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Why I love…Comparing Ozymandias and London

I tasked my tutoring group with pre-annotating Ozymandias and London to come to the group with some ideas about the poem.

When they arrived, we went through Paper 2 (Language) Q4 and focused on the top tips for this question and in a few weeks time, I’ll test these top tips with them when they complete a Paper 2. In the meantime, I wrote an introduction to go through with them and a first paragraph to show them a higher level introduction which stuck to the basics that we discussed in last weeks session and added to these with a bit of writers’ intentions and context (linking both the poems).

These are the ideas that we gathered and what we discussed in relation to context.

2020-01-25

The question was:

How is power presented in Ozymandias and one other poem from the anthology? (we used London).

Then, I planned as I would ask them to:

Ozymandias and London links 

  • Entitlement/arrogance
  • Ordinary suffer
  • Meaningless in long term
  • Ramoses II – Ozymandias
  • Romantic – Shelley
  • Innocence vs Experience
  • Power (politics) anti
  • Comp (although I can’t remember what I meant by this as it was an abbreviation of my thought process) I used this as an example of making notes clear!

I explained that I’d noticed context embedding missing in almost all the Anthology essays that I’d marked and that this suggested when planning making a quick note of this would serve as a good reminder for them to include this in their essays.

As you can see from the picture I annotated the introduction to exemplify what I was trying to show them.

The full essay is below:

Ozymandias by Blake and London by Shelley are both poems which reveal the corrupting influence of power. Both poets reflect on power as something that creates a sense of entitlement or arrogance, as a way to make those lacking in power suffer and to show that ultimately power and status is meaningless in the long term as all power is equalised by death. The poets Blake and Shelley appear to want to show through their depictions of people, how power in the wrong hands is used for evil, therefore both create a social commentary relating to hierarchical power structures and their inherent unfairness.

It appears clear that power when gained leads to a sense of entitlement that causes arrogance and disdain towards lower class people. In Ozymandias Shelley makes this distinction through the ruin of the statue which immortalises the ruler in stone. The plosives in “sneer of cold command” with the assonant sounds create an impression of an unking, uncaring and callous leader, who disrespects and disregards his subjects thoughts and feelings due to his own belief in his superior nature. Furthermore, the sculptor “well those passions read” as stated by the narrator (who was told the story second hand) creates a tone of sarcasm about the great ruler. The story was based on Ramoses II whose likeness was sculpted on a huge stone statue, which would have been very difficult to create and would have caused great pain and suffering to those who were commanded to create the statue. Interestingly, in Blake’s poem the ruling classes are criticised from afar creating a sense of distance that rulers had from their subjects. For example, Blake, when wandering at night through the streets of London was struck by the poverty and suffering of the poor and commented on this through repetition of “Marks on every face I meet, marks of weakness, marks of woe” which implies that the people are suffering intensely and that they feel sorrowful and impotent. The use of “marks” indicates that this is written all over the faces of the people of London and suggests that this suffering is widespread. The entitlement of the ruling classes can be seen in this is through the disregard for the poor. When “blood runs down the palace walls” the insinuation is that the monarchy are to blame for more suffering, that of the soldiers, and that they are complicit in this suffering. The ‘blood’ is being shed and as a result of decisions that the Government and Monarchy have made innocent men are dying. Perhaps, both poets feel resentment towards the rulers who have not used their power to help people but instead allowed them to suffer while they take what they like and live lives that are privileged. This is exemplified in “King of Kings” with the arrogant assumption that Ozymandias is better than and more in control of others than anyone else. The repetition makes a god-like assertion of himself and shows the sense of entitlement that the ruler had.

