poetry

• Oxymandius - Summary


  The speaker (writer) comes across a traveller who tells him about a statue in the desert. The statue is of a proud and boastful king who once ruled, but now the statue is crumbling, due to time and nature
• Oxymandius - Context


  Author:-- Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the most famous romantic poets- He was known for his lyrical and philosophical style- He was anti-monarchy/anti-governmentOxymandius:-- Is a real life pharoah - Ramses II
• Oxymandius - Themes


  - Power of Nature- ?
• Oxymandius - Structure


  There is an iambic pentameter which is disrupted. Ther poem is a sonnet however, it doesn't follow a perfect sonnet rhyme scheme. These show that the poem isn't a love poem for Oxymandius, and isn't remembering his greatness, but instead is mocking him
• Oxymandius - Emotions


  - Arrogant- Proud- Powerful - both the King's and nature's
• Oxymandius - Key Quotes


  - 'My name is Oxymandius, king of kings'- 'I met a traveller from an antique land'- 'Two vast and trunkless legs'- 'Of that colossal wreck boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away
• Oxymandius - Key Quotes - 'I met a traveller from an antique land'


  - 'met' - verb - Shelley didn't go to see the statue, which shows its insignificance- 'antique' - adjective - this suggests the place is old, out-of-date, therefore is irrelevant to the present moment
• Oxymandius - Key Quotes - 'Two vast and trunkless legs'

  - 'trunkless' - adjective - weak, meaningless, unsupported, is slowly disappearing and its importance is decreasing- The statue is barely standing, and is being eaten away by time and nature- A futile struggle to survive when there is no one around to care
• Oxymandius - Key Quotes - 'My name is Oxymandius, king of kings'


  - 'My' - possessive pronoun - reiterating what he believes he achieved- 'king of kings' - emphasises his ego, cockiness
• Oxymandius - Key Quotes -  'Of that colossal wreck boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away'

  - 'Colossal' - adjective - a metaphor for his ego, rather than his statue or legacy- 'Boundless' - adjective - used to describe the effect of nature destroying the statue - shows nature's power is limitless and human's achievments are insignificant and limited- 'lone' - adjective - the statue is deserted, isolated, and meaningless- 'stretch far away' - the land (nature) will outlast the statue, juxtaposed to the power and ego of Oxymandius
• Oxymandius - Links


  Prelude + Storm on the Island - both poems show the superiority of nature over mankind
• London - Summary


  The speaker (writer) walks through London and describes how there is despair everywhere and no one can escape it, so the oppresion is passed on. People are restricted by themself and powerful people (churches) don't use their power to help, and the monarchy use their power to protect themself.
• London - Context


  Author:-- William Blake was a famous Romantic poet- Saw problems caused by Industrial Revolution- Didn't think people should live in poverty
• London - Themes


  - Power of Church and State- Powerlessness of ordinary people
• London - Key Quotes

  - 'Mind-forged manacles'- 'Every black'ning church appalls'- 'The hapless soldiers sigh runs in blood down palace walls'- 'Blights with plagues the marriage hearse
• London - Key Quotes - 'Every black'ning church appalls'

  - 'every' - implies there is no help/support available- 'black'ning' - adjective - reduces the hope and purity in churches- 'church' - noun - most peoples form of hope and worship of a better life, however this isn't the case- 'appalls' - verb - the churches dissappoint, and let the ordinary, helpess people down
• London - Key Quotes - 'Mind-forged manacles'


  - 'mind-forged' - people are mentally restricting themself, and there is no one else stopping them, however their disbelief in themself is holding them back- 'mannacles' - noun - handcuffs represent restrictions and limitations
• London - Key Quotes - 'And hapless soldiers sigh runs in blood down Palace Walls'


  - 'hapless' - adjective - unfortunate, unsupported, and helpless- 'sigh runs in blood down palace walls' - the soldier's lives are at cost - they sacrifice themself in order to protect the monarchy, who aren't affected by the soldiers's death
• London - Key Quotes - 'Blights with plagues the marriage hearse'


  - 'plagues' - referring to Syphillis, spread by the young prostitutes, and is compared to the plague, a deadly disease- 'marriage hearse' - oxymoron - marriage coffin - juxtaposes the joy of marriage with the misery of death, Blake believes society has ruined all the good things in life, as marriage is a pillar of society
• London - Links


  Oxymandius - idea of power abuse and oppresion
• London - Structure


  Iambic tetrameter is used, which creates the rythm of the narrator walking
• London - Emotions


  - Anger- Hopelessness- Despair
• Extract from, The Prelude - Themes

  - Power of nature- Power of fear- Power of experience to shape human identity
• Extract from, The Prelude - Summary


  The writer finds a boat and takes it out onto a lake. He is happy and enjoying the nature on his journey, until he comes to a mountain and is scared by it's size. Then, he turns around and returns home. He is haunted by the image afterwards
• Extract from, The Prelude - Context


  Author:-- William Wordsworth was one of the English poets that started the Romantic movementPoem:-- From Wordsworth's autobiography
• Extract from, The Prelude - Key Quotes

  - 'Glitering (idly)', 'Sparkling light', 'elfin'- 'Heaving through the water like a swan'- 'Upreared its head'- 'Trembling oars'- 'moved slowly through the mind by day, and were a trouble to my dreams
• Extract from, The Prelude - Key Quotes - 'Glittering (idly)', 'Sparkling light', 'elfin'


  - Semantic field of fairy-tale / dream-like atmosphere at the start of the poem, when Wordsworth is enjoying his boat journey- 'idly' - adverb - indicates the atmosphere is a part of nature and isn't being forced
• Extract from, The Prelude - Key Quotes - 'Heaving through the water like a swan'


  - Use of simile to show how gracefully the boat moves through the water - enjoying the journey and feels like there is a purpose for it
• Extract from, The Prelude - Key Quotes - 'Upreared its head'


  - Use of personification, as the cliff can't actually move its head - this gives the cliff a purpose of its own and this reflects nature, and shows nature as powerful
• Extract from, The Prelude - Key Quotes - 'Trembling oars'


  - Use of personification, as oars can't tremble - Wordsworth uses personification to displace his fear into the oars, which shows humiliation and embarrassment- 'trembling' indicates his fear and worry and shows his vulnerability - he is shown as a wounded animal
• Extract from, The Prelude - Key Quotes - 'moved slowly through the mind by day, and were a trouble to my dreams'


  - 'trouble' - noun - indicates how Wordsworth feels about the event, and how it has impacted him - negatively- 'dreams' - noun - indicates that Wordsworth can't stop thinking about the event, and it is has scarred him- 'slowly through the mind' - the image is haunting him and he can't remove the image from his mind, nor can he stop thinking about it
• Extract from, The Prelude - Emotions


  - Confidence - at the start- Fear- Worry- Unworthy- Powerlessness- Ashamed
• Extract from, The Prelude - Structure

  The poem uses a blank verse
• Extract from, The Prelude - Links

  - Oxymandius - both are affected by nature- Remains - both are haunted by their past
• My Last Duchess - Themes

  - Power of Humans- Abuse of power- Powerful emotions:- Pride, jealousy, arrogance
• The Charge of the Light Brigade - Themes


  - Power of Patriotism- Conflict - Heroism - Glory vs Criticism
• Storm on the Island - Themes

  - Power of Nature- Fear
• Remains - Themes


  - Power of memory- Effects of physical and mental conflict- Power humans have to take another life- Mental conflict with yourself
• Tissue - Themes


  - Power of Identity + Knowledge
• The Emigree - Themes


  - Power of memory/nostalgia- Power of political regimes