AQA GCSE English Literature : Power and Conflict Cluster

What is the context for Ozymandias?

Written by Shelley in a collection in 1819, it was inspired by the recent unearthing of part of a large stature of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramesses II. The Egyptian Pharoes believed themselves to be gods in mortal form and that their legacy would last forever. The reference to the stone stature is likely a direct reference to the statues and sculptures like the one which was unearthed, which the ancient Egyptians made.

What is the allegory in Ozymandias?

The statue in the poem, broken and falling apart in the desert with nobody to care is an allegory of Ozymandias and of every powerful man and women, the idea that they will also drift away until they are just another grain of sand.

What is the structure of Ozymandias?

Written in a sonnet with loose iambic pentameter. Sonnets were generally popular romantic or love poems, perhaps this is a love poem about Ozymandias, a joke about the rulers ego, or symbolic of the broken statue itself, no longer perfect.

Name a quote from Ozymandias that shows Ozymandias' as transience (short lasting). 'Antique' suggests the place is old and steeped in history, but also may be out of date and old fashioned

"I met a traveller from an antique land"

Name a quote from Ozymandias that shows the theme of pride. The phrase 'sneer of cold command' suggests Ozymandias' character as powerful and arrogant, which is ironic now there is nothing left.

"wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command"

Name a quote from Ozymandias that shows the theme of power of nature. This quote means that the statue is barely sanding, the rest is ruined and missing, suggesting that it is being eaten away by time and the desert, a futile struggle to survive where nobody I around to care.

"Two vast and trunkless legs of stone, Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies"

Name a quote from Ozymandias that shows the theme of power of humans. 'Lifeless' is an incredibly rich word in this passage. That the pieces of the statue are now "lifeless" suggests that they were in fact once alive. Perhaps a work of art is alive when it's complete or, rather, not in fragments like the statue of Ozymandias. Or perhaps it has something to do with the role or function of the work of art in a particular culture.

"Which yet survived, stamped on these lifeless things"

What is the context for Bayonet Charge?

The poem is about a nameless soldier going over the top in the trenches. Soldiers would have bayonets attached to the end of their rifles and would use them to stab enemy soldiers. The nameless soldier in the poem seems to become more a weapon than a man, rushing toward the enemy. It is not clear at the end whether
he dies but there is definitely a change in him. His actions are very raw and primal, much like an animal, suddenly pausing, preparing to react. The poet, Ted Hughes, was a former RAF serviceman and includes a great amount of natural and historical ideas in his poems and he often looks at man's impact on nature.

What is the structure of Bayonet Charge?

There are three stanzas and the work is largely blank verse with no set structure. In part the different lines help show the pace of the charge, sometimes fast, sometimes stumbling. Towards the end it picks up speed, perhaps as he approaches his destination or doom. The poet uses a lot of enjambment and caesuras to give a bizarre and erratic speed to the poem. This helps again give a structure to the speed of the charge but also the confusion and intensity of the battle with explosions and gunfire as well as the jumbled thoughts of the soldier.

Name a quote from Bayonet Charge that shows the theme of the effects of conflict. The use of the noun 'clockwork' is a metaphor for his actions as being more like a clockwork machine than human - this trivialises war to a game of toy clockwork soldiers between nations. The effect that war has on people is it makes war seem like a 'game'

"In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations"

Name a quote from Bayonet Charge that shows the theme of the reality of conflict. The use of the verb 'plunged' implies diving in too deep or cannot return. He has made his decision to carry on and there is no turning back

"He plunged past with his bayonet toward the green hedge"

Name a quote from Bayonet Charge that shows the theme of fear. The use of the metaphor makes the reader question whether it is a real hare or a coward. Yellow is the colour of fear and hares are prey, natural and frightened image juxtaposed with his own machine like nature. Possible that the hare is another soldier shot and scared, trying to escape, they are dehumanised.

"Threw up a yellow hare that rolled like a flame"

Name a quote from Bayonet Charge that shows the theme of individual experience. The alliteration of R and H sounds give sense of hard work, heavy breathing.

"In raw-seamed hot khaki, his sweaty heavy"

What is the context for Remains?

