poetry 5 quote, structure and form Flashcards
(8 cards)
give 5 quotes and analysis for ozymandias
“Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Irony: The imperative is undercut by the ruin around the statue, emphasising the futility of power. Shelley critiques hubris and shows how time erases all.
“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone”
The image of incompleteness suggests that physical legacies of rulers are temporary, exposing the illusion of permanence in power.
“The lone and level sands stretch far away”
The sibilance and alliteration create a sense of endlessness, symbolising how nature and time ultimately outlast human ambition.
“The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed”
Ambiguous: the sculptor both criticises and captures the ruler’s pride. Suggests art’s subtle power to preserve and subvert.
give 5 quotes and analysis for london
“Mind-forged manacles”
A metaphor for psychological oppression—Blake suggests that suffering is not only systemic, but also internalised by the oppressed.
“Every black’ning Church appalls”
Blake attacks religious hypocrisy. The church is stained—morally and physically—suggesting it is complicit in social suffering.
“Runs in blood down palace walls”
Vivid visual metaphor hints at revolution (e.g., French Revolution). Blake blames the monarchy for the suffering of the people.
“Chartered street…chartered Thames”
The repetition of “chartered” shows how even natural elements are owned and restricted, reflecting the control of the state.
give 5 quotes and analysis for prelude
“A huge peak, black and huge”
Repetition and simple language reflect the speaker’s inability to comprehend nature’s power, suggesting overwhelming sublimity.
“Trouble to my dreams”
The lasting psychological impact shows nature has shaken the speaker’s confidence, becoming a moral and spiritual teacher.
“Heaving through the water like a swan”
A simile of grace gives way to fear—mirrors the shift from harmony with nature to isolation and awe.
“No pleasant images of trees…no colours of green fields”
The sudden lack of pastoral imagery shows a loss of innocence, where nature is no longer comforting, but intimidating and sublime.
give 5 quotes and analysis for my last duchess
“I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together”
Chilling euphemism. The Duke’s control over life and death reveals his abuse of power and patriarchal dominance.
“That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall”
Objectification: the Duchess is reduced to a possessed image, showing his need for control over memory and identity.
“Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er she looked on”
Criticism masked as jealousy. Reflects the Duke’s insecurity, needing total adoration, even after death.
“Notice Neptune…taming a sea-horse”
The classical allusion reflects his ego. Neptune (a god) reflects the Duke’s self-image as dominant, taming the ‘wild’ woman.
give 5 quotes and analysis for exposure
“But nothing happens”
Refrain builds tension and futility. Highlights the mental stagnation and psychological suffering of trench warfare.
“Merciless iced east winds that knive us”
Nature is personified as a brutal enemy, more lethal than the soldiers themselves—emphasises conflict with the environment.
“Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence”
Sibilance mimics the sound of gunfire; juxtaposed with “silence,” it shows how calm is constantly broken by violence.
“All their eyes are ice”
Metaphor for death and emotional numbness. The cold becomes a symbol of dehumanisation and spiritual loss.
give 5 quotes and analysis for remains
“Probably armed, possibly not”
Ambiguity creates moral uncertainty. Captures the psychological burden of guilt that haunts the speaker.
“His bloody life in my bloody hands”
Echoes Macbeth, linking to themes of guilt and inner torment. The repetition reinforces emotional trauma.
“Tosses his guts back into his body”
Colloquial yet grotesque language shows how soldiers are desensitised—violence becomes routine, stripping away humanity.
“The drink and the drugs won’t flush him out”
Metaphor for addiction and trauma. Conflict doesn’t end on the battlefield—it becomes a mental war within.
give 5 quotes and analysis for kamikaze
“A one-way journey into history”
Euphemistic phrase—glorifies self-sacrifice, highlighting how cultural expectations shape patriotic narratives.
“He must have looked far down at the little fishing boats”
Nature and childhood imagery contrast with war, showing how memories and beauty override duty.
“Which had been the better way to die”
Ambiguous final line questions whether emotional isolation is worse than physical death, reflecting conflicted identity.
“They treated him as though he no longer existed”
The pilot’s emotional erasure reflects the social consequences of choosing humanity over militarism.
give 5 quotes and analysis for COMH
“Dem tell me / Dem tell me”
Repetition builds rhythmic defiance. Highlights how colonial education repeats dominant narratives to erase identity.
“Blind me to me own identity”
Powerful metaphor of deliberate silencing. Suggests colonial history is an act of cultural violence.
“Carving out me identity”
Final image of self-empowerment. “Carving” implies both pain and creativity, as Agard reclaims his history.
“Toussaint L’Ouverture…a slave / with vision”
Celebrates Black resistance. Juxtaposes Agard’s hidden heroes with whitewashed British figures, highlighting historical bias.