The  people in the poems suffer through their lack of power. This is evident in “the hand that mocked them, the heart that fed;” with the caesura creating impact and making us pause to realise how callous and cruel the ruler is towards the ordinary people. “Mocked” has connotations of belittling, being rude towards others and ridiculing which shows how they suffer at the “hand (s)” of their ruler, who is supposed to look after his subjects. Instead he gets them to do hard labour in order to create an ostentatious symbol of his power, through the size of the statue “two vast and trunkless legs of stone”. The use of the adjective “vast” creates the idea of the immense size of the legs. Although, the intention was to create something to immortalise the ruler, the statue is ruined which infers that power is not something that can be held onto and how you behave towards others is more important than creating a symbol of your power. Shelley is commenting on the unfairness of political systems in the poem and is showing his disdain for organised rule, while Blake is also commenting on the corrupt nature of politicians, the monarch and organised societal structures in London, because the cause great suffering to all. Repetition is again used by Blake to reinforce the great suffering of all mankind in “In every cry of every man…” with the use of “every” reinforcing the widespread nature of the sorrow that is felt by all members of society. “Man” is used as a collective noun to encompass all humanity and Blake further reinforces this bleak outlook on mankind’s suffering in the metaphor he uses at the end of the second stanza. “The mind-forg’d  I hear” with the enjambement leading onto more suffering for the small children who were forced to go up the chimneys to clean them. This is an indication of the poverty and suffering that employers meted out in the Victorian era towards their employees, in this case small children. However, the metaphor indicates that even the people are suffering mentally, are trapped and have no way out. In this way Blake comments on how power creates a trap for every member of society as they have no escape. This entitlement, arrogance and suffering caused through power is in the end pointless.

The pointlessness of trying to maintain power is shown in both poems as nature takes over. The desert sands overtake the statue and it remains ruined and broken and negative description of what remains reinforces this “decay” “colossal wreck” “boundless and bare”. These all show that “Nothing beside remains.” meaning that for all the cruelty and desire to be remembered, actually what is left is a ruin. Death here means that nobody has maintained the great statue that was built to keep the rulers image alive. The idea that death equalises everything is also evident in the final metaphor “blights with plague the marriage hearse” which has an extremely cynical tone and indicates that we all die and that Blake doesn’t believe in the sanctity of marriage. The use of “plague” has biblical connotations and shows that the institute of marriage is flawed and as with the rest of the poem the criticism of institutions is evident here. Blake has shown that we all die and that there is little in the world that is innocent. Maybe, he was influenced by the way the world was changing and not for the better during the industrial revolution. Cottage industry was almost decimated and people had to move to the big cities, like London to find work, meaning that they were overcrowded, conditions were unsanitary and the worst behaviour was on show. Blake evidently disliked this fast paced change and was suspicious of it. Shelley, however doesn’t show suspicion but seems cynical of how power is used, when in the wrong hands.

Both Blake and Shelley comment on the way power corrupts those that have it, how it is used to create and cause suffering for those who are innocent or who least appear to deserve it and show that death and nature in the end are more powerful and important than the social constructs that create powerful leaders.  Perhaps, both poets wanted to show us that their experiences and understanding of the world had been shaped and changed the more they knew and understood about human nature and that when we think about it carefully the natural world that we have around us is most powerful.

Ozymandias vs London

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18 thoughts on “ why i love…comparing ozymandias and london ”.

This is brilliant. Thank you!

Thanks Yamina, I found it really hard to do and then doubted myself, so this is reassuring. Thank you.

Like Liked by 1 person

Ozymandias by Blake and London by Shelley – wrong way around. Shelley wrote Ozymandias.

I know, thanks. I dealt with the mistake, when discussing the poems with the students.

Hello susansenglish can this be used to get a 9 in english please?

Using this example as it is would be plagiarism. You can use it as a model to help your understanding of the poem.

Hello I’m in y11 now my GCSE is coming up and I find it hard to write poems can u help me plz

You need to write about the poems. Have a look at the comparison collection on the blog to help.

Can you recommend some structural devices and explanation on those structural devices by the quotes in the poem.

Sonnet form, use of enjambment and end stopping, the narrative voice.

London is by Blake not Shelley and Ozymandias is by Shelley not Blake

Thanks, I know. I accidently put it round the wrong way when doing the example. All human!