The poem is written from the perspective of a soldier stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan (or any warzone really). They are on patrol and fire on some bank robbers. One of the looters appeared to possibly have a gun so they open fire. The rest of the poem is looking at the fact the solider, even long after this event, cannot leave the memory behind and carries this dead man with him in
his mind.

Post traumatic stress and mental illness is very common in soldiers who struggle to come to terms with some part of their duty, normally a horrific memory of killing or being in danger which
gives them nightmares and panic attacks as well as depression and sometimes suicidal tendencies.

Simon Armitage is a famous UK poet who is known for being very direct in his work. His recent poems have looked at the experiences of war and soldiers.

What is the structure of Remains?

The poem is written in 8 stanzas, the last of which is a couplet which leaves the poem on a dramatic end note. It does not rhyme and the poem is a monologue, using very conversational asides and syntax to structure the sentences into a very conversational tone "end of story, not really". There is also a lot of enjambment and caesura used to emphasises the natural speech patterns of the speaker. Another key factor in this poem is the use of colloquialism (slang) and personal pronouns to give it a sense of realism, "One of my mates,".

There is a loose set of rhymes in the poem, often internal and used to give an almost childish aspect to the horror of the warzone. It perhaps suggests how numb this soldier is to what is happening.

Name a quote from Remains which shows the theme of the effects of conflict. The use of the noun 'looter' and the phrase 'sort of inside out' dehumanises the victim to make them appear more of an object than what was, moments ago, a living breathing person

So we've hit this looter a dozen times and he's there on the ground, sort of inside out"

Name a quote from Remains which shows the theme of the reality of conflict. The use of this graphic hyperbole demonstrates the lack of glory or honour in this killing.

"I see every round as it rips through his life - I see broad daylight on the other side"

Name a quote from Remains which shows the theme of memory. The use of the colloquialism in the noun 'mate' makes this appear like a 'night out with the lads', like a social event

"One of my mates goes by"

Name a quote from Remains which shows the theme of guilt. This phrase is repeated in the poem, emphasising the speaker's sense of discomfort at having killed another human being who may have been innocent.

"probably armed, possibly not"

Name a quote from Remains which shows the theme of identity. The use of the noun 'looter' and the phrase 'sort of inside out' dehumanises the victim to make them appear more of an object than what was, moments ago, a living breathing person

"So we've hit this looter a dozen times and he's there on the ground, sort of inside out"

Name a quote from Remains which shows the theme of memory. The use of the metaphor highlights his memory of the man and the events. Blood connotes death, shadow connoting to lingering memory

"His blood-shadow stays on the street and out on patrol"

What is the context for Poppies?

The poem looks at a mother of a son who has grown up and gone to war. The poem contains many clues that this is a more modern conflict, however the poem ends at the memorial, suggesting the son died at war or has at least not yet returned home and is now missed by the mother who fears the worst.

The poem is based very heavily around the idea of Poppies as memorials and therefore the idea of memory. The poem flashes back to key moments of the life of the mother and son.

The poem also contains a range of emotions. There is genuine sadness but also pride. The poem doesn't seem to comment heavily on the war itself.

What is the structure of Poppies?

Written as a monologue in 4 stanzas and no rhyme scheme. The stanzas are structured along events in the life of mother and child. 1st the mother looks back at remembrance day and the idea of the poppy which has helped trigger the memory. 2nd the mother talks about helping her son get ready and seeing him off. 3rd the poem explores the emptiness that is left in his absence, finally the mother feels drawn to a war memorial bringing the story back to where it started, yet now with no son around. The suggestion of the dove being that he has died. The poem uses a lot of enjambment and familiar nouns to enhance the idea of natural tone and the mothers voice.

Name a quote from Poppies that shows the theme of the effects of conflict. The blockade military reference to blocking, perhaps of emotion. Alliteration also used with bias, binding, blunder emphasis bustle, mothering over her son

"disrupting a blockade"

Name a quote from Poppies that shows the theme of loss and absence. The use of this metaphor connotes that her son is like a beautiful caged creature and needs to be set free. This implies that she understands this includes free to make mistakes and be harmed

"released a song bird from its cage"

Name a quote from Poppies that shows the theme of memory. This is known as aside (when a character's dialogue is spoken but not heard), the personal anecdote creates a sense of intimacy and human realism in the speakers voice, she is replaying the memories in her head because this might be the last time she see's her son.

