Contents
2. The Sun Rising – John Donne.................................................................................................. 1
4. Ozymandias of Egypt – Percy Bysshe Shelley.........................................................................2
5. Strangers Forever................................................................................................................... 2
6. Remember – Christina Rossetti............................................................................................... 3
10. For Oom Piet......................................................................................................................... 4
11. Mirror – Sylvia Plath.............................................................................................................. 6
12. Namaqualand After Rain – William Plomer............................................................................6
2. The Sun Rising – John Donne
Analysis
Element
Title The title, "The Sun Rising," directly refers to the sun, which the speaker addresses in
the poem. It could be considered ironic because the speaker believes the sun "rises"
not to bring warmth but to annoy him.
Diction The sun is called "Busy old fool" and "unruly sun". "Saucy pedantic wretch" is
also used to describe the sun. The phrase "raga of time" (line 10) indicates that time
is insignificant compared to love. "Blind" is used in lines 14-15 to suggest the sun's
inability to see the lover's beauty. "Indias of spice and mine" (line 17) refers to rich
regions and treasures, symbolizing the value of his love.
Vocabulary "Prentices" are apprentices. "Clime" means climate or region. "Alchemy" refers to the
process of turning base metals into gold, symbolizing transformation. "Sphere" refers
to a realm or domain.
Theme The overall theme is the unrivalled power of love. The poem celebrates the idea
Portrayed that love transcends rules, seasons, time, and social hierarchies. The speaker
aims to challenge the rules of the universe by asserting that his love is supreme.
Literary Apostrophe is used to address the sun directly. Personification of the sun as a
Devices "Busy old fool" and "saucy pedantic wretch" is central. Hyperbole is extensively
used, particularly the claim "I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink" (line 13).
Imagery of royalty and kings is prominent in the third stanza. Rhetorical questions
are posed to the sun, challenging its authority. Alliteration ("Saucy pedantic") and
assonance ("unruly sun") are also present. Metaphysical conceit compares the
lover's bed to the world and all its kingdoms.
Structure The poem consists of three regular stanzas of 10 lines each. The rhyme scheme
is ABBA CDCD EE (stanzas 1 and 2), GGHH II JJ (stanza 3), and KKLK MMNN OO
(stanza 3). It's a dramatic monologue. The meter is iambic tetrameter and
iambic pentameter.
Imagery The poem uses sensory imagery ("Thy beams, so reverend and strong") and
exaggerated imagery to show the world contracting into the lovers' bed. Imagery of
the sun, India's wealth, and royalty ("She's all states, and all princes") is used to
emphasize the lovers' supremacy.
Sound Alliteration (e.g., "saucy pedantic") and assonance are used. The poem's rhythm
Devices helps convey the speaker's passion.
Tone The tone is initially logical, argumentative, and confrontational towards the sun.
It shifts to a more persuasive tone in stanza 3. The speaker's diction degrades the
sun, but ultimately he commands it to shine on them, implying their love warms the
entire world.
Message The central message is that love is superior to time, societal structures, and
worldly possessions. The lovers' private world is more significant than the public
one.
Purpose The poet's purpose is to convince the reader (and the sun) of the supremacy
and power of true, unrivalled love.
Additional This poem belongs to the Jacobean Era (1603-1625), a period of significant change
Informatio and intellectual activity. John Donne was a metaphysical poet, known for his
n intellectual complexity and wit. King James I commissioned the English translation of
@smartstudypro
, the Bible, known as the King James Version, during this era.
4. Ozymandias of Egypt – Percy Bysshe Shelley
Analysis
Element
Title The title, "Ozymandias of Egypt," refers to Ramesses II, a powerful Egyptian pharaoh
who ruled 3000 years ago. The title sets an exotic expectation for the reader.
Diction The statue is described as "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone" (line 2). The
face has a "shattered visage," "frown," "wrinkled lip," and "sneer of cold
command" (lines 4-5). Words like "colossal," "boundless," and "bare" (line 13)
emphasize the desert's vastness and the insignificance of the statue. The inscription
reads: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; / Look on my Works, ye
Mighty, and despair!" (lines 10-11). The word "despair" (line 11) is ironic, as
nothing beside remains to evoke despair in others. Words like "decay," "wreck,"
"lifeless," "bare," and "lone" convey emptiness and impermanence.
Vocabulary "Vast" means immense. "Trunkless" means without a torso. "Visage" means face.
"Sneer" refers to a contemptuous facial expression. "Stamp'd" indicates impressed
upon. "Pedestal" is the base of a statue. "Colossal" means enormous.
Theme The poem's subject is an enormous, exotic statue that has decayed. The main
Portrayed themes include the transience of power, the power of art, and man vs. nature.
It also explores the insignificance of human achievements compared to the grander
scheme of the universe.
