Power and Conflict Poetry

🔑 Quote 1:
"Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Point: Ozymandias boasts about his empire.


Zoom: The imperative command and capitalisation highlight arrogance and grandiosity.


Effect: Irony — the "Mighty" are supposed to despair at his greatness, but readers instead see the ruins of his empire, emphasizing the futility of power.


Context: Shelley critiques the hubris of rulers like Napoleon and kings who believed in their eternal power.

🔑 Quote 2:
"colossal wreck"

Point: The once-mighty empire is now broken and forgotten.


Zoom: The oxymoron juxtaposes "colossal" with "wreck," underscoring the dramatic contrast between past glory and current decay.


Effect: This reinforces the transience of power and the inevitable decline of human achievements.


Context: Shelley's radical political views critique tyranny and power structures that eventually crumble.

🔑 Quote 3:
"The lone and level sands stretch far away"

Point: Nature reclaims the land, diminishing the former empire.


Zoom: The alliteration of "lone" and "level" emphasizes the emptiness of the scene.


Effect: This evokes a sense of isolation and the powerlessness of man in the face of time and nature.


Context: Reflects the Romantic poets’ focus on the power of nature over human ambition.

🔑 Structural Point:

Form: Shelley uses a sonnet form, traditionally associated with love and beauty, but subverts it to highlight the futility of power.


Effect: The shifting between Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnet elements mirrors the instability and inevitable downfall of human rule.

🔑 Quote 1:
"That's my last Duchess painted on the wall"

Point: The Duke controls how others view his late wife.


Zoom: The possessive tone in "my" reinforces his ownership of the Duchess.


Effect: This objectification reveals the Duke’s obsession with power and control over his wife’s image, even in death.


Context: Victorian views on gender and ownership — the Duke reflects patriarchal attitudes.

🔑 Quote 2:
"I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together."

Point: The Duke subtly hints at having had his wife killed.


Zoom: The enjambment stretches the line, creating a chilling sense of finality and hidden violence.


Effect: The Duke’s cold detachment reflects the corruption of power and moral decay within aristocracy.


Context: Reflects the unchecked power of the aristocracy in Victorian society.

🔑 Quote 3:
"Since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I"

Point: The Duke controls the unveiling of his wife’s portrait, even to this day.


Zoom: The repetition of "I" emphasizes his desire for control and the monopolization of power.


Effect: The Duke's self-centeredness and dominance over even the smallest details reflect the theme of possession.


Context: Reflects Browning’s critique of patriarchal and authoritarian figures.

🔑 Structural Point:

Form: The poem is a dramatic monologue, which allows the Duke to reveal his thoughts and desires, subtly conveying his ego and arrogance.


Effect: The use of monologue lets the Duke reveal his true nature, giving the poem a sense of psychological depth.

🔑 Quote 1:"Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us…"

Point: The soldiers endure extreme physical and mental torment.

Zoom: The personification of the wind as "knives" intensifies the violence of nature and its effect on the soldiers.

Effect: This emphasizes the futility of war — nature is an enemy as dangerous as the enemy soldiers themselves.

Context: Owen critiques the inhumanity of war during World War I.

🔑 Quote 2:"But nothing happens."

Point: The soldiers wait in the harsh conditions, but nothing changes.

Zoom: The repetition of "nothing" underlines the boredom and futility of their existence.

Effect: This reflects the psychological toll of war, as well as the feeling of hopelessness.

Context: Owen emphasizes the stagnancy of war and its draining effect on soldiers.

🔑 Quote 3:"The burying party, picks and shovels in their shaking grasp…"

Point: Soldiers are so numbed by the war that even death is routine.

Zoom: The alliteration of "picks and shovels" mimics the repetitive, mechanical actions of the soldiers.

Effect: The mundanity of death highlights the loss of individual value in war.

Context: Reflects Owen’s personal experiences in World War I and the brutality of trench warfare.

🔑 Structural Point:

Form: The poem is written in regular stanzas with a repetitive structure that mimics the monotony and despair of the soldiers’ experience.


Effect: The repetition of the line "But nothing happens" creates a sense of stagnation and endless suffering, reinforcing the futility of war.

🔑 Quote 1:

"We are prepared: we build our houses squat."
Point: The islanders are ready for the storm, showing human resilience.


Zoom: The enjambment of the line suggests a steady flow of preparation and confidence.


Effect: The line conveys a sense of self-reliance and the desire to control the natural forces, but also hints at the impending struggle.


Context: Heaney often explores human connection to the land, portraying nature as both nurturing and destructive.

🔑 Quote 2:

"The flung spray hits / The very windows, spits like a tame cat / Turned savage."
Point: Nature’s fury is unleashed, shifting from something familiar and tame to dangerous and unpredictable.


Zoom: The simile of the cat turning savage vividly contrasts the calm before the storm with its violent outburst.


Effect: This highlights the uncontrollable power of nature, despite the islanders' preparations.


Context: Reflects Heaney’s connection to the Irish landscape and his sense of vulnerability to its changing forces.

🔑 Quote 3:

"The sea is company, / Exploding comfortably."
Point: The sea is both a presence and a threat, providing a false sense of security.


Zoom: The oxymoron of “exploding comfortably” creates tension between the danger of the storm and the familiarity of nature.


Effect: This suggests the duality of nature, as both nurturing and threatening forces exist simultaneously.


Context: Heaney's exploration of nature's duality, where it is both beautiful and destructive, is central to his work.

🔑 Structural Point:

Form: The poem is written in free verse, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the storm and the sense of chaos it brings.


Effect: The lack of a strict rhyme or meter mirrors the disorder and instability of nature, reinforcing the idea of nature’s uncontrollable power.

🔑 Quote 1:

"I wander thro' each charter'd street, / Near where the charter'd Thames does flow."
Point: Blake critiques the privatization of public spaces, using "charter'd" to highlight the control of nature and society.


Zoom: The repetition of "charter'd" creates a sense of restriction and confinement within the city.


Effect: This underscores the theme of human corruption and the dehumanizing effects of industrialization.


Context: Written during the Industrial Revolution, Blake critiques the exploitation of both people and nature.

🔑 Quote 2:

"And mark in every face I meet / Marks of weakness, marks of woe."
Point: The city’s inhabitants are visibly suffering, oppressed by social systems.


Zoom: The repetition of "marks" emphasizes the permanence of suffering and the visible effects of societal failure.


Effect: This suggests that the consequences of corruption and power are written on the faces of the people, emphasizing social decay.


Context: Blake’s poetry often reflects his desire to protest against social injustice, particularly during the Industrial Revolution.

🔑 Quote 3:

"How the chimney-sweeper's cry / Every blackning church appalls."
Point: The poem highlights the hypocrisy of institutions like the Church, which is supposed to help but is complicit in the suffering.


Zoom: The personification of the Church as "blackning" suggests that it is corrupt and complicit in societal injustice.


Effect: This emphasizes the theme of institutional corruption and the disconnect between the ideals of religion and the reality of exploitation.


Context: Blake was a strong critic of institutionalized religion and its role in perpetuating social inequalities.

🔑 Structural Point:

Form: The poem is written in quatrains with a regular rhyme scheme, reflecting the oppressive and restrictive nature of the environment Blake describes.


Effect: The predictable form mirrors the sense of inevitability in the suffering of the people in London.