"I wanted to graze my nose across the tip of your nose, play at being Eskimos like we did when you were little"

Name a quote from Poppies that shows the theme of fear. The use of this power of three reflects the way the mother is tongue tied and doesn't know what to say, she is proud of her son but also doesn't want him to go because of the fear that he may not come back.

"flattened, rolled, turned into felt"

Name a quote from Poppies that shows the theme of identity. The use of the pronouns 'I' and 'your' is used to emphasise the intimacy and closely relations of the speaker and subject, he is a part of her identity.

"I pinned one onto your lapel"

Name a quote from Poppies that shows the theme of individual experience. The use of physical senses implied the intimacy between mother son, this connotes the tactile hypersensitivity and jumbled emotions, her individual experience was emotionally draining.

"On reaching the top of the hill I traced the inscription on the war memorial"

What is the context for War Photographer?

The poem is written about a war photographer who has returned home and is developing his photos. The process of developing old style film photos is rather unusual for many to understand today. Old style film is very sensitive to light, so it must be done in a dark room lit with red light. The photo itself is developed using chemicals which slowly bring out the photo, it is then hung to dry. All of this can create quite a sinister atmosphere, red light, surrounding by hanging photos and chemical smells.

The poem is also looking at the contrast between the war zones and safety of being back home and the way people just do not understand the truth, after all a single photo cannot show everything.
War photographers do a very dangerous job, many are killed and injured as they must get in harms way to get the photos they are after.

What is the structure of War Photographer?

Written in 4 stanzas the poem features rhyming couplets interspaced with non rhyming lines. The regular structure can represent the order he is giving to the chaos in his photos, perhaps also the almost mechanical process he is going through and putting that distance between himself and the context.

The poem is written as a narrative, leading us through the act of the photographer processing his photos, this again helps create a sense of detachment or even cynicism about what this action reflects, that people suffer and lose lives and the end result to us is a few pictures chosen for the newspapers.

Name a quote from War Photographer that shows the theme of the effects of conflict. The use of the irony shows that he had a steady hand when taking photos, even when he was in danger. But now at the safety in his home he trembles. This hints that he is suffering from PTSD

"beneath his hands, which did not tremble then though seem to now"

Name a quote from War Photographer that shows the theme of the reality of conflict. This quote bring connotations with blood and violence, however, the red light and glow can also symbolise a womblike, safe, place.

"The only light is red and softly glows"

Name a quote from War Photographer that shows the theme of memory. The use of the adverb 'finally' suggests that he is constantly haunted by his experiences.

"In his dark room he is finally alone"

Name a quote from War Photographer that shows the theme of anger. The juxtaposition/contrast between 'tears' with the very comfortable images of 'bath' and 'pre lunch beers'. Can be read almost angrily, their tears are meaningless and this is a small pause in their life, not of worth to them

"with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers."

Name a quote from War Photographer that shows the theme of guilt. The personal pronoun 'he' emphasises a namelessness, that he is one of many, but also a sense of detachment and guilt in the tone

"Of this man's wife, how he sought approval"

Name a quote from War Photographer that shows the theme of individual experience. The contrast of the idea of the church with the war-zones listed emphasises the scale of horror that he has seen

"a priest preparing to intone a Mass. Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh"

What is the context for Checking out me History?

The poem looks through the voice and experiences of the poet at our understanding of identity through history. We look at how history is taught and the conflict between fact and truths which is sometimes obscured by race or gender.

The poem gives examples of powerful black figures from history, often involved in conflicts themselves in one way or another.

Noticeably the poet emphasises how we often celebrate our national or cultural history, without looking at the history and culture of those we were in conflict with.

What is the structure of Checking out me History?

Written in irregular rhyme and with short mixed enjambment in verses the work creates the tone of a man speaking out and angry/ frustrated. It also however captures the accent and rhythm of the Caribbean ethnicity of the poet and the parts of the work in italic are almost song like with a rhythm that seems to suggest stories passed down in song or to a beat. This is done to emphasise that not just the history, but the way it is passed on is very much a part of the poets identity and draws on his own Caribbean background, at conflict with the repetitive names and dates he was apparently being taught at English schools.

