Power and Conflict Poetry (AQA Anthology of Poetry)
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of the statue. the of turn. The poem ends by describing the enormous desert, which helps to sum up the insignificance the up sum to helps which desert, enormous the describing by ends poem The turn. STRUCTURE: The narrator builds up an image of the statue by focusing on different parts of it in it of parts different on focusing by statue the of image an up builds narrator The STRUCTURE: king. The story is about a second-hand account, which distances the reader even further from the dead the from further even reader the distances which account, second-hand a about is story The power and structures can be destroyed. It uses iambic pentameter, but this is also often disrupted. often also is this but pentameter, iambic uses It destroyed. be can structures and power However, it doesn't follow a regular sonnet rhyme scheme, prehaps reflecting the way that human that way the reflecting prehaps scheme, rhyme sonnet regular a follow doesn't it However, The poem is a sonnet, with a turning-point (volta) at line 9 like a Petrarchan sonnet. Petrarchan a like 9 line at (volta) turning-point a with sonnet, a is poem The FORM: Form, structure and language etc.: language and structure Form, However, the statue has falled down and crumbled away crumbled and down falled has statue the However, • boasts about how powerful he is in an inscription on the statue's base. statue's the on inscription an in is he powerful how about boasts It's a statue of a king who ruled over a past civilisation. His face is oroud and he arrogantly he and oroud is face His civilisation. past a over ruled who king a of statue a It's • desert. The narrator meets a traveller who tells him about a statue standing in the middle of the of middle the in standing statue a about him tells who traveller a meets narrator The • The poem is about: is poem The Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley I Shelley Bysshe Percy - Ozymandias 1 of 30 of 1 2 of 30 Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley II IRONY: There's nothing left to show for the ruler's arrogant boasting or his great civilisation. The ruined statue can be seen as a symbol for the temporary nature of political power or human achievement. Shelley's use of irony reflects his hatred of oppression and his belief that it is possible to overturn social and political order. LANGUAGE OF POWER: The poem focuses on the power of Ozymandias, representing human power. However his power has been lost and is only visible due to the power of art. Ultimately, nature has ruined the statue, showing that nature and time have more power than anything else. ANGRY LANGUAGE: The tyranny of the ruler is suggested through aggresive language. Feelings and attitudes in the poem are: • PRIDE - The ruler was proud of what he'd achieved. He called on other rulers to admire what he did. • ARROGANCE - The inscription shows that the ruler believed that he was the most powerful ruler in the land - nobody else could compete with him. He also thought he was better than those he ruled. • POWER - Human civilisations and achievements are insignificant compared to the passing of time. Art has the power to preserve elements of human existence, but it is also only temporary. not able (or even trying) to help themselves. help to trying) even (or able not also to blame - they're trapped by their own attitudes. They apear hopeless because they're because hopeless apear They attitudes. own their by trapped they're - blame to also HOPELESSNESS - The 'mind-forged manacles' suggest that the people themselves are themselves people the that suggest manacles' 'mind-forged The - HOPELESSNESS • the people in power, who could do something to change things but don't. but things change to something do could who power, in people the mentions 'every black'ning church' and 'palace walls', suggesting he's especially angry at angry especially he's suggesting walls', 'palace and church' black'ning 'every mentions ANGER - Emotive language and repetition show the narrator's anger at the situation. He situation. the at anger narrator's the show repetition and language Emotive - ANGER • Feelings and attitudes include: attitudes and Feelings remains. CONTRASTS: These are used to show how evertrhing is affected and nothing pure or innocent or pure nothing and affected is evertrhing how show to used are These CONTRASTS: the visual and aural. and visual the first stanza is about what he sees, the second what he hears, and the last two stanzas combine stanzas two last the and hears, he what second the sees, he what about is stanza first USE OF THE SENSES: The poem includes the depressing sights and sounds of the city - the - city the of sounds and sights depressing the includes poem The SENSES: THE OF USE emphasise the number of people affected, and to show how society needs to change. to needs society how show to and affected, people of number the emphasise powerful, emotive words and images to reinforce the horror of the situation. Repetition is used to used is Repetition situation. the of horror the reinforce to images and words emotive powerful, RHETORIC: The narrator uses rhetorical language to persuade you of his point of view - he uses he - view of point his of you persuade to language rhetorical uses narrator The RHETORIC: London - William Blake II Blake William - London 4 of 30 of 4 3 of 30 London - William Blake I The poem is about: • The narrator is describing a walk round the city of London. • He says that everwhere he goes, the people he meets are affected by misery and despair. • This misery seems relentles. No one can escape it - not even the young and innocent. • People in power (like Church, the monarchy and wealthy landowners) seem to be behind the problems, and do nothing to help the people in need. Form, structure, language etc.: FORM: This is a dramatic monologue - the first-person narrator speaks passionately and personally about the suffering her sees. The ABAB rhyme scheme is unbroken and seems to echo the relentless misery of the city. The regular rhythm could reflect the sound of his feet as he trudges around. STRUCTURE: The narrator presents relentless images of downtrodden, deprived people. The first two stanzas focus on people he sees and hears, before the focus shifts in stanza three to the institutions he holds responsible. The final stanza returns to looking at people, showing how even newborn babies are affected. BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE: The poem begins with a series of pretty, pastoral images of nature. of images pastoral pretty, of series a with begins poem The LANGUAGE: BEAUTIFUL more fearful. In the final section, the narrator reflects on how the experience has changed him. changed has experience the how on reflects narrator the section, final the In fearful. more carefree. There's a distinct change when the mountain appears - the tone becomes darker and darker becomes tone the - appears mountain the when change distinct a There's carefree. STRUCTURE: There are three main sections in the extract. In the first the tone is fairly light and light fairly is tone the first the In extract. the in sections main three are There STRUCTURE: serious and important, and the regular rhythm makes it sound like natural speech. natural like sound it makes rhythm regular the and important, and serious in the poet's life. The use of blank verse (unrhymed verse in iambic pentameter) makes it sound it makes pentameter) iambic in verse (unrhymed verse blank of use The life. poet's the in FORM: This extract is a first person narrative. It sounds personal and describes a turning point turning a describes and personal sounds It narrative. person first a is extract This FORM: Form, structue and language etc.: language and structue Form, He turns the boat around and goes home, but his view on nature has changed. has nature on view his but home, goes and around boat the turns He • mountain appears on the horizon and the narrator is afraid of its size and power. and size its of afraid is narrator the and horizon the on appears mountain Initially the narrator seems happy and confident and he describes a beautiful scene. A scene. beautiful a describes he and confident and happy seems narrator the Initially • unties the boat and takes it out on the lake. the on out it takes and boat the unties The extract begins on a summer evening when the narrator finds a boat tied to a tree. He tree. a to tied boat a finds narrator the when evening summer a on begins extract The • The poem is about: is poem The The Prelude: Stealing the Boat - William Wordswort William - Boat the Stealing Prelude: The 5 of 30 of 5 6 of 30 The Prelude: Stealing the Boat - William Wordswort CONFIDENT LANGUAGE: The narrator appears sure of himself at first - almost arrogant in his view of himself and his place in the world. He gives the impression of feeling powerful. DRAMATIC LANGUAGE: The initial glimse of threatening language becomes more intense after the mountain appears. The narrator comes to understand how powerful natuer is. FEARFUL LANGUAGE: The narrator is far less confident at the end of the extract. He's troubled by the 'huge and mighty forms' of nature he's glimpsed. The experience has a lasting, haunting effect on him. Feelings and attitudes are: • CONFIDENCE - The narrator feels comfortable and in control to start with, but his confidence in himself and the world around him is shaken by this one event.