Message Summary

• Kamikaze

  The poem deals with the dangers of blind patriotism that led to soldiers taking on missions from which they would never return
• Ozymandias

  The poem tackles the ide of hubris and how power is temporary, alongside how excessive pride and confidence can lead to a downfall
• Emigree

  The poet explores ideas around identity and how it is shaped by where you come from and your language. It explores the feelings of nostalgia for her old country and a sense of alienation in her new one.
• Remains

  The poet presents the inevitability psychological disintegration a person experiences as a result of being a part of violence in war.
• Poppies

  The poet explores the complex feelings of those left behind by war.
• My Last Duchess

  The poet deals with the dangers of individual power and the misuse of that power.
• Tissue

  The poet explores the paradox that although paper is fragile, temporary and ultimately not that important, we allow it to control our lives.
• Exposure

  The poet wanted to draw attention to the suffering, monotony and ultimate futility of war.
• War Photographer

  The poet contrasts the brutality of war with the indifference of those unaffected by war, that glance at photographs of war in the paper and then continue with their lives.
• Charge of The Light Brigade

  The poem is a celebration of the courage and patriotism of soldiers who obeyed orders, even though those orders led to their death.
• Bayonet Charge

  The poem explores how innocent men can be efficiently made into weapons of war and challenges the patriotism and sense of duty that placed them here.
• Checking out Me History

  The poem is a celebration of the poets identity and the Caribbean roots. There is a sense of anger at a Euro-centric school curriculum that excluded his heritage.
• London

  The poem is an angry attack on the power of the establishment. The poet also criticizes the oppression of people by those in power.