Power and control are explicitly presented in ‘London’ and ‘Ozymandias’. Both poems reflect the
corrupt nature of power and the effects of hegemony and control. In ‘London’, William Blake
presents a negative portrayal of the city London and its people, targeting the government and
blaming them for their poor use of power. The poem was written four years after the Revolution in
France, so it is possible that Blake planned to write this poem to raise awareness of the inequality in
London and perhaps incite another revolution. Similarly, in ‘Ozymandias’, Percy Shelley highlights
the Pharoah Ramses’ battle between time and power and his useless hunger for control over the
Egyptian empire (notably, he uses the French word ‘visage’ in his poem so it is possible he is
questioning the French empire), because now the Pharoah is forgotten and now rendered
completely powerless.
William Blake in ‘London’ takes us through the ‘chartered’ streets of London, the adjective chartered
being a politically potent word suggesting that London is controlled and tightly organised. The one
adjective repeated exaggerates the government’s control over the people’s minds. Consequently,
Blake meets in every face ‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’, clearly highlighting the government’s
rule to be cruel and torturous. Furthermore, the poet uses anaphora, “in every cry… in every ban”,
highlighting the ubiquitous misery all around London. He employs a sombre, morbid tone to reflect
how he is presenting London. The phrase “blackening church” could either refer to it literally turning
black because of the smog and pollution, or metaphorically symbolising that a religious holy place
which is supposed to be pure is plaguing the minds of the young and innocent. This is coupled with
the oxymoron “youthful harlot” in the final stanza of the poem, along with “new born’s tear”.
emphasising how the next generation is plagued too and there is little hope of a good future.
However, he rhythm of the poem is similar to a nursery rhyme, possibly signifying that Blake believes
that children have a better chance of understanding the feeling in the poem than adults as the adults
have been brainwashed by the authorities. The poem ends with the line “plagues the marriage
hearse”, amplifying the idea that even the good aspects of society are corrupted.
Contrastingly, Percy Shelley writes about a traveller who explored the statue of Ozymandias. At the
opening of the poem, it is set is in an “antique land”, the adjective “antique” clearly implying the
Victorian’s delight for ancient relics. Shelley’s tone at the beginning of the poem is straightforward
and praiseful, using the adjective “vast” to describe the statue, evoking a sense of power. Both
Shelley and Blake view power and control as corruptive. Though Blake suggests that power has the
potential to ruin the lives of society and the people, Shelley still reinforces the danger of
hegemony and risk of being forgotten and ostracized from society.
In both poems the power of the artist is presented. Blake achieves this by showing the power of the
poet to use language to present new controversial ideas. An example of this is the phrase “mind
forged manacles”. Blake thereby suggests that the people of London are not only suffering through
physical oppression but also burdened with their own mentality of confinement. Similarly, in
‘Ozymandias’, Shelley shows the power of the sculptor to immortalise a moment in history as the
statue is described as having unpleasant expressions such as a “wrinkled lip” and “sneer of cold
command”. The hard ‘c’ emphasises the hardness of the long dead Pharoah’s rule, which also
elucidates the power of the poet to use language to influence the reader many years later.
However, towards the middle of the poem we discover that the Pharoah’s attempt at gaining power
and relevance has ironically failed, and the poet now describes the statue as being “shattered” and
“trunkless”. Towards the end of the poem there is a shift to the Pharoah’s speech, in the form of an
alliterative trochee, coupled with the word “Look!” to gain the readers’ attention. However, his
speech is quickly rendered useless as Shelley writes the short sentence “Nothing beside remains.”,
coupled with caesura to emphasise that the Pharoah has been ostracized from society.
corrupt nature of power and the effects of hegemony and control. In ‘London’, William Blake
presents a negative portrayal of the city London and its people, targeting the government and
blaming them for their poor use of power. The poem was written four years after the Revolution in
France, so it is possible that Blake planned to write this poem to raise awareness of the inequality in
London and perhaps incite another revolution. Similarly, in ‘Ozymandias’, Percy Shelley highlights
the Pharoah Ramses’ battle between time and power and his useless hunger for control over the
Egyptian empire (notably, he uses the French word ‘visage’ in his poem so it is possible he is
questioning the French empire), because now the Pharoah is forgotten and now rendered
completely powerless.
William Blake in ‘London’ takes us through the ‘chartered’ streets of London, the adjective chartered
being a politically potent word suggesting that London is controlled and tightly organised. The one
adjective repeated exaggerates the government’s control over the people’s minds. Consequently,
Blake meets in every face ‘marks of weakness, marks of woe’, clearly highlighting the government’s
rule to be cruel and torturous. Furthermore, the poet uses anaphora, “in every cry… in every ban”,
highlighting the ubiquitous misery all around London. He employs a sombre, morbid tone to reflect
how he is presenting London. The phrase “blackening church” could either refer to it literally turning
black because of the smog and pollution, or metaphorically symbolising that a religious holy place
which is supposed to be pure is plaguing the minds of the young and innocent. This is coupled with
the oxymoron “youthful harlot” in the final stanza of the poem, along with “new born’s tear”.
emphasising how the next generation is plagued too and there is little hope of a good future.
However, he rhythm of the poem is similar to a nursery rhyme, possibly signifying that Blake believes
that children have a better chance of understanding the feeling in the poem than adults as the adults
have been brainwashed by the authorities. The poem ends with the line “plagues the marriage
hearse”, amplifying the idea that even the good aspects of society are corrupted.
Contrastingly, Percy Shelley writes about a traveller who explored the statue of Ozymandias. At the
opening of the poem, it is set is in an “antique land”, the adjective “antique” clearly implying the
Victorian’s delight for ancient relics. Shelley’s tone at the beginning of the poem is straightforward
and praiseful, using the adjective “vast” to describe the statue, evoking a sense of power. Both
Shelley and Blake view power and control as corruptive. Though Blake suggests that power has the
potential to ruin the lives of society and the people, Shelley still reinforces the danger of
hegemony and risk of being forgotten and ostracized from society.
In both poems the power of the artist is presented. Blake achieves this by showing the power of the
poet to use language to present new controversial ideas. An example of this is the phrase “mind
forged manacles”. Blake thereby suggests that the people of London are not only suffering through
physical oppression but also burdened with their own mentality of confinement. Similarly, in
‘Ozymandias’, Shelley shows the power of the sculptor to immortalise a moment in history as the
statue is described as having unpleasant expressions such as a “wrinkled lip” and “sneer of cold
command”. The hard ‘c’ emphasises the hardness of the long dead Pharoah’s rule, which also
elucidates the power of the poet to use language to influence the reader many years later.
However, towards the middle of the poem we discover that the Pharoah’s attempt at gaining power
and relevance has ironically failed, and the poet now describes the statue as being “shattered” and
“trunkless”. Towards the end of the poem there is a shift to the Pharoah’s speech, in the form of an
alliterative trochee, coupled with the word “Look!” to gain the readers’ attention. However, his
speech is quickly rendered useless as Shelley writes the short sentence “Nothing beside remains.”,
coupled with caesura to emphasise that the Pharoah has been ostracized from society.