Is there a use of form, structure and language in this essay?

This is great! Thank You!

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i used this in my mocks and got a 9 thanks did it word for word

This isn’t to copy, it is an example! You are supposed to do your own thinking. I wouldn’t recommend in the real exam doing this, as its called plagiarism and if caught you’ll gain no marks.

Really appreciate this. Thanks so much

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grade 9 ozymandias essay

Ozymandias Summary & Analysis by Percy Bysshe Shelley

  • Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
  • Poetic Devices
  • Vocabulary & References
  • Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
  • Line-by-Line Explanations

grade 9 ozymandias essay

“Ozymandias” is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley wrote “Ozymandias” in 1817 as part of a poetry contest with a friend and had it published in The Examiner in 1818 under the pen name Glirastes. The title “Ozymandias” refers to an alternate name of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II. In the poem, Shelley describes a crumbling statue of Ozymandias as a way to portray the transience of political power and to praise art’s ability to preserve the past. Although the poem is a 14-line sonnet, it breaks from the typical sonnet tradition in both its form and rhyme scheme , a tactic that reflects Shelley’s interest in challenging conventions, both political and poetic.

  • Read the full text of “Ozymandias”

grade 9 ozymandias essay

The Full Text of “Ozymandias”

1 I met a traveller from an antique land,

2 Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

3 Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

4 Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

5 And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

6 Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

7 Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

8 The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

9 And on the pedestal, these words appear:

10 My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

11 Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

12 Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

13 Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

14 The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

“Ozymandias” Summary

“ozymandias” themes.

Theme The Transience of Power

The Transience of Power

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.

Theme The Power of Art

The Power of Art

Theme Man Versus Nature

Man Versus Nature

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “ozymandias”.

I met a traveller from an antique land, Who said

grade 9 ozymandias essay

—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Lines 12-14

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

“Ozymandias” Symbols

Symbol Sand

  • See where this symbol appears in the poem.

Symbol The Statue

“Ozymandias” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

Alliteration

“ozymandias” vocabulary.

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Ozymandias”

Rhyme scheme, “ozymandias” speaker, “ozymandias” setting, literary and historical context of “ozymandias”, more “ozymandias” resources, external resources.

British Library's "Introduction to Ozymandias" — The British Library has a short introduction to "Ozymandias" that includes excerpts of potential sources for the poem, historical information about Ramses II (Ozymandias), as well as details about Shelley's radical politics.

Draft of "Ozymandias" — The Bodleian Library at Oxford University digitized and transcribed an early draft of "Ozymandias" from 1817 and made it available online. 

"Ozymandias": Original Printing — Shelley first published "Ozymandias" in The Examiner in 1818, under the name "Glirastes." This is a scan of the first edition printing.

British Museum: The Younger Memnon — This website shows the statue of Ramses II (Ozymandias), the discovery of which may have inspired Shelley's poem.

Breaking Bad and Ozymandias — The tv show Breaking Bad featured the poem "Ozymandias" in a trailer for the final season. The BBC explains why and embeds the trailer in the webpage. 

LitCharts on Other Poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley

England in 1819

Love’s Philosophy

Music, When Soft Voices Die

Ode to the West Wind

Song to the Men of England

Stanzas Written in Dejection, Near Naples

The Question

To a Skylark

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

The LitCharts.com logo.

Ozymandias/My Last Duchess Essay

Both Ozymandias and My Last Duchess explore rulers looking down on people. In Ozymandias, Shelley tells the story of a traveller who comes across a statue of an ancient ruler. Shelley makes clear the ancient ruler looked down on his people by writing ‘sneer of cold command’. This imagery helps the reader to imagine the facial expression of the statue, which gives the reader an indication of the kind of ruler Ozymandias was. Shelley’s use of the word ‘sneer’ implies that Ozymandias looked down on his people. Shelley’s use of the words ‘cold command’ suggest that he was a heartless, unkind ruler who did not show any warmth towards his people. This is similar in My Last Duchess. In My Last Duchess, Browning tells the story of a Duke, who becomes obsessively jealous of his wife, so has her killed. Browning makes clear that the Duke looks down on his wife by writing ‘I choose never to stoop’. In other words, Browning is suggesting that the Duke sees his wife as less intelligent and less important than him and doesn’t want to stoop down to her level. Rather than discussing his jealousy with her, he chooses not to stoop and doesn’t give her the opportunity to speak with him about his feelings. This reflects a view among many Victorian men at the time, who viewed their wives as their property rather than their equal. Browning’s repetition of the word ‘stoop’ in the Duke’s words emphasises how arrogant and stubborn he is. It is clear in both poems that the ruler believes they are far better than other people.

