Summary GCSE English Literature War and Conflict Poetry Revision Guide from a Grade 9 student
7 views 0 purchase
Course
English
Institution
GCSE
GCSE English Literature War and Conflict Poetry Revision Guide from a Grade 9 student - contains context, key quotes, analysis of content and structure, and links for 11 poems
GCSE English Literature
Poetry Notes:
‘Ozymandias’ - Shelley (1818) - POWER
(title) Greek etymology: ozium, to breathe + air and mandate, to rule → control even in title
(title) inspired by recent unearthing of Ramses II, a pharaoh, believing his legacy would
last forever
allegory: statue broken and falling apart → every powerful person will also drift away,
forgotten
however, art remains links to (context) of the Romantic Era
a criticism of tyrannical government links to (context) of the Romantic Era + King George
III
(tone) ironic + exotic tone of a lost legend
Context: Romantic Era:
reaction to order and rationalism
radical views → rejection of religion
critisised royal fame → eg. King George III
‘ ”My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” ’
(repet.) ‘king’ → narcissistic
(adj.) ‘mighty’ → strength, vain, arrogance also (juxt.) of remains
(strc.) excl. mark → strong emotion also (tone) strong + punchy
(strc.) volta, shift → last 6 lines engage and explain
Language: ‘Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,’
(juxt.) ‘colossal wreck’ → huge disaster
(allit.) ‘boundless and bare’ → conveys the sense that nothing remains of this
arrogant tyrant, emphasises emptiness
Structure: - sonnet of 14 lines
self-love → ironic, joke about ruler’s ego
- loose iambic pentameter
vague rhythm to tale
- irregular rhyming scheme
symbolic of the broken statue, no longer perfect
‘I met a traveller from an antique land’
(pp.) narrator → story-telling + truth-telling also veracity
(adj.) ‘antique’ → old + precious
(noun) ‘traveller’ → exotic
(tone) almost boastful
(context) ‘I met’ → not an open criticism, thinly veiled attack
Imagery: ‘And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command’
facial imagery
(allit.) ‘cold command’ → ‘c’ sounds reflect harsh tone
(noun) ‘sneer’ → cruel + ugly
Link To: ‘My Last Duchess’ - power, arrogance + are or ‘London’ - Romantic Era
one clear voice
about a character with distinctly unpleasant qualities
dark nature
both focuses are history
‘London’ - Blake (1794) - POWER
(title) ‘hub of power’
(tone) fixed + monotonous
rebelling about the misuse of power and class, exposing the distance between those
in power and those who are suffering
, Context: Romantic Era:
imagination > reason
negative attitude to social and political conditions, the Industrial Revolution
focus on nature, childhood + the socially marginalised
enthusiasm for the French Revolution (1794)
Language: ‘I wander through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered Thames does flow.’
(repet.) ‘chartered’ + ‘marks’ → similarity, boringness + monotony of life
without imagination also river controlled, regulation of nature
‘And the hapless soldier’s sigh’
(adj.) ‘hapless’ → unfortunate (context) repeated appearance of socially
marginalised
(sib.) tired + weary feel
Structure: - four even quatrains
regulated + monotonous, cyclical structure
- ‘abab’ rhyming pattern
fixed + boring also implies order
- cyclical structure
repeated, inescapable suffering
Imagery: ‘Runs in blood down palace walls.’
strong + violent imagery
(context) poor suffers for rich - the French Revolution
‘In every cry of every man,
In every infant’s cry of fear,’
(rep.) sound imagery, ‘I hear’ + ‘cry’ → extent of widespread pain + suffering
(context) ‘infant’ → childhood
Link To: ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ - use of repetition
‘Checking Out Me History’ - power
‘The Prelude’ - Wordsworth - POWER + CONFLICT
(title) ‘hub of power’
(tone) fixed + monotonous
part one of a three-part poem - never finished
how he stole a boat, a mountain peak loomed over him gradually, troubling him for
days afterwards
Context: Romantic Era:
lived in the Lake District - went outdoors to escape cruel family
embrace of the natural world
focus on nature, childhood + the socially marginalised
enthusiasm for the French Revolution (1794)
Language: ‘I wander through each chartered street,
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller sophiemartin. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R362,78. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