Name a quote from Checking out me History that shows the theme of the power of humans. The use of inaccurate terms is used in order to emphasise how easy it is to distort history, most likely done by humans.

"Dem tell me bout Florence Nightingale and she lamp and how Robin Hood used to camp"

Name a quote from Checking out me History that shows the theme of anger. The use of the double negative highlight the speakers anger, and it is rather accusatory towards those who make the curriculum within history.

"But Toussaint L'Ouverture no dem never tell me bout dat"

Name a quote from Checking out me History that shows the theme of identity. The use of the restrictive verbs creates the idea that the version of events give not them is harmful, perhaps more harmful than they actually were.

"Blind me to me own identity"

What is the context for Kamikaze?

The poem is set around the events of a kamikaze pilot flying to war and then turning back before it was too late. Kamikaze pilots were expected to use up all their weapons and then suicide by flying into their targets as a final act of destruction. It was considered a great honour in Japan to die for your country. The pilot in this poem returns home and is rejected by his family forever after, his own wife refusing to speak to him.

The poem is written both from a narrator and the daughter of the pilot. The narrator explains the events, almost translating the story, while the speaker gives a first person account of how they excluded her father.

The poet questions at the end which death would have been better, to die as a kamikaze pilot young or to grow old with a family who shut you out.

What is the structure of Kamikaze?

The poem changes to italic/font during the penultimate stanzas and a previous line to indicate the change of speaker, from the narrator/translator to the daughter it appears as if the daughter is passing on the story to her own children and the narrator is explaining this process.

The final couplet hits home the themes of the poem quite dramatically in a very sombre tone but does not offer opinion, challenging the reader to come to their own decision.

The consistent structure uses quite regular syllable patterns drifting up and down in length, this gives the poem a tone of nostalgia, but also the rhythm of the waves which can represent a helplessness, that things will happen, whatever you do, he will still 'die' in one way or another. The use of asides and calm rural language juxtaposes the setting of war, giving the poem a much more personal scope on a major event.

Name a quote from Kamikaze that shows the theme of the power of nature. The sea the traditional way of life and its close links to the sea have a timeless quality. The use of this simile emphasises the attractive temptation of the life below him, which contrasts with his 'journey into history', symbolising his inner conflict

"he must have looked far down at the little fishing boats strung out like bunting on a green-blue translucent sea"

Name a quote from Kamikaze that shows the theme of the effects of conflict. This quote highlights conflict, which emphasise that he died in the eyes of his family. There is a tone of regret and sympathy at this situation, he had no way out

"And sometimes, she said, he must have wondered which had been the better way to die"

Name a quote from Kamikaze that shows the theme of loss and absence. The fish represent people like the pilot, they are caught in the net of mankind but even without it they are stuck in their same old patterns, emphasises his futility, to both himself and his family - he is essentially dead to his family once he returns.

"with cloud-marked mackerel, black crabs, feathery prawns, the loose silver of whitebait and once a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous"

Name a quote from Kamikaze that shows the theme of memory. The use of the pronoun leaves him nameless as though ashamed or difficult to name him, this will forever last in his memory.

"And though he came back my mother never spoke again"

Name a quote from Kamikaze that shows the theme of memory. The use of aside undermines the enormity of the event with matter of fact tone, even his neighbours will never forget what he did.

"and the neighbours too, they treated him as though he no longer existed"

Name a quote from Kamikaze that shows the theme of identity. This fish in the quote represent the aircraft, the "flash of silver" metaphor for their honour and glory - going on a kamikaze mission was considered honourable, however, this is contrasted to the end of the poem when he returns and is treated poorly by everyone, including his family. For example, "and though he came back my mother never spoke again"

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

Name a quote from Kamikaze that shows the theme of individual experience. This use of the listing suggests that the catches on the boat connotes the childhood joys and innocence which are darkened by the events of the pilot's life. The inclusion of tuna and the metaphor forebodes the darker end to the poem

"The loose silver of whitebait and once a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous"