Ozymandias: The Ephemeral Emperor Essay

Shelley’s poem and depiction of Ozymandias could be a symbolic way of promoting his views against the monarchy, as he depicts Ozymandias as a tyrant with harsh descriptions such as “a sneer of cold command” and mocks him with the juxtaposition of “king of kings” and “colossal wreck”. However, instead of obviously putting forward his views and risking negative exposure, Shelley distances himself from the poem with intriguing use of multiple perspectives. The poem begins with “I met”, a first person introduction, but quickly switches to the traveller’s perspective as Shelley depicts what the traveller saw. In this way, he subtly puts across his socialist views without incriminating himself through symbolism and distancing himself from the narrative. In this way, the poem presents two powerful rulers, with Ozymandias symbolising King George.

In conveying the issue of time and nature, the poet introduces a traveler from an ‘antique land’, who sees the remains of a vast statue, which gives this poem’s meaning. The antique land refers to a place in pass civilization that no longer exist. The poet uses certain language to express the idea in a more understanding, visual way. The statue reflects Ozymandias’ power and the attitude he holds against others. The facial expressions sculpted in the statue are a mockery of those who he viewed as less prominent in the society. “And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command” (Shelley 4). The poet used Ozymandias’ sneer to convey his attitude towards others as uncaring and rude, as he thinks that he holds a great power among everyone else. Shelley used the phrase “cold command” to also emphasize Ozymandias’ sneer, to imply that he was selfish, not caring about the situation of

Example from the book – One example of alliteration from the book is in chapter 2 when it says “He is plaster-pale. He pushes his pains along his legs like I do when I wipe off sweat…”

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote this poem "Ozymandias" to express to us that possessions do not mean immortality. He used very strong imagery and irony to get his point across throughout the poem. In drawing these vivid and ironic pictures in our minds, Shelley was trying to explain that no one lives forever, and nor do their possessions. Shelley expresses this poem’s moral through a vivid and ironic picture. A shattered stone statue with only the legs and head remaining, standing in the desert, the face is proud and arrogant, "Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read"(lines, 4-6).

Romanticism is composed of several different themes, all of which are definitive of what Romanticism entails; one of the most prevalent and important of these themes is that of alienation, whether it be from oneself or from the world. Several poets in the Romantic period wrote on this theme, but one who imparted the most meaning in the fewest amount of words is Percy Bysshe Shelley in “Ozymandias.” Shelley tackles the idea of separate existence from yourself in a unique way: as opposed to the way William Wordsworth would tell his audience what they needed to do in order to avoid alienation, Shelley presents to his audience an example of alienation causing a person to fade into past. In telling the story of Ozymandias, King of Kings, Shelley

In Amitav Ghosh's, "In an Antique Land", the author compares his life with that of a slave named Bomma. He reveals that both men live in antique lands, foreign to their culture and surrounded by very different people. Ghosh also relates the book to Percy Bysshe Shelly's poem Ozymandias, a piece on mankind's hubris and the insignificance of the individual. Ghosh effectively juxtaposes Bomma's life with his own as he tries to find himself and unlock the slaves past through the ancient papers of the Cairo Geniza. Through historical details and antidotes, the author proves how a place can be both antique and contemporary.

The poem "Ozymandias" is one of the best sonnets of Percy Bysshe Shelley. In this poem Shelley described a mighty king who was striving in his whole life for his possessions and got involved in worldly assignments so much that he forgot his ultimate destiny. Beside this, Shelley reminds the readers of their mortality through the realization that our earthly accomplishments, so important to us now, will one day be finished. By drawing these vivid and ironic pictures in readers minds, with different symbols, Shelley was trying to illustrate that no one lives forever in the

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley and London by William Blake both explore the theme of power, and how nothing is permanent since time can destroy anything. Both poems relate to the romantic era because romantic writers believed in the idea of nature, and the poem Ozymandias is a reminder that all man-made things will lose to time and the earth. But in comparison London contrasts this reminder, as the industrialization in London is destroying nature, but yet it reinforces the idea that time can change anything.

I disagree with a child’s whole future resting on just one test. That puts so much pressure on children to do well at such a young age. I can see why children get depressed, if

The reason for this reflection is to review what has happened in a deeper level than just summarizing what has happened over the course of this project. During the weeks learned some things, not just from the book that I was reading, but also from participating in a group. The lessons I learned led to my group being successful in the few goals that were created. All of the goals were met in different ways whether it would be just finishing the book or us getting up in front of the whole class to present the google slides that we created.

A poem about a statue that has far outlived its boastful inscribers, albeit shattered in pieces. This discrepancy is seen between the lines 10-12, “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings/ Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!/ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay…” Clearly, these people thought they were mighty and great, but instead, they are gone and all that remains are the shattered statues. When we die, we cannot take anything with us. It doesn’t matter how rich and important someone is in life; They are nothing but a memory when they are

 The poem "Ozymandias" tells a story about a traveler, who reveals his or her story to the narrator of the poem. The author of the poem is Percy Bysshe Shelley. He keeps the interest of the poem by using constant sounds and images that are clear and concise, by supplying mystery with words that have more than one meaning, and by using a spectrum of words that capture the interpreters attention.

Shelley’s version of “Ozymandias” pays particular attention to the details of what remains of Ramses’s statue. Shelley conveys to the reader that no matter how powerful a ruler may be, their influence will fade with time. The description of what Babylon looks like when the poem was written gives the reader a clear

In the poem Percy Bysshe Shelley “Ozymandias” there are several different sound devices portrayed. The author demonstrates use of rhyme and meter. In the beginning of the poem the author used rhyming words to give a description of the mans journey through the dessert, and informing that he found a statue. It states, " Two vast and trunk less legs of stone stand in the dessert." Although, the statue is destroyed and seems to be smashed, considering the 2 legs. Towards the end of the poem the author demonstrates irony, when it says," a colossal wreck, boundless and bare." It was once said to be mighty and powerful, but reveals there is nothing but sand on the desert. "Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things" references that the

“The Last Emperor” was a very interesting film, rich in historical truth and an accurate portrayal of past events that occurred in China during the 1900s. The story was very easy to follow and gave a more modernized approach to teaching the impacts of historical proceedings by using the English language but not forgetting to keep the facts in order. This approach gave me the opportunity to see the different actors as if it were truly identical to what this time period was all about. Given that the plot was centralized around Puyi, the last Emperor of China, and the director did an excellent job making the movie fit the timeline.