Literary The poem contains allusion to history (Ozymandias/Ramesses II). Irony is used in
Devices lines 11-12, as Ozymandias's boastful inscription now applies to his own ruined legacy.
Enjambment (lines 2-3) and caesura (line 3) create dramatic pauses, emphasizing
the broken state of the statue. Alliteration and sibilance are used (e.g., "lone and
level sands stretch far away"). Imagery of sand and the broken statue is central. The
poem is a sonnet.
Structure The poem is a sonnet of 14 lines, with a regular rhyme scheme (ABABA CDCEFE) and
rhythm (iambic pentameter). It has an octave that sets the scene and a sestet that
has a surprising twist. The rhyme scheme does not conform to either sonnet structure
but is regular. It looks like a combination of two sonnet structures, suggesting it's a
free verse sonnet.
Imagery The imagery emphasizes the vastness of the desert and the decay of the statue.
"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone" and "Half sunk a shattered visage" create a
powerful image of ruin. The imagery of "boundless and bare" and "lone and level
sands" (lines 13-14) suggests vast emptiness and isolation.
Sound Alliteration and sibilance ("lone and level sands stretch far away," "boundless and
Devices bare") emphasize the desert's vastness and a feeling of loneliness.
Tone The speaker's tone seems to be hopelessness because of the impermanence of
human endeavors. The tone is matter-of-fact, yet ironic and satirical, as the
speaker recounts the tale of a lost empire.
Message The poem's message is that human power and achievements are temporary and
ultimately subject to the forces of nature and time. No matter how great a ruler,
their legacy will eventually crumble.
Purpose Shelley's purpose was to illustrate the transience of power and to criticize
arrogant rulers who believe their power is eternal. He retells a story about
Ozymandias to address the issues of power, nature, art, and the individual.
Additional Percy Bysshe Shelley was a Romantic Poet in the early 19th century. Romanticism
Informatio focused on emotion, the individual, and nature. This poem reflects the Romantic era's
n interest in the fleeting nature of human endeavor versus the permanence of nature.
5. Strangers Forever
Analysis
Title The title, "Strangers Forever", introduces the core idea that we can never truly know
each other. The last line of the poem inverts this title to "Forever strangers." (line 25).
This inversion emphasizes the endless unfamiliarity and isolation, framing the poem
around the idea that relationships will perpetually remain in the "stranger phase".
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2. The Sun Rising – John Donne.................................................................................................. 1
4. Ozymandias of Egypt – Percy Bysshe Shelley.........................................................................2
5. Strangers Forever................................................................................................................... 2
6. Remember – Christina Rossetti............................................................................................... 3
10. For Oom Piet......................................................................................................................... 4
11. Mirror – Sylvia Plath.............................................................................................................. 6
12. Namaqualand After Rain – William Plomer............................................................................6
2. The Sun Rising – John Donne
Analysis
Element
Title The title, "The Sun Rising," directly refers to the sun, which the speaker addresses in
the poem. It could be considered ironic because the speaker believes the sun "rises"
not to bring warmth but to annoy him.
Diction The sun is called "Busy old fool" and "unruly sun". "Saucy pedantic wretch" is
also used to describe the sun. The phrase "raga of time" (line 10) indicates that time
is insignificant compared to love. "Blind" is used in lines 14-15 to suggest the sun's
inability to see the lover's beauty. "Indias of spice and mine" (line 17) refers to rich
regions and treasures, symbolizing the value of his love.
Vocabulary "Prentices" are apprentices. "Clime" means climate or region. "Alchemy" refers to the
process of turning base metals into gold, symbolizing transformation. "Sphere" refers
to a realm or domain.
Theme The overall theme is the unrivalled power of love. The poem celebrates the idea
Portrayed that love transcends rules, seasons, time, and social hierarchies. The speaker
aims to challenge the rules of the universe by asserting that his love is supreme.
Literary Apostrophe is used to address the sun directly. Personification of the sun as a
Devices "Busy old fool" and "saucy pedantic wretch" is central. Hyperbole is extensively
used, particularly the claim "I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink" (line 13).
Imagery of royalty and kings is prominent in the third stanza. Rhetorical questions
are posed to the sun, challenging its authority. Alliteration ("Saucy pedantic") and
assonance ("unruly sun") are also present. Metaphysical conceit compares the
lover's bed to the world and all its kingdoms.
Structure The poem consists of three regular stanzas of 10 lines each. The rhyme scheme
is ABBA CDCD EE (stanzas 1 and 2), GGHH II JJ (stanza 3), and KKLK MMNN OO
(stanza 3). It's a dramatic monologue. The meter is iambic tetrameter and
iambic pentameter.
Imagery The poem uses sensory imagery ("Thy beams, so reverend and strong") and
exaggerated imagery to show the world contracting into the lovers' bed. Imagery of
the sun, India's wealth, and royalty ("She's all states, and all princes") is used to
emphasize the lovers' supremacy.
Sound Alliteration (e.g., "saucy pedantic") and assonance are used. The poem's rhythm
Devices helps convey the speaker's passion.
Tone The tone is initially logical, argumentative, and confrontational towards the sun.
It shifts to a more persuasive tone in stanza 3. The speaker's diction degrades the
sun, but ultimately he commands it to shine on them, implying their love warms the
entire world.
Message The central message is that love is superior to time, societal structures, and
worldly possessions. The lovers' private world is more significant than the public
one.
Purpose The poet's purpose is to convince the reader (and the sun) of the supremacy
and power of true, unrivalled love.
Additional This poem belongs to the Jacobean Era (1603-1625), a period of significant change
Informatio and intellectual activity. John Donne was a metaphysical poet, known for his
n intellectual complexity and wit. King James I commissioned the English translation of
@smartstudypro
, the Bible, known as the King James Version, during this era.
4. Ozymandias of Egypt – Percy Bysshe Shelley
Analysis
Element
Title The title, "Ozymandias of Egypt," refers to Ramesses II, a powerful Egyptian pharaoh
who ruled 3000 years ago. The title sets an exotic expectation for the reader.
Diction The statue is described as "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone" (line 2). The
face has a "shattered visage," "frown," "wrinkled lip," and "sneer of cold
command" (lines 4-5). Words like "colossal," "boundless," and "bare" (line 13)
emphasize the desert's vastness and the insignificance of the statue. The inscription
reads: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; / Look on my Works, ye
Mighty, and despair!" (lines 10-11). The word "despair" (line 11) is ironic, as
nothing beside remains to evoke despair in others. Words like "decay," "wreck,"
"lifeless," "bare," and "lone" convey emptiness and impermanence.
Vocabulary "Vast" means immense. "Trunkless" means without a torso. "Visage" means face.
"Sneer" refers to a contemptuous facial expression. "Stamp'd" indicates impressed
upon. "Pedestal" is the base of a statue. "Colossal" means enormous.
Theme The poem's subject is an enormous, exotic statue that has decayed. The main
Portrayed themes include the transience of power, the power of art, and man vs. nature.
It also explores the insignificance of human achievements compared to the grander
scheme of the universe.
Literary The poem contains allusion to history (Ozymandias/Ramesses II). Irony is used in
Devices lines 11-12, as Ozymandias's boastful inscription now applies to his own ruined legacy.
Enjambment (lines 2-3) and caesura (line 3) create dramatic pauses, emphasizing
the broken state of the statue. Alliteration and sibilance are used (e.g., "lone and
level sands stretch far away"). Imagery of sand and the broken statue is central. The
poem is a sonnet.
Structure The poem is a sonnet of 14 lines, with a regular rhyme scheme (ABABA CDCEFE) and
rhythm (iambic pentameter). It has an octave that sets the scene and a sestet that
has a surprising twist. The rhyme scheme does not conform to either sonnet structure
but is regular. It looks like a combination of two sonnet structures, suggesting it's a
free verse sonnet.
Imagery The imagery emphasizes the vastness of the desert and the decay of the statue.
"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone" and "Half sunk a shattered visage" create a
powerful image of ruin. The imagery of "boundless and bare" and "lone and level
sands" (lines 13-14) suggests vast emptiness and isolation.
Sound Alliteration and sibilance ("lone and level sands stretch far away," "boundless and
Devices bare") emphasize the desert's vastness and a feeling of loneliness.
Tone The speaker's tone seems to be hopelessness because of the impermanence of
human endeavors. The tone is matter-of-fact, yet ironic and satirical, as the
speaker recounts the tale of a lost empire.
Message The poem's message is that human power and achievements are temporary and
ultimately subject to the forces of nature and time. No matter how great a ruler,
their legacy will eventually crumble.
Purpose Shelley's purpose was to illustrate the transience of power and to criticize
arrogant rulers who believe their power is eternal. He retells a story about
Ozymandias to address the issues of power, nature, art, and the individual.
Additional Percy Bysshe Shelley was a Romantic Poet in the early 19th century. Romanticism
Informatio focused on emotion, the individual, and nature. This poem reflects the Romantic era's
n interest in the fleeting nature of human endeavor versus the permanence of nature.
5. Strangers Forever
Analysis
Title The title, "Strangers Forever", introduces the core idea that we can never truly know
each other. The last line of the poem inverts this title to "Forever strangers." (line 25).
This inversion emphasizes the endless unfamiliarity and isolation, framing the poem
around the idea that relationships will perpetually remain in the "stranger phase".
@smartstudypro
