AQA English Power and Conflict

Ozymandias poet

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Ozymandias context

Bysshe Shelley was a romantic poet with an issue with authority

Ozymandias structure

Sonnet

Ozymandias theme(s)

How power declines

London poet

William Blake

London context

Blake was a romantic poet with an issue with authority

London structure

Strong and regular rhythm and rhyme and ballad form

London themes

powerlessness

The Prelude poet

William Wordsworth

The Prelude context

Wordsworth was a romantic poet whos parents died when he was young

The Prelude structure

Iambic pentameter

The Prelude themes

patriotism and courage

Charge of the light brigade poet

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Charge of the Light Brigade context

Glorifying the Crimean war, Tennyson was a poet Laurette

Charge of the light brigade structure

Strong use of rhythm mimics horses hooves and lots of repetition

Charge of the light brigade themes

patriotism and courage

Exposure poet

Wilfred Owen

Exposure context

Owen was a soldier in ww1 and wrote about the truth of war

Exposure structure

Use of half rhymes and repetition

Exposure theme

pointlessness of war and life

Storm on the island poet

Seamus Heaney

Storm on the island context

Stormont is Northern Ireland's parliament building and the storm is symbolic of terrorism in Northern Ireland

Storm on the island language

extended metaphors of a military attack

Storm on the island themes

power of nature

Bayonet charge poet

Ted Hughes

Bayonet charge context

Huges served in the RAF and a lot of his poetry is based on nature

Bayonet charge structure

the second stanza suggests a pause in action

Bayonet charge themes

soldiers perspective on conflict

remains poet

Simon Armitage

remains context

Based on Guardsman Tromas' story in the Iraq war. Armitage is often very direct

remains structure

there are 2 halves of the poem that represent the soldiers experience

remains themes

psychological effects of conflict on soldiers

Poppies poet

Jane Weir

Poppies context

About the female experience/perspective of war. It is unclear whether she sends her son to school or war

poppies structure

dramatic monologue and sentences that start in the middle of the line (caesura)

poppies themes

mothers perspective

War photographer poet

Carol Ann Duffy

War Photographer
Context

She was inspired by her friend war photographer and was interested in the challenge faced by those who had a duty to record these events without being able to help

War photographer structure

rhyming couplets twice every stanza

war photographer themes

how conflict is presented in the media

Kamikaze poet

Beatrice Garland

Kamikaze context

Garland was inspired by 9/11 and in WWII Japanese suicide bombers would fly into buildings or ships

Kamikaze structure

Italics mark direct speech of personal memory compared to what is speculated

Kamikaze themes

female perspective

Ozymandias key quote

Boundless and bare, the lone level of sands stretch

Ozymandias key quote annotation

alliteration highlights the bareness of the desert

London key quote

Every black'ning church appalls

London key quote annotation

'black'ning' suggests the churches are becoming filthy and having a negative impact. It is also ironic that blackening describes the churches not the chimney sweepers

Prelude key quote

a huge peak, black and huge

Prelude key quote annotation

repetition of 'huge' emphasises the size and contrasts with the 'elfin' boat and the young poet at the oars

Charge of the light brigade key quote

Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die

Charge of the light brigade key quote annotation

repetition symbolises their determination to go on

Exposure key quote

sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence

exposure key quote annotation

sibilance makes it sound like they're going on after the other, continuous.

Storm on the island key quote

sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate

storm on the island key quote annotation

monosyllables emphasises solidity of the houses

bayonet charge key quote

king, honour, human dignity, etcetera

bayonet charge key quote annotation

suggests that when you are in a war these things are irrelevant

Remains key quote

myself and somebody else and somebody else

remains key quote annotation

repetition of 'somebody else' could make him sound less guilty, it wasn't just him.

Poppies key quote

the gelled blackthorns of your hair

poppies key quote annotated

before jesus was put on the cross to die he was given a crown of thorns. this indicates that she sees her son as a sacrafice

war photographer key quote

Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.

war photographer key quote annotated

plosives and short sentences could sound like bombs dropping or guns firing

kamikaze key quote

dark shoals of fishes flashing silver as their bellies swivelled towards the sun

kamikaze key quote annotated

sibilance and fricative makes the sounds of the waves beneath him seem more real and shows us how beautiful they are