by his family.
• What is the structure of Kamikaze?


  - Change of speakers from third person to first person (the daughter) shows how it affects others.
• What is the context of Kamikaze?


  - Kamikaze pilots believed to be honoured after the die as ceremonial suicide was the greatest act man could do.
• Kamikaze: "a shaven head / full of powerful incantations."


  - Creates a sense that the man has been convinced by the propaganda of the Japanese Empire to do it.
• Kamikaze: "little fishing boats / strung out like bunting / on a green-blue translucent sea."


  - The simile, adjective "tiny" and naturalistic imagery of the "green-blue translucent sea" create an innocent and pretty image in sharp contrast to the militaristic first stanza.

  - Bunting is often put up to celebrate victories, a feeling on sadness can also be created here: no pilot is supposed come back alive so no bunting will be displayed for them.
• Kamikaze: "And sometimes, she said, he must have wondered / which had been the better way to die."


  - Explore and criticise the destructive results of patriotism.

  - the speaker of the poem is still uncertain of her father's thoughts (created through the modal verb phrase "must have wondered") creates a final note of sadness: the pilot never got the life back that he chose to preserve.
• What is the theme of Bayonet charge?


  - Individual experiences.

  - Effects of conflict.

  - Fear.

  - Reality of Conflict.
• What is Bayonet Charge about?


  - A soldier who is new to the battlefield. His experience of running across "no-man's land".
• What is the structure of Bayonet Charge?


  - Begins panicked and patriotic - ends up not caring about anything but survival.
• What is the context of Bayonet Charge?


  - WW1 often boys younger than 16 managed to sign up they thought is was fun but then realised the horrors when they joined.
• Bayonet Charge: "He lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm."


  - The use of the Simile: shows he is emotionally numb and has lost his feeling.

  - The verb "lugged" shows it was a heavy burden.

  - The verb "smashed" shows it was destroyed and weakened.
• Bayonet Charge: "In what cold clockwork of the stars and nations/ was he the hand pointing that second?"


  - The use of the noun "second" shows how he is still a small part of the time and his contribution is very small.

  - The reference to "cold clockwork" suggests the arbitrary yet inevitable nature of the war as bad time will always come.
• Bayonet Charge: "His terror's touchy dynamite."


  - Metaphor - he is a danger to himself and others.
• What is the theme of Poppies?


  - Individual experiences.

  - Effects of war.

  - Loss and absence.

  - Memories.
• What is Poppies about?


  - A mother sees her so go off to war. She finds it very difficult. Ambiguous about whether he survives or not.
• What is the structure of Poppies?


  - Narrative style - tells the story of the mother's grief. - Cyclical as it begins with Armistice Sunday ends at the memorial.
• What is the context of Poppies?


  - War and soldiers in general - possibly about more recent wars - choosing to be a soldier.
• Poppies: "I resisted the impulse to run my fingers through the gelled blackthorns of your hair."


  - The use of the verb "resisted" shows her battling her motherly instinct to nurture and protect.

  - The verb "Impulse" shows it was her natural instinct to protect.

  - The metaphor blackthorns shows that the son is resisting his mother from taking care of him.
• Poppies: "I went into your bedroom / released a songbird from its cage."


  - The noun "cage" shows show the son felt he was trapped by his mother but now has his freewill to do what he wants.

  - The mother is the metaphorical songbird and is finally crying because she can no longer make her son feel constrained or guilty by his choices.

  - A metaphor for her 'releasing' her son out into the world or perhaps (if dead) letting go of his memories
• Poppies: "the world overflowing like a treasure chest."


  -Simile comparing freedom from his mother's suffocating clutches to the 'treasure' of freedom and adventure.

  - 'treasure chest' may also apply to his mother. He was everything to her, and the 'treasure' that he was to her now belongs to the world.

  -Caesura after the word 'chest' highlights the dramatic decision he made and represents the end of his naivety and childhood innocence
• What is the theme of Storm Island?


  - powerlessness of people.

  - Power of nature.

  - Fear.

  - Individual experience.
• What is Storm on the Island about?


  - Expecting a storm - feeling prepared but not knowing when it will happen or how bad it will be. Linked to terrorist attacks.
• What is the structure of Storm on the Island?


  - One long stanza - The opening shows strength of people - the ending shows weakness.
• What is the context of Storm on the Island?


  - Northern Ireland IRA attacks - modern day terrorist attacks.

  - Extreme / unpredictable weather.
• Storm on the Island: "The wizened earth has never troubled us."


  - The use of the noun "wizened" shows island is barren and nothing grows there.