Power and Conflict
Poetry Anthology
Grade 9 Essay Plans Bundle
All 15 Poems & Comparisons
For AQA GCSE English Literature
A set of Grade 9 essay plans covering each of the
poems in Power and Conflict. Carefully structured to
minimise the number of poems, quotes and
interpretations you need to memorise by focusing
on two highly adaptable core poems that can be
compared with almost every other poem in the
anthology, dramatically reducing the amount of
revision required.
, Ozymandias
• Fragility of man’s power comparative to nature & power lost over time
• “shattered”, “two vast and trunkless legs”, “stamped on these lifeless things”
o “shattered”, stamped” – dynamic verbs create semantic field of destruction
o “trunkless” – statue = symbolic of man’s power, could suggest nature always
overpowers human creations
▪ LONDON – “chartered Thames does flow” → “chartered” = human’s attempt
to control nature by confining/mapping it out, “flow” = dynamic verb
suggests river (nature) continues moving freely, criticises futile attempts
o “lifeless things” – belittles empire Ozzy had as a ruler through vague/ambiguous
description, ‘lifeless’ emphasises empire is completely gone → power lost over time
London
• Abuse of man’s power & fragility of power
• “runs in blood down palace walls”
o “palace walls” – symbolically represent society confined by monarchy, ‘walls’ creates
imagery of being physically trapped -> new strictness following French Revolution
▪ government became fearful of collective uprising & abused their power
▪ ALTERNATIVELY, fragility of power as monarchy worried uprising would strip
them of power → power they currently have is vulnerable
o “runs in blood” – gruesome imagery, reflects societal suffering under tight control
▪ ALTERNATIVELY, walls = technique to hide away lower class →blood
represent guilt stains upper class (palace walls), tarnish their reputation
o REMAINS – “his blood-shadow stays on the street” → also uses blood to show guilt
but from different perspective, both people are likely lower class and had no choice,
whereas monarchy in London choose to inflict this suffering (abuse of power)
Extract from, The Prelude
• natures power to alter perspectives
• “glittering idly in the moon” →“upreared its head”
o “glittering” verb creates peaceful imagery, emphasises beauty of the scene
o “idly” adverb shows how calm it, contrasts later in the poem
o “upreared” verb personifies mountain and describes it unpleasantly
o change of pronoun, “led by her” → “its head”, nature lost its intimate connection
• “lustily I dipped my oars into the silent lake” → “I struck and struck again”
o “lustily” adverb emphasises his intimate relationship with nature
o “silent” sensory imagery immerses reader in calm scenery
o “struck” dynamic verb juxtaposes previous descriptions, repetition = frantic tone
• Wordsworth was a romantic, deep connection to natural world → showing how nature isn’t
something to control & instead it controls humankind
o LONDON – “chartered Thames does flow” → “chartered” = human’s attempt to
control nature by confining/mapping it out, “flow” = dynamic verb suggests river
(nature) continues moving freely, criticises futile attempts
My Last Duchess
• abuse of power in patriarchal society
• “that’s my last duchess painted on the wall”
o “that” – pronoun dehumanises woman, plosive consonant ‘t’ constructs biting tone
o “my” – possessive, poetic speaker feels he has rightful ownership to her, reduces her
to object for own enjoyment
Poetry Anthology
Grade 9 Essay Plans Bundle
All 15 Poems & Comparisons
For AQA GCSE English Literature
A set of Grade 9 essay plans covering each of the
poems in Power and Conflict. Carefully structured to
minimise the number of poems, quotes and
interpretations you need to memorise by focusing
on two highly adaptable core poems that can be
compared with almost every other poem in the
anthology, dramatically reducing the amount of
revision required.
, Ozymandias
• Fragility of man’s power comparative to nature & power lost over time
• “shattered”, “two vast and trunkless legs”, “stamped on these lifeless things”
o “shattered”, stamped” – dynamic verbs create semantic field of destruction
o “trunkless” – statue = symbolic of man’s power, could suggest nature always
overpowers human creations
▪ LONDON – “chartered Thames does flow” → “chartered” = human’s attempt
to control nature by confining/mapping it out, “flow” = dynamic verb
suggests river (nature) continues moving freely, criticises futile attempts
o “lifeless things” – belittles empire Ozzy had as a ruler through vague/ambiguous
description, ‘lifeless’ emphasises empire is completely gone → power lost over time
London
• Abuse of man’s power & fragility of power
• “runs in blood down palace walls”
o “palace walls” – symbolically represent society confined by monarchy, ‘walls’ creates
imagery of being physically trapped -> new strictness following French Revolution
▪ government became fearful of collective uprising & abused their power
▪ ALTERNATIVELY, fragility of power as monarchy worried uprising would strip
them of power → power they currently have is vulnerable
o “runs in blood” – gruesome imagery, reflects societal suffering under tight control
▪ ALTERNATIVELY, walls = technique to hide away lower class →blood
represent guilt stains upper class (palace walls), tarnish their reputation
o REMAINS – “his blood-shadow stays on the street” → also uses blood to show guilt
but from different perspective, both people are likely lower class and had no choice,
whereas monarchy in London choose to inflict this suffering (abuse of power)
Extract from, The Prelude
• natures power to alter perspectives
• “glittering idly in the moon” →“upreared its head”
o “glittering” verb creates peaceful imagery, emphasises beauty of the scene
o “idly” adverb shows how calm it, contrasts later in the poem
o “upreared” verb personifies mountain and describes it unpleasantly
o change of pronoun, “led by her” → “its head”, nature lost its intimate connection
• “lustily I dipped my oars into the silent lake” → “I struck and struck again”
o “lustily” adverb emphasises his intimate relationship with nature
o “silent” sensory imagery immerses reader in calm scenery
o “struck” dynamic verb juxtaposes previous descriptions, repetition = frantic tone
• Wordsworth was a romantic, deep connection to natural world → showing how nature isn’t
something to control & instead it controls humankind
o LONDON – “chartered Thames does flow” → “chartered” = human’s attempt to
control nature by confining/mapping it out, “flow” = dynamic verb suggests river
(nature) continues moving freely, criticises futile attempts
My Last Duchess
• abuse of power in patriarchal society
• “that’s my last duchess painted on the wall”
o “that” – pronoun dehumanises woman, plosive consonant ‘t’ constructs biting tone
o “my” – possessive, poetic speaker feels he has rightful ownership to her, reduces her
to object for own enjoyment
