Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley (Power of Humans, Power of Nature, Negative emotions – Pride):
Context:
Percy Bysshe Shelley was a ‘Romantic’ poet, who became famous after death. Written in 1819, after hearing
about how an Italian explorer had retrieved the statue from the desert.
Romantic poets believed in emotion rather than reason and tried to capture intense experiences in their
work. They particularly focused on the power of nature. He disliked monarchies, absolute power and the
oppression of ordinary people. His views were inspired by the events of the French Revolution.
What the poem is about:
The narrator meets a traveller who tells him about a statue standing in the middle of the desert. It’s a statue
of a king who ruled over a past civilisation. His face is proud and he arrogantly boasts about how powerful he
is an inscription on the statue’s base. However, the statue has fallen down and crumbled away so that only
the ruins remain.
Form:
‘I met a traveller from an antique land’.
Shelley frames the poem as a story to make it clear that the narrator hasn’t even seen the statue himself,
he’s only heard about it = emphasises how unimportant Ozymandias is now.
The word ‘antique’ suggests the place is old and steeped in history.
The poem is a sonnet, but it doesn’t follow a regular sonnet rhyme scheme, perhaps reflecting the way
that human power and structures can be destroyed.
o It uses iambic pentameter, but this is also often disrupted.
Language
Irony:
‘Shatter’d visage’
Ironic – even a powerful human can’t control the damaging effects of time.
‘Shattered visage’ – Broken face, it is unrecognisable, a statue to someone and we can no longer tell who,
has no purpose anymore.
o Nothing left to show for the rulers arrogant boasting or his great civilisation.
o The statue can be seen as a symbol for the temporary nature of political power or human
achievement reflects his hatred of oppression and his belief that it is possible to overturn social
and political order.
Alliteration:
Alliteration: ‘a sneer of cold command’ and ‘lone and level sands stretch far away’
o Shows the large distance of the desert, shows the enormity of nature and it’ll outlast the statue.
o Connotes him a heartless leader, fearmongering – these two show Shelley’s desire for political
change.’
Structure:
Written in a sonnet with loose iambic pentameter (rhymes in some cases; ‘despair’ and ‘bare’
Sonnets were generally popular romantic or love poems, perhaps this being a love poem about
Ozymandias, a joke about the ruler’s ego or simply to capture the romantic and exotic tone of a lost
legend.
The rhyme scheme is irregular, perhaps symbolic of the broken statue itself, no longer perfect.
London by William Blake (Power of Humans, Loss and Absence, Negative emotions – anger, Individual
experiences):
Context:
Blake wrote and illustrated two volumes of poetry which explored the state of the human soul. ‘London,'
published in 1794, looks at how innocence is lost, and how society has been corrupted. Blake held radical
social and political views for the time – he believed social and racial equality and questioned church teachings.
, French Revolution in 1789 overthrowing King Louis XIV and American Revolution 1765-1793 inspired these
radical ideas from Blake. Blake rejected the Church as condoned child labour.
What the poem is about:
The narrator is describing walking around the city of London. He says that everywhere he goes, the people he
meets are affected by misery and despair. No one can escape it – not even the young and innocent. People in
power (like the Church, the monarchy and wealthy landowners) seem to be behind the problems, and do
nothing to help the people in need.
Language:
Corrupt Imagery:
‘every black’ning church appals’ and ‘blights with plagues the marriage hearse.’
Blake uses the idea to show the corruption of the institutions used to guide the country.
o It falls in line with his strong liberal approach due to the inequality of power seen by the
government. Religion seen as a tool to keep peasants at the bottom.
o ‘Marriage hearse’ and ‘black’ning church’ antithesis implies doubt in the current system and
desired change + death of traditionalism.
Repetition:
‘in every cry of every man’ and ‘in every infant’s cry of fear’
o Chimney sweeps were usually young boys – this is an emotive image of child labour.
o Highlights desire for change by the majority = generally socialist sentiment that shows the
misusage of power.
o British autocracy failed the lower class and oppressed their freedoms.
o Contrast the cries of the innocent dirty children with the supposedly clean but corrupt church.
Structure:
Written in four stanzas with a regular alternate scheme could show Blake’s regular walking pace as he
walks around London.
The poem includes the depressing sights and sounds of the city.
The first stanza is about what he sees, the second what he hears, and the last two stanzas combine the
visual and aural.
The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson (Effects of conflict, Reality of conflict, Identity)
Context:
He was a poet of the Victorian era, and was Poet Laureate from 1850 until his death in 1892. This poem was
written in 1854 in response to a newspaper article about the battle. Many newspapers at the time were
critical of the Crimean War, but this poem focuses on the bravery of the soldiers rather than the mistakes of
the military leaders. 600 soldiers rode into a valley and died.
What the poem is about:
It describes a battle between British cavalry and Russian forces during the Crimean War on the 25 th October
1854 at the Battle of Balaclava led by Lord Cardigan. A misunderstanding meant that the Light Brigade were
ordered to advance into a valley surrounded by enemy soldiers. They were only armed with swords, whereas
the Russian soldiers had guns. They were defenceless against their enemies, and many of them were killed.
Regards them as brave.
Form:
‘Half a league, half a league, half a league onward’
o The rhythm sounds like galloping horses’ hooves – it gives the impression that the horses are
unstoppable.
o The poem’s narrated in the third person, making it seem like a story = places them as heroes.