Both poems explore arrogance. In Ozymandias, Shelley makes clear the ruler was arrogant by writing that he had the words ‘king of kings’ written on the base of his statue. Not only did Ozymandias have a statue erected for himself, but he also chose to describe himself as the best king on the base of the statue, which indicates how arrogant he was. Shelley uses the arrogance of Ozymandias to criticise other leaders, such as King George, who was king of England at the time Shelley was writing. This is similar in My Last Duchess. In My Last Duchess, Browning presents the Duke as arrogant by having him refer to his ‘nine-hundred’ year old name as a ‘gift’. Browning’s use of the word ‘gift’ demonstrates that the Duke believes his wife should see their marriage as a present that has been given to her. The words ‘nine-hundred’ imply that he thinks she should be particularly grateful because his family have years of wealth and status attached to their name. Through presenting the Duke in this way, Browning highlights the inequality between men and women in the Victorian era. It is clear that the woman was expected to be grateful if she married a wealthy man. Both poets use their poems to criticise issues in society at the time they were writing.

Both poems explore power, but Ozymandias has lost his power. Shelley makes clear Ozymandias no longer has power by describing his statue as a ‘colossal wreck’. This imagery helps the reader to imagine that the statue has been destroyed and lies in pieces on the sand. Shelley’s use of the word ‘colossal’ represents how huge Ozymandias’s power was when he was still alive. Shelley’s use of the word ‘wreck’ not only helps the reader to imagine the destroyed statue but also refers to how little power Ozymandias still has. Shelley gives the reader a very clear message about the power of nature versus the power of humankind.Through the fact that the statue has been destroyed by nature, Shelley clearly indicates that nature is far more powerful. In contrast, the Duke is still in power in My Last Duchess. Browning conveys that the Duke maintained his power by writing ‘I gave commands, then all smiles stopped’. In other words, the Duke is proudly claiming that he had his wife murdered in order to prevent her from speaking to other men. Browning’s use of the words ‘gave commands’ indicate that the Duke was not willing to kill his wife himself; he used the power he had to have someone else kill her. Browning seems to be criticising the power that wealthy men had Victorian society through the Duke’s tyrannical actions.

Shelley’s sonnet and Browning’s dramatic monologue explore ideas about power and inequalities that reflect the times in which they were writing. In Ozymandias, Shelley presents a once powerful ruler whose control and reign does not last, while Browning’s Duke shows no sign of losing any of his power. In ‘My Last Duchess’, Browning criticises the superiority, power and arrogance that many upper class Victorian men demonstrated over their wives, while Shelley’s poem seems to suggest that while rulers- such as George IV- may seem all powerful, their rules will not last.

