Ozymandias Figurative Language Essay
Ozymandias
1. Pharaoh Ozymandias was a cruel and selfish man. Line 5 “And wrinklrd lip and sneer of cold command”. Line 10 “King of kings”. Suggests that he was filled with self-glory and commanding expressions, a ruler with superiority and arrogance. Line 4 “whose frown” suggest an unhappy or angry man.
2. Ozymandias symbolizes political power and pride. The statue and surrounding desert is a metaphor for invented power or “passions”. “Lifeless things” – nothing remains but the eroded “visage” and endless sands of the desert. The statue itself can be seen as a “lifeless thing” which captures the king’s meaningful expressions or “passions”. Line 6 and 7 “tell that it’s sculptor well those passions read which yet survive” – a metaphor for the power of …show more content…
The effect of juxtaposition is to compare “passions” and “lifeless” in order to create comparisons and contrasts between something meaningful and alive and something lifeless and empty. Even though the statue is not a living thing, the passions from it survive. Note the contrast between life and death. Shelly suggests that ambition is foolish and only temporary and it will not last forever. Great achievements are lost over time and human vanity will eventually die and “decay”. The human ambition evolves as it adapts to change.
3. Line 8 “the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed” belonged to the King. Line 11
“look on my works” is the irony that Ozymandias’s statue will not be remembered for a great man but rather because he was a cruel and cold King. There is no good memory that he was a good King but rather that he dominated and oppressed the people during the time he was their King. The ruler will want to be honoured for his power through his statue but ironically the only memory left is despair and the end of his political power. Ironically “ye mighty” lies now in
1. Pharaoh Ozymandias was a cruel and selfish man. Line 5 “And wrinklrd lip and sneer of cold command”. Line 10 “King of kings”. Suggests that he was filled with self-glory and commanding expressions, a ruler with superiority and arrogance. Line 4 “whose frown” suggest an unhappy or angry man.
2. Ozymandias symbolizes political power and pride. The statue and surrounding desert is a metaphor for invented power or “passions”. “Lifeless things” – nothing remains but the eroded “visage” and endless sands of the desert. The statue itself can be seen as a “lifeless thing” which captures the king’s meaningful expressions or “passions”. Line 6 and 7 “tell that it’s sculptor well those passions read which yet survive” – a metaphor for the power of …show more content…
The effect of juxtaposition is to compare “passions” and “lifeless” in order to create comparisons and contrasts between something meaningful and alive and something lifeless and empty. Even though the statue is not a living thing, the passions from it survive. Note the contrast between life and death. Shelly suggests that ambition is foolish and only temporary and it will not last forever. Great achievements are lost over time and human vanity will eventually die and “decay”. The human ambition evolves as it adapts to change.
3. Line 8 “the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed” belonged to the King. Line 11
“look on my works” is the irony that Ozymandias’s statue will not be remembered for a great man but rather because he was a cruel and cold King. There is no good memory that he was a good King but rather that he dominated and oppressed the people during the time he was their King. The ruler will want to be honoured for his power through his statue but ironically the only memory left is despair and the end of his political power. Ironically “ye mighty” lies now in