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COMPARISON BETWEEN LONDON AND OZYMANDIAS
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Compare how the writers present ideas about power in London and one other poem from
the anthology.
Both Blake and Shelley use their poems, ‘London’ and ‘Ozymandias’, to expose the ways
that power has been abused by leaders of Empires new and old.
Both writers highlight how the populace suffer under cruel leaders. In ‘Ozymandias’, Shelley
tells the story of a traveller who comes across a statue of the ancient ruler, Ozymandias
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(better known as Rameses II). Shelley conveys a sense of the pharoah’s superiority over his
people when he describes the statue with a ‘sneer of cold command’. This vivid imagery
helps the reader to imagine the disdainful facial expression of the statue, and therefore the
supercilious attitude of the ruler himself. Shelley’s choice of the word ‘sneer’ implies that
Ozymandias looked down on his people. Furthermore, the 'sharp 'C' sound in the alliterative
phrase ‘cold command’ actually makes the words sound cruel, reflecting the idea of a
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heartless, unkind ruler who showed no warmth or compassion towards his own people.
Shelley cleverly highlights the cruelty of Ozymandias’ rule through his pondering of the
ancient statue; arguably though, he also uses the image of ‘Ozymandias’ to reflect on the
cruelty of contemporary leaders, such as King George. George III was King of England at the
time Shelley (and Blake) was writing; King George was criticised for his reckless spending
and failure to look after his people. Unlike Shelley however, Blake does not focus on the
cruelty of one ruler but instead highlights the numerous ways that people suffer because of
TJNOTES
an imbalance of power with the monarchy, church and financial institutions. In the opening
stanza of ‘London’ Blake describes the River Thames as ‘chartered’, which indicates that
even the river, which is something natural and should be owned by everyone, is owned by
the wealthiest people in London. Blake’s repetition of ‘chartered’ emphasises the anger he
feels about the charter system, which resulted in large parts of the city, including the river,
being owned and managed by the wealthy people, leaving nothing for the poor.
TJNOTES
Like Shelley, Blake uses his poem to criticise the people in power who cause or allow this
cruel inequality to continue.
Both Shelley and Blake explore the misuse of power in their poems. In Ozymandias, Shelley
emphasises the pharaoh's pride and arrogance through the declaration ‘My name is
Ozymandias, King of Kings’ written on the base of his statue. Not only did Ozymandias
misuse his power and his country’s money to have a statue erected for himself, but the
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blasphemous boast ‘King of Kings’ suggests that he saw himself as a god-like figure of
irreproachable power and status. Perhaps Shelley draws attention to Ozymandias’ self-
consumed arrogance in order to emphasise the traits of a tyrant. Good leaders use their
power to help others, yet history is full of tyrants who erect great monuments but abuse
their power and people. In London, Blake shows that he is appalled by the church’s misuse
of power by describing it as ‘blackening’. Blake’s choice of the word ‘blackening’
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connotes.death, despair and corruption, in sharp contrast to the light, goodness and hope
that Christianity is supposed to represent. Perhaps Blake does this in order to criticise the
church for not doing enough to help the poor people (and children) who worked, suffered
and sometimes died in terrible conditions in factories and up chimneys. Interpreted this
way, the colour black could also symbolise the church’s responsibility for their deaths.
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