Both Ozymandias and My Last Duchess explore rulers who feel superior to those around them. In Ozymandias, Shelley tells the story of a traveller who comes across a statue of an ancient ruler, emphasising that the ancient ruler looked down on his people by writing ‘sneer of cold command’. This imagery helps the reader to imagine the facial expression of the statue, which gives the reader an indication of the kind of ruler Ozymandias was. The alliterative ‘cold command’ implies that Ozymandias was a heartless and unfeeling ruler who did not show any warmth towards his people. By telling the reader that the statue’s facial expression is a ‘sneer’, Shelley suggests that not only that the ruler does not care about his subjects, but he feels superior to them. Similarly, in My Last Duchess, Browning’s Duke shows a visitor the portrait of his deceased wife, implying that he had her killed because she did not behave as he wanted. The poem, a dramatic monologue from the Duke’s perspective, continually shows the Duke’s feelings of superiority to those around him and to his wife. When the Duke declares, ‘I choose never to stoop’, Browning implies that the Duke feels that he is more intelligent and important than his wife, and that he has the power and luxury to ‘choose’ not to ‘stoop’ and lower himself to her level, rather than discuss his feelings of jealousy with his wife. Browning repeats the verb ‘stoop’ in order to emphasise the Duke’s stubborn nature and feeling of superiority over his wife. In this way, Browning may be criticising patriarchal Victorian society, where rich men often viewed wives as part of their property rather than as equals. It is clear that in both poems, the writers present rulers who believe they are far better than those around them. But while Shelley’s ruler becomes a ‘wreck’ in the sand, Browning does not offer a glimpse of a world without the Duke in power and suggests that he will continue to behave this way with his next wife.

As well as presenting their feelings of superiority, both poets also present rulers who are arrogant. In Ozymandias, Shelley illustrates the arrogance of the ruler through the inscription on his statue: ‘king of kings’. Not only did Ozymandias have a statue erected for himself to show off his power and might, but he also chose to describe himself ‘king’ among kings, implying that he is better than all other rules. This phrase is also used several times in the Bible to describe Jesus, the son of God, and through this allusion, Shelley emphasises the total and ironic arrogance of Ozymandias, whose rule ends and whose power fades. Shelley uses the arrogance of Ozymandias to criticise other leaders, such as King George, who was king of England at the time Shelley was writing. The speaker in Browning’s poem is also presented as arrogant when Browning has the Duke describe his ‘nine-hundred year old’ name as a ‘gift’. By choosing the image of a ‘gift’, Browning highlights that the Duke believes any wife should see their marriage as a huge honour that has been bestowed upon her. Browning has the Duke take care to include the age of his family name- ‘nine-hundred’ years old- to imply that his wife should have been particularly grateful to have married into a family with such years of wealth and status attached to their name. By presenting the Duke’s arrogance and pride in his family name, Browning highlights the inequality between men and women in the Victorian era, where women were expected to be grateful for marrying wealthy men, and these men could use their wealth and status to control their wives. Both poets, through the arrogance of Ozymandias and the Duke, criticise issues in society at the time they were writing.

Both poems explore power, but while Ozymandias has lost his power, the Duke remains powerful. The forms of both poems allow the writers to suggest power and control: Shelley’s sonnet has a strict rhyme scheme and line length, mirroring the control that Ozymandias once had. On the other hand, Browning chooses to write a dramatic monologue so that the reader hears the Duke’s voice, but no other reply. We only hear his perspective. In a similar way to the rhyme scheme in Ozymandias, Browning uses rhyming couplets to mirror the control the Duke has over his wife. However, Shelley makes clear that Ozymandias is no longer powerful by describing his statue as a ‘colossal wreck’. This imagery helps the reader to imagine that the statue has been destroyed and lies in pieces on the sand. Shelley’s use of the adjective ‘colossal’ represents how huge Ozymandias’s power was when he was still alive, but the word ‘wreck’ makes clear to the reader that the statue- and Ozymandias’ power- has been destroyed. In a way typical for Romantic poets, Shelley was interested in the power of nature, and the poem Ozymandias illustrates that nature is far more powerful than humanity. Ozymandias may have been ‘mighty’ when he was alive, but since his death, nature has destroyed his statue and ‘nothing beside remains.’ In contrast, the Duke is still in power in My Last Duchess. Browning conveys that the Duke maintained his power by writing ‘I gave commands, then all smiles stopped’. In other words, the Duke is proudly claiming that he had his wife murdered in order to prevent her from speaking to other men. Browning’s use of the words ‘gave commands’ indicate that the Duke was not willing to kill his wife himself; he used the power he had to have someone else kill her. By controlling the portrait of his deceased wife, the Duke has ultimate power over her, which he wanted so much while she was alive. Furthermore, in the poem, the Duke is speaking to a messenger about a prospective second marriage, implying that not only gained power over his ‘last’ wife, but that he may well do the same thing in a second marriage. Browning seems to be criticising the power that wealthy men had Victorian society through the Duke’s tyrannical actions: he had his wife murdered when he thought he could not control her ‘smiles’ and he prefers her as a portrait so that he can completely possess and control her.

