All of the poems in the Power and Conflict poetry anthology are covered- as well as useful analysis on key quotes, themes, and contextual points- as well as information about the poet where applicable!
Ozymandias
Story
A traveller saw a broken statue in the middle of the desert
It was Ozymandias, an awful, ancient king
Those with power believe it’s supreme, invincible and everlasting
Percy showed it didn’t last through Power of Art and Nature
Context
Shelley was a Romantic
He believed in emotion and captured intense experiences at work,
particularly the Power of Nature
Shelley also disliked the Monarchy, Power and Oppression of ordinary
people
His radical political views were inspired by the French Revolution, where
the Monarchy was overthrown
Structure
Sonnet Form – This form is usually used in Love poems. Thus, implies
those in Power are in love with themselves
Changes – From Shakespearean to Petrarchan etc, it shows that all
power gives way to new power; nothing lasts forever
Language
Trunkless legs of stone - Informs reader of statue’s lack of body and
therefore lack of heart.
Sneer of Cold Command – Alliteration of hard sounding ‘c’ conveys harsh
nature of king
Mocked – Either suggests “to make” or perhaps the artist ridiculed the
king, which he didn’t notice, making artist superior
Boundless and bare – Alliteration emphasises emptiness, it’s in the end
of poem to indicate that nothing was remembered of him
Irony – The sculptor lasts forever unlike the king
, London
Story
Blake wondered through London’s streets and witnessed its
monstrosities
Poem is a critique of power, exposing distance between rich and poor
Suffering’s inescapable due to misuse of power by those in control
Context
London is one of the series of poems in Songs of Experience, which
explore harsh realities of the early 19th Century
Poem was made during the industrial revolution where many children
went to work and a sheer presence of a rigid class system
Structure
Repetitive Rhyme & Quatrains – Conveys controlled life and inescapable
suffering
Cyclical Structure - Stanza 1 & 2 shows who suffer, stanza 3 is cause of
suffering, and the last stanza refers to those suffering again, inescapable
suffering
Language
Chartered – Everything’s privately owned. Juxtaposition with Thames as
you can’t control naturally flowing river. Also, Thames run through heart
of London, oppression is everywhere
Marks of weakness, marks of woe – Metaphorical scars, left by the
controlling, oppressive system. Also, could refer to the visible marks left
by syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease
Every cry – Everybody, regardless of age, is affected by this perilous city.
The lines are structured to constitute a list, building up a picture of an
abundance of suffering
Mind Forged Manacles – People who live in London are chained up and
enslaved both mentally and physically.
Blackening Church – Polluting what’s morally good.
Marriage Hearse – Oxymoron suggests something eternally good is
destined to be destroyed
, Extract from the Prelude
Story
Wordsworth’s true experience of stealing a boat, rode it out on the lake,
got scared of a mountain so returned back forever traumatized.
Nature is Powerful and the speaker was reminded of his lack of
importance and superiority
Mankind can’t control nature but vice versa
Context
Wordsworth’s poems were inspired by his memories of childhood and
places visited to express personal journeys and his search for
understanding.
Wordsworth was a Pantheist, seeing God in the encompassing natural
world.
Structure
Epic Poem – Long poem has a heroic action and focusses on 1 character;
in this instance, the mountain, as it greatly changed Wordsworth’s view
on nature
Long Verse – We’re overwhelmed and breathless, just like when poet
experienced nature, we can empathise
Enjambment – He needed to furiously blurt out his story
Language
Led by her – Wordsworth personified nature to express his Pantheistic
views. Also, nature as a female implied poem as Romantic as it shows his
love for nature
Without the voice of mountain echoes – Personification foreshadow
how the voices of the mountain could return again to haunt him.
Utmost Boundary – Later finds true shock of self-realisation, he isn’t
always right. His pride was misplaced and Human life’s minute compared
to vast nature
Elfin Pinnace – Hyperbole as small boat gained mythical properties;
poet’s growing pride exaggerates experience due to his sheer arrogance
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