Power & Conflict: Poems 10-15

Message of Storm on the Island

Heaney wrote 'Storm on the Island' to emphasise the power of nature against humans, to warn against human
hubris over the natural environment.

"We are prepared: we build our houses squat"

1. First person plural and repetition (declarative) showing arrogance and hubris of humans
2. "prepared": confident in their ability to overpower nature.
3. However, also betrays their fear because they've adapted their lives to nature- know that it is a threat.
4. Collective group that are banded together in the battle against nature.

"spits like a tame cat Turned savage."

1. Simile- comparing the wind and waves to a wild animal
2. Mistaken belief that they had tamed nature but has
actually turned on them
3. "savage"/"spits"- violence And aggression of nature,
power of nature.
4. The island is owned by nature not the humans

"We are bombarded by the empty air."

1. Military language (semantic field) and metaphor-transforming it into an attack.
2. Tone of violence and aggression- emphasising the
power. Reinforced through the excessive use of plosive
"blows full blast"- can hear the wind.
3. "bombarded" inescapable, personifying the attack,
non-stop
4. "empty air"- emphasise the powerlessness of the humans caused by the "empty air"- can't even see it.

Message in the Prelude'

Wordsworth wrote 'The Prelude' to explore the relationship between nature and humans; ultimately, it emphasises
that the power of nature exceeds human understanding.

"One summer evening (led by her)"

1. Personification of 'Mother Nature' - giving power to nature from the start
2. "her" female character - responsible for the feminine task of creating, sustaining and nurturing life (like a mother). Nature nurtures an entire planet demonstrating its superior power.
3. The human is being "led" by nature, so nature is in control but is gentle at the beginning.
4. The speaker has a personal relationship with nature and allows nature to gently lead him.

"a huge peak, black and huge...upreared its head"

1. Repetition of "huge" demonstrates the dominance of the mountain peak and nature.
2. Personification of the mountain "its head", gives power to nature over the man. The mountain is intentionally revealing itself, creating fear in the speaker.
3. Juxtaposition between this and the gentleness of nature at the beginning of the poem. Nature now seems to have turned
against him.
4. Emphasises the message that the power of nature exceeds that of humans.

"a darkness, call it solitude or blank desertion."

1. Personifying his lack of understanding, power of his
incomprehension and realises his own ignorance.
He is in the dark and has limited understanding of the
extent and power of nature.
2. "darkness" creates a sinister atmosphere, pointing to the
unpredictability of nature.
3. "blank desertion" he is alone and has realised his insignificance in the face of nature. Direct contract with
the opening relationship he had with nature (personal).
4. Reinforces the message that nature is so powerful, it is
even beyond human understanding.

Message in 'Ozymandias'

Shelley wrote 'Ozymandias' to challenge the conflict human hubris whilst emphasising the everlasting power of time and nature.

"sneer of cold command"

1. Imagery- paints a picture of his tyrannical disapproval of
anybody that's below him.
2. Alliteration harsh "c" emphasise the contempt and mocking tone.
3. "sneer" reveals that he is malicious and cruel: arrogance, confidence and sense of superiority
4. Against all military exploits and therefore criticising the
"cold" military commands that initiate them

"My name is Ozymandias, king of
kings"

1. Repetition hyperbole of the statement- emphasising his
arrogance and pride- thinks he is omnipotent.
2. Focused on own position and stature within society
and reputation rather than his own people
3. "king of kings"- ironic, hearing about this from a random traveller, actually lost his power over time.
4. Criticising leaders and their perceptions of themselves.

"colossal wreck, boundless and bare"

1. Imagery painting a picture of the decay and destruction- stark contrast to his perception of himself as "king of kings"
2. Alliteration of the harsh "b" emphasises that he is ruined and destroyed over time- endless and everlasting
3. "boundless" and "bare" also emphasises the isolation
and featureless nature of his land now- no sign of legacy.
4. Human power is temporary, less than the power of
nature and time.

Message in Tissue

Dharker wrote 'Tissue' to explore how what we record is important and powerful but also fragile against the power
of time and therefore we should appreciate the life we have.

"Paper that lets the light shine through"

1. Beginning of the extended metaphor transforming
human life/skin into tissue-present the idea that it is
delicate and fragile- allows light to shine through
2. Image of wisdom- paper can hold important information-
human knowledge, records, religious significance - and
therefore has the power to transform despite its fragility.
3. "light" symbol of truth and understanding - have to allow ourselves to be "altered" by the wisdom and understanding of others such as those who are older than us, people from history.
4. Emphasises the power of paper for recording our lives
and important events, but also highlighting the importance of allowing change within ourselves instead of holding onto the
past.

"fine slips... might fly our lives like paper kites"

1. Simile - comparing our obsession with money to someone flying a kite to criticise the significance humanity places on
money, suggesting we allow it to control us.
2. Apparent power that paper holds over our lives-caution us not to let it control us.
3. "paper kites" - live is compared to something fragile again, easy easily be swept away, played with, restrained and held back.
4. Emphasise the idea that we can allow paper to have too much power and significance if we are not careful, need to
understand that it is also still temporary

"with living tissue, raise a structure
never meant to last"

1. Metaphor- transforming our lives into a temporary
structure- acknowledging that even human life is
temporary and ephemeral.
2. Acknowledgement that we will not "last" forever, just
like paper we will fade and disappear- reiterating the fragility of life and paper
3. "never" certainty that one day all of this will fade, time is more powerful than all of us.
4. Reiterate the message that we should concentrate on
living our lives rather than obsessing with recording
our lives as this will all fade.

Message in 'My Last Duchess'

Browning wrote 'My Last Duchess' to parody how men with high status in society are able to abuse their power over
women.

"Will't please you sit and look at her?"

1. Imperative and rhetorical question - the Duke is in
command and forces his visitor to sit down which
implies that he is in sole control of who sees her.
2. Implication that she is an object to be admired (when
the Duke allows it), she is not a person within her own
right. Duke has power over him in death too and of her
memory.
3. Sinister tone created as the Duchess clearly lacked
freedom and the Duke wants to impose his power
on everyone. He is a controlling character.
4. Revealing how men with high status are hubristic and
abuse their power.

"I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together."

1. Euphemism for murder. Shows the power the Duke has - he can just kill her without consequences. Also shows the Duke's lack of control because he overreacted in such a way.
His power is insane and dangerous.
2. Caesura emphasises the end of the duchess' life and
shows the Duke's view of his own absolute power.
3. Personal pronoun 'I' - the Duke is self obsessed seen
through the repetition of 'I' in the poem.
4. Reinforces the power of the Duke over the duchesswomen are seen as inferior and easily controlled by the Duke.

"Notice Neptune, though, Taming a sea-horse"

1. Metaphor – transforming himself (the Duke) into

Neptune. The Duke thinks he has God-like power over

others.

2. “taming” expectation that wives are “tame” and can

be “tamed” like animals (more like possessions than humans) Symbol of the Duke’s relationship with everyone he comes into

contact with – he wants to ''tame” them.

3. “sea-horse”- small and delicate creature, represents his view of women as weak and easily controlled.

4. Criticise the misogynistic view that men held of women as

creatures to be controlled and dominated

Message in 'London'

Blake wrote 'London' to criticise the authoritarian abuses of power by the three dominant institutions in 18th century England.

"charter'd street" "charter'd Thames"

1. Repetition- emphasising that everything is being managed
and controlled, even nature, by the establishments.
2. "Thames"- is free-flowing, unrestrained but is still being
managed and governed- also being suppressed.
3. Repetition- creates monotonous rhythm which reflects (1) the people's hopelessness and entrapment and (2) that they are blindly unaware of their reality.
4. Emphasising the authoritarian nature of the institutions.

"The mind-forg'd manacles I hear"

1. Metaphor- transforming thoughts into something that is being restrained
2. Happening in their minds- not physical- change in attitude or
politics could free them.
3. Forg'd- self-made, self-affiriming, created by the conditioning of society. Double meaning- forged as
in forgeries- need to expose the truth, that these restrictions aren't real.
4. Encouraging and inspiring people to use their imagination to act like France and rebel against the oppression.

"And blights with plague the Marriage hearse."

1. Oxymoron ("marriage-hearse") emphasises how life's
celebrations are being corrupted by hopelessness.
2. "plagues"- idea of sickness, illness, infects everything and
spreads- reality for the Industrial revolution (poor sanitation)
3. "hearse"- ends on a final image of death, reinforcing idea that everyone will die but that such corruption and abuses of power brings about an early death.
4. Criticise the institutions that are having a detrimental effect of society.