Mr Hanson's English

Discovering english and film, comparing my last duchess with ozymandias.

Here are the slides from this week’s lessons. The PPT is available here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8c2fmlz1vqopfv7/My%20Last%20Duchess%20form%20and%20structure.pptx?dl=0

screen-shot-2017-02-02-at-19-47-45

We began with a short refresher on the poem:

screen-shot-2017-02-02-at-19-47-52

The next lesson was centred on the use of structural features – caesura in particular, so it’s worth thinking about what we mean by structure and form. This analogy was useful:

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This was a useful activity in getting students to think about punctuation and line breaks.

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We selected a few lines from the poem and explored the ways in which caesura contributes to meaning:

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This is the slide I showed to explain dramatic monologue. Thank you to  http://www.rlwclarke.net/Courses/LITS2002/2001-2002/LN12Browning.htm

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Finally, here is a grid which contains some details for comparison. One thing I’ve added here is the idea that the Duke is emasculated by his wife. He cannot cope with what he sees as her wandering eyes and it is interesting that he makes a big deal about the ‘bough of cherries some officious fool/Broke in the orchard for her’. Now cherries are a symbol of sexuality and so there is a clear suggestion here that the Duke felt, well, incompetent around his wife.

https://victoriangenderandsexuality.wikispaces.com/My+Last+Duchess+–+notes Some other web-sites:

http://les-drt.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/sublime-power-of-art-in-shelleys.html

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Home Essay Examples Literature Ozymandias

Ozymandias And Comparison

  • Category Literature
  • Subcategory English Literature
  • Topic Ozymandias

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‘Ozymandias’ and ‘London’ both present human power, but whereas ‘Ozymandias’ explores how political power is intrinsically temporal, ‘London’ acts as a fiery critique of the upper class, who despite having the power to end suffering, fail to build a fair society. 

Shelley uses alliterative words, ‘boundless and bare’, ‘lone and level’ to describe the environment surrounding the statue to emphasise the emptiness of the desert and compares this to the Pharaoh’s legacy. The repeated consonants suggest that the space around the statue is so ‘colossal’ that it undermines the statue completely, as well as signifying to the reader that no one was worshipping the Pharaoh despite Ozymandias’ challenge to other kings to ‘Look on my works’. Shelley creates irony through juxtaposition by placing Ozymandias’ grand claims of his ‘works’ next to the simple phrase, ‘Nothing besides remains,’ which suggests the fragility of human power, unlike the omnipresent and overwhelming presence of nature that causes the statue to crumble. The use of irony here can be seen as mocking, as there is nothing left in this ‘bare’ desert, except ‘Two… trunkless legs of stone’ indicating that these can no longer support the torso which once symbolised might and power. There is, however, a subtle undertone of sorrow which suggests that the poet pities the false arrogance exhibited by such rulers. 

