AQA GCSE Power and Conflict Anthology Quotes

Key quotes on poems and summary plus tips on what to potentially analyse

Ozymandias

A poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley that reflects on the inevitable decline of all leaders and empires, emphasizing the transient nature of power and human achievement. Also has links to human hubris and the futility of pride in the face of time.

Ozymandias (key quotes)

"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings."

“shattered visage”

“wrinkled lip”

“nothing but remains”

“lone and level sands stretch far away”

The Prelude

An autobiographical poem by William Wordsworth that explores the development of the poet's mind and spirit through his experiences in nature, reflecting themes of innocence, imagination, and the relationship between humanity and the natural world. However, also links to pride and human hubris, and how we are humbled by the omnipotence of nature. Links to the sublime.

The Prelude (key quotes)

"the horizon's bound, a huge peak, black and huge"

“act of stealth and troubled pleasure”

“voluntary power instinct upreared its head”

Charge of the Light Brigade

A poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson that depicts the valour and tragedy of a military charge during the Crimean War, illustrating themes of bravery, duty, and the futility of war. Also look at dehumanisation of soldiers and the consequences of blind obedience

Charge of the Light Brigade (key quotes)

“six hundred”

“stormed at with shot and shell”

“into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell”

Exposure

A poem by Wilfred Owen that portrays the harsh realities of soldiers facing the brutal conditions of World War I, emphasizing themes of suffering, nature's indifference, and the psychological impact of war. Also revealing how war isn’t all about the action (LITERALLY “nothing happens”)

Exposure (key quotes)

"But nothing happens"

"Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us"

“slowly our ghosts drag home”

“sunk fires”

Bayonet Charge

A poem by Ted Hughes that explores the physical and emotional turmoil of a soldier charging into battle, highlighting themes of violence, fear, and the loss of humanity in war. Soldiers are cogs in machines, pawns on the chessboard of war. Think existential crisis

Bayonet Charge (key quotes)

“in what cold clockwork of the stars was he the hand pointing that second?”

“raw in raw-seemed hot khaki”

Tissue

A poem by Imtiaz Dharker that reflects on the fragility and strength of human life, using the metaphor of paper to explore themes of identity, power, and the transience of human constructs. Nature is all powerful and any human attempts to immortalise ourselves through human constructs are futile as nature will always prevail

Tissue (key quotes)

“paper that lets the light shine through”

“maps too. The sun shines through their borderlines”

“might fly our lives like paper kites”

Kamikaze

A narrative poem by Beatrice Garland that follows a kamikaze pilot's journey to battle, his choice to turn back, and the reactions of his family and community. The poem reflects on the mindset of World War II kamikaze pilots, who undertook suicide missions, and explores themes of sacrifice, duty, and nationalism. Think also to Samurai/Bushido code of conduct and the consequences of not living up to these standards: social suicide

Kamikaze key quotes

“a shaven head full of powerful incantations”

“a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous”