Power and Conflict Poetry

• In the poem "Ozymandias":

  • The term 'mock' has a double meaning: to make a model of and to make fun of, creating a pun
  • 'Antique' suggests the place is old and steeped in history, but it may also imply that it is out of date and old-fashioned
• The statue in the poem is barely standing, with the rest ruined and missing, symbolizing being eaten away by time and the desert, a futile struggle to survive where nobody is around to care
• 'Shattered visage' refers to a broken face, unrecognizable and serving no purpose anymore, as the statue is no longer identifiable
• 'Cold command, sneer' suggests Ozymandias' character as powerful and arrogant, which is now ironic as there is nothing left, showcasing synaesthesia
• The tone of the poem, indicated by the exclamation, is strong and authoritative, ironically highlighting that nobody is listening
• 'Colossal' in the poem symbolizes vastness or hugeness, serving as a metaphor for Ozymandias' ego rather than the statue itself
• The phrase 'lone and level sands' in the poem contrasts the power and ego of the statue, emphasizing that the sands outlast the statue and are iconic of time
• Percy Shelley (1792-1822) was a famous poet from The Romantics group
• Shelley's early life was tumultuous: expelled from Oxford University for writing about atheism, disinherited by his father, married and eloped to the Lake District, and later traveled around Europe with Mary Shelley
• Shelley drowned while on a sailing trip to Italy
• One interpretation of Ozymandias is that the poem criticises people or organisations that become too big and powerful and think they can’t be challenged
• The poem "Ozymandias" tells the story of a traveller from an ancient land who found the remains of a shattered statue in the desert, with the inscription: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!”
• The poem "Ozymandias" reflects on the theme of the transience of power and the inevitable decline of even the mightiest rulers
• In "London" by William Blake, the poet criticizes the terrible living conditions in London, highlighting issues like ownership laws favoring the rich, the church's neglect of the poor, and the horrors of prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases
• Blake uses a regular rhyme scheme (ABAB) in "London" and repetition to emphasize key points, like the word "charter’d" to show the control of the rich over the city
• In "The Prelude" by William Wordsworth, the poet explores themes of man, nature, and society, reflecting on his spiritual growth and his place in the world through vivid imagery of a night journey on a lake
• Wordsworth's use of conversational language and the repetition of the word "and" in "The Prelude" creates a direct and engaging tone for the reader
• Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" is a dramatic monologue where the Duke reveals his arrogance and selfishness, suggesting he had his late wife killed due to jealousy and possessiveness
• The poem "My Last Duchess" explores themes of power, pride, arrogance, jealousy, and madness through the Duke's narrative
• Alfred Lord Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" commemorates the bravery of the soldiers in the disastrous Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War, criticizing the blunders of the commanders that led to the soldiers' deaths
• Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" is structured with 6 stanzas, each representing a hundred soldiers, and uses rhythm and stanza length to mirror the pace of the charge and the intensity of the battle
• Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade":

  • Uses repetition in the first three stanzas to enhance the feeling of galloping horses
  • Direct speech emphasizes the soldiers' bravery and places the reader among the charging soldiers
  • Famous lines "Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die" highlight the soldiers' bravery
• In stanzas 4 and 5, Tennyson emphasizes the hand-to-hand fighting with the glimmering and slashing "sabres" and repeats the verb "flash'd" to highlight the brutal fighting
• In stanza 6, Tennyson ends with a rhetorical question "When can their glory fade?" and repetition of the word "honour" to praise the soldiers' bravery
• Wilfred Owen's poem "Exposure":

  • Focuses on the soldiers' experiences in-between battles, highlighting the physical and psychological toll of weather and modern weaponry
  • Contains 8 stanzas with 5 lines each, with the final line of each stanza being very short to add emphasis to its message
• Owen uses inclusive pronouns like "our", "us", "we" to show the collective experience of all soldiers in the First World War
• The repetition of "But nothing happens" in "Exposure" emphasizes the boring monotony of life in the trenches, highlighting the reality of war
• Owen uses lists of emotive words and rhetorical questions to expose the reader to the soldiers' feelings and fears, showing the futility of war and the certainty of death felt by soldiers
• Seamus Heaney's poem "Storm on the Island":

  • Describes being in an isolated cottage on the cliffs of an island during a storm, highlighting the power of nature and the helplessness of the islanders
• The poem has one 19-line stanza in blank verse, creating a direct and conversational tone
• Heaney uses powerful language to show the strength of the storm, transitioning from a tone of confidence to fear and respect for nature's power
• Enjambment is used in "Storm on the Island" to show sudden changes in the weather and the impact on the island, emphasizing the power of the storm
• In "Storm on the Island" by Seamus Heaney, the storm is depicted as a powerful force with violent language reflecting the impact of political divisions in Northern Ireland
• Heaney finishes the poem with the paradox that the storm is an adversary they cannot see, but with a huge power they fear, making it all the more scary
• The imagery created by Heaney portrays the storm as military weaponry attacking the island, using words like "strafes", "salvo", and "bombarded" to reflect an organized warfare from the storm, possibly as a metaphor for the conflict in Ireland
• The main theme of "Storm on the Island" is the power of nature, showing how humans on the island are fearful and helpless in the face of this violent and unforgiving force
• In "Bayonet Charge" by Ted Hughes, the soldier's transformation from actively thinking about the situation to desperate survival is depicted as he charges enemy trenches in the First World War
• The poem's form and structure, with varied line lengths and enjambment, mirror the changing speed of the soldier as he progresses across the battlefield, reflecting his frantic thoughts
• Hughes uses language like "raw" and words associated with movement to show the soldier's struggle and increasing terror during the charge
• The soldier's questioning and uncertainty about fate, as well as the shift in focus to survival instincts, are highlighted through the language in "Bayonet Charge"