Summary
Summary GCSE Power and Conflict
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Key poems annotated that you should aim to memorise. Short easy quotes that can easily be embedded and linked to many themes.
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When considering how [poet] presents (theme) one also immediately thinks of[insert name of second poem]’
Power & Conflict of Man
● London
“Mind-forged manacles”
The noun ‘manacles’ suggests how the people of London are inextricably intertwined with
their misery and oppression. Blake is criticising the abuse of power of the establishment. The
oppression is so extreme that it has controlled and trapped several individuals with
‘manacles’ around their minds. The adjective ‘forged’ symbolises how those in power are
able to control one's thought as it has been forged into their brain and could symbolise an
inner conflict between free will of a person and the abuse and restraints created by society.
“Chartered”
Semantic field of oppression permeates the poem by Blake using words such as “Marks”
“Chartered” “mind-forged manacles”. Thames is naturally free-flowing but has become
‘chartered’ which connotes restrictions and therefore highlighting the control the authorities
have.
“In every infant’s cry of fear”
“Infant” suggests innocence while ‘fear’ connotes terror. These juxtaposing images show
how the youth have already been corrupted and emphasises the magnitude of suffering that
plagued London. Their innocence of youth has been stolen therefore highlighting the abuse
of power. Suggests that the misery inflicted by those with power will envelop the poor’s life.
Children are born in an almost utopian world where they do not experience fear or terror yet
due to this treacherous surrounding this ‘world’ has been destroyed and creates a bleak
hopeless tone of London
Structure:
Anaphora - The use of anaphora mimics the cyclical torturing that the citizens in London are
subject to suffering. Sempiternal torturing.
Rhyming scheme of ABAB - This imitates the mass oppression and restriction the lower
class were subject to as there is no freedom to escape this control.
Enjambment - Replicates the illusion of freedom that London’s citizens are given
Blake uses the form of an acrostic poem in the 3rd Stanza by spelling out the word
‘HEAR’ which could be suggesting how Blake wants the reader and the disadvantaged
people to use their senses to witness, understand and stand up to the injustice that
surrounds them.
● My Last Duchess
“All smiles stopped together”
This is a euphemism for her murder. This shows the power he holds but also presents him
as insecure and this creates an overreaction as he lacks control. The use of the sibilance
implies the slyness and malicious nature of the duke, and also creates a spitting tone which
suggests a sense of disgust.
“The curtain I have drawn for you”
The duke controls who sees the painting therefore even as she is dead he still exerts control
over her. This presents a sense of inner conflict and highlights the intrinsic nature of man
being weak and insecure. This quote is juxtaposed as it emphasises the lack of power the
duke has, because even as the wife is dead she exerts control over him. The enjambment
emphasises her continuous control over the duke
, Title - The possessive pronoun ‘my’ fits the expected roles of a patriarchal society. This sets
the tone for the whole poem as the duke is presented as a dominant man who controls his
wife. This serves as a reflection of women in society at the Time.
“Notice Neptune … taming”
Suggests he views himself as god-like which shows the excessive hubris and pride of the
duke. The word ‘Neptune’ is derived from the name ‘nuptus’ which means ‘covering’. This is
significant because the duke closes the curtain on her which shows his control and
possession over her as a painting - links to patriarchal society as they believed that men
were superior than women therefore he fits the stereotype and abuses his power as a man.
Structure
Use of one stanza to mirror and emphasise the controlling nature of the duke. The use of the
rhyming couplets gives the poem a controlled and restrained tone and how he controls
women.
● Ozymandias
“Trunkless legs”
Informs the reader of the statues lack of body and therefore lack of heart which could signify
the lack of connection between his body and brain. The juxtaposition between “vast” and
“trunkless” highlights how powerless he is. There is also a sense of lifelessness to
symbolise the power of nature over man.
“Shattered Visage”
Presents a loss of identity as Ozymandias has tried to immortalise himself by building a
statue but nature will always be more powerful. Emphasising the ephemeral nature of man.
The sibilance could represent the passing over time and degraded power.
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings”
He has to draw attention to himself and to his ‘greatness’ which shows a true lack of power
as without this he would go unnoticed. This couplet defeats the structure of having 10
syllables suggesting that Ozymandias views himself as more powerful and does not have to
follow rules and therefore highlights his arrogance.
‘King of kings’ has biblical imagery and suggests that Ozymandias views himself as
god-like and juxtaposes with the current statue and immediately presents him as foolish and
ignorant and shows how lacks control as the true God has control over land.
Can link to Freud and the id persona as he becomes slave to his desires of wanting power
and represents one of the deadly sins which is pride. Shows the ephemeral nature of
mankind as they believe they can control and over power nature.
Structure
Sonnet - used to express love which could be used to express admiration towards
Ozymandias
Allegory - Political and moral message teaching us the transience of life. Power, wealth and
status are materialistic and eventually will all drift away
Power & Conflict of Place
● The Emigree
“There once was a country…”
This replicates a fairy tale therefore suggesting that there is something unreal about this
place and therefore only exists in her imagination. This emphasises how she was a child
when she left the country and her memories are that of a child.The poem's ambiguity could
be intentional to be applicable to all emigrants. The use of the ‘once’ suggests that this place
has been forgotten. The ellipsis shows the unreliability of the speaker just like her memories.
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