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In the poem, ‘London’, Blake unravels the oppressive and corruptive nature of the city that his heart is so deeply connected to; everyone he sees is affected by ‘Marks of weakness, marks of woe’. He is clearly angry and frustrated by the treatment of the rich towards the poor. The repetition of the word ‘marks’ in the second and third verses of the first stanza, and the repetition of ‘every’ throughout the second stanza, emphasises the persistent suffering of ‘every’ poor Londoner. Blake uses the metaphor, ‘mind-forged manacles’ to invoke the idea of slavery; that people have internalised the oppression to such an extent, that they are now effectively holding themselves hostage through psychological chains which symbolises their ideas and beliefs. The fact that Blake suggests that these ‘manacles’ are just creations of the mind, implies that he believes that individuals have the potential to overcome the illusion, and thereby overcome the cruelty invoked upon them, thus sowing the seeds of revolution. Blake addresses the societal ills in eighteenth century London through examples of the ‘chimney-sweeper’s cry’ and ‘youthful harlot’s curse’ highlighting the abhorrent use of child labour and rampant prostitution and its effects on society. By using imagery in ‘black’ning church appals’ and ‘blood down palace walls,’ Blake blames the church and the monarchy for the oppression and corruption in London. He uses the words ‘black’ning ‘and ‘blood’ to imply the colours red and black which refer to the French Revolution and may imply that London could also revolt against the institutions of the Church and State. 

Both Blake and Shelley comment on the way power corrupts those that have it and how it is used to create and cause suffering of the innocent. Shelley emphasises that power is temporary and will eventually perish whereas Blake focuses on the individuals’ ability to overcome oppression. Both sonnets illustrate the disparity between the wealthy and powerful and the poor and destitute, but that in the end power is temporary and can be destroyed by nature or revolution; death and nature in the end are more powerful and important than the social constructs that create powerful leaders.

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My Last Duchess X Ozymandias Grade 9 Essay

My Last Duchess X Ozymandias Grade 9 Essay

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

lucy_rv

Last updated

26 May 2018

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grade 9 ozymandias essay

an essay comparing how power is presented in Ozymandias and My Last Duchess. AQA power and conflict poetry GCSE English literature. Grade 8/9.

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Really poor, the first page is OK but there is virtually nothing else when you down load. I was looking for something really quickly to use as a basis and honestly should have just done it myself - lesson learned. Don't trust TES

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alexandrajoannebrazier

A decent essay, but SPaG errors and a lack of detail make it sloppy. Pretty sure it's not a grade 8/9. Steep price for a mediocre essay. Will now have to create my own.

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    AQA English Literature GCSE Power & Conflict Poetry: Ozymandias Grade 9 Analysis and Comparison Revision Guide. The following document contains: Perceptive and In-depth Grade 9 Language Analysis on a range of key quotes in Percy Shelley's Ozymandias. Insightful Grade 9 Analysis on the significant structural points in the poem including: form ...

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    Ozymandias/My Last Duchess Essay. Grade 5-6. Both Ozymandias and My Last Duchess explore rulers looking down on people. ... Grade 8-9. Shelley's sonnet and Browning's dramatic monologue explore ideas about power and inequalities that reflect the times in which they were writing. In Ozymandias, Shelley presents a once powerful ruler whose ...

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    Now cherries are a symbol of sexuality and so there is a clear suggestion here that the Duke felt, well, incompetent around his wife. My Last Duchess. Ozymandias. Form and structure. Browning uses the dramatic monologue as a means of slowly revealing the Duke's character as he condemns himself; the monologue also shows that he likes the sound ...

  14. PDF AQA English GCSE Poetry: Power and Conflict

    The poem concerns the discovery of a semi-destroyed and decaying statue of Ramesses II, also known as Ozymandias, and shows how power deteriorates and will not last forever. Synopsis. Report from a stranger of a statue in a desert Statue is falling apart and decaying The sculptor has made it in a way that portrays the cruelty of the king King ...

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  17. Ozymandias grade 9 analysis quotes Flashcards

    Ozymandias grade 9 analysis quotes. Get a hint. Shelley focuses on the phrase ''antique land'' because he wants to show his thirst for power and the desire to be this absolute ruler is as old as history and he does that to contrast with the modern day where we have the beginnings of parliament and he's trying to make a political point here that ...

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  23. My Last Duchess X Ozymandias Grade 9 Essay

    Subject: English. Age range: 14-16. Resource type: Assessment and revision. File previews. docx, 14.68 KB. an essay comparing how power is presented in Ozymandias and My Last Duchess. AQA power and conflict poetry GCSE English literature. Grade 8/9.