Remember in this exam you will be given

Remember in this exam you will be given one poem printed out and then you have to choose one from the ‘Power and Conflict’ group to compare this with. Think about the links (see below for ideas). THEME: Nature, inner conflict, history, structure, power, etc. TONE of voice: aggressive, calm, argumentative, romantic, etc. LANGUAGE: repetition, rhyme, alliteration, simile, metaphor, personification, etc. STRUCTURE: Monologue, regular/irregular stanzas, etc.

1. Use the writer’s name throughout the response. 2. Recycle the word from the question throughout as well. 3. Identify terminology (language/structure). 4. Select short quotations which contain strong terminology. 5. Select your own

Select the top 3/4 poems, identify the terminology used, then (for challenge) add another quotation to unpick. Poppies – coming to terms with the loss of a son at war, “released a song bird from its cage, ” or “All my words flattened … slowly melting. ” Exposure – men suffering from war and weather, “winds that knive us” or “pale flakes … feeling for our faces. ” Vivid personification highlighting the intensity of the weather on the men as if this was another enemy they have to endure. Kamikaze- whether to ignore orders and return to family or not “fishes flashing silver” Drama of war War Photographer – deciding which images/truths to share with the world “halfformed ghost” or “a hundred agonies in black and white. ” Charge of the Light Brigade – men given wrong order but still show pride in battle “jaws of death” or “mouth of hell. ” metaphors of death highlight the power of war and bravery of the men. Bayonet Charge – confused in war and trying to escape the “blue crackling air” of WWI Remains – haunted by a gruesome image of death after killing a looter, “sort of inside out” or “blood-shadow” or “tosses his guts back in his body. ” Dramatic adjectives (blood) and noun (guts) highlight gruesome effects of war.

Poppies – coming to terms with the loss of a son at war, “released a song bird from its cage, ” or “All my words flattened … slowly melting. ” Bayonet Charge – confused in war and trying to escape the “blue crackling air” of WWI Emigree – a childhood place seeming different when looking on it as an adult, “That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll. ” Kamikaze- whether to ignore orders and return to family or not “fishes flashing silver” Tissue – struggle with the understanding the modern world and its fragility “paper …thinned to be transparent. ” Personal struggle War Photographer – deciding which images/truths to share with the world “halfformed ghost” or “a hundred agonies in black and white. ” Remains – haunted by a gruesome image of death after killing a looter, “sort of inside out” or “blood-shadow” or “tosses his guts back in his body. ” Prelude – how nature suddenly changes and becomes threatening “huge peak, black and huge” or “grim shape towered. ”

My Last Duchess- Power of an image (painting) and how this is a warning to future suitors. “I gave commands, then all smiles stopped together. ” Exposure – Power of weather where men suffer, “winds that knive us” or “pale flakes … feeling for our faces. ” Vivid personification highlighting the intensity of the weather on the men as if this was another enemy they have to endure. Storm on the Island – the weather is dramatic and wild - “spits like a tame cat” dramatic verb/simile showing the storm is wild and unpredictable. Kamikaze- Power of nature which changes the mind to be with family “fishes flashing silver” despite orders. Alliteration highlighting nature’s pull. Power Ozymandias – Power of a king and the symbol he creates in order to be remembered, “Look on my works. ” Prelude – power of nature and how it can suddenly change and become threatening “huge peak, black and huge” or “grim shape towered. ” Dramatic adjectives. Checking Out Me History – Power of personal history/heritage. “Now I’m checking out me own history. ” “Carving out me own identity. ” Verbs (checking and carving) he is being active in finding out about his own history. Remains – power through intense events and images; haunted by a gruesome image of death after killing a looter, “sort of inside out” or “blood-shadow” or “tosses his guts back in his body. ” Dramatic adjectives (blood) and noun (guts) highlight gruesome effects of war.

Charge of the Light Brigade – men given wrong order but still show pride in battle “jaws of death” or “mouth of hell. ” metaphors of death highlight the power of war and bravery of the men. London – average person in society is powerless, so Blake attempts to warn against a revolt by the masses, “mindforged manacles. ” Alliteration highlighting the control and oppression of the people. Powerless Bayonet Charge – powerless and confused in war and trying to escape the “blue crackling air” of WWI. Poppies – the mother is powerless to stop her son going to war, or to protect him either. “All my words flattened … slowly melting. ” Poignant verb showing she is being flattened and is becoming insignificant. Kamikaze- Power of nature which changes the mind to be with family “fishes flashing silver” despite orders. Alliteration highlighting nature’s pull.

Exposure – Power of weather where men suffer, “winds that knive us” or “pale flakes … feeling for our faces. ” Vivid personification highlighting the intensity of the weather on the men as if this was another enemy they have to endure. Prelude – power of nature and how it can suddenly change and become threatening “huge peak, black and huge” or “grim shape towered. ” Dramatic adjectives. Nature Storm on the Island – at the mercy of the storm though the buildings are built “squat” to withstand the notorious weather. Storm on the Island – the Should the people fear if weather is dramatic and they are prepares? wild - “spits like a tame cat” dramatic verb/simile showing the storm is wild and unpredictable. Kamikaze- Power of nature which changes the mind to be with family “fishes flashing silver” despite orders. Alliteration highlighting nature’s pull.

London – average person in society is powerless, so Blake attempts to warn against a revolt by the masses, “mindforged manacles. ” Alliteration highlighting the control and oppression of the people. Ozymandias – Aggressive and arrogant ruler. “Sneer of cold command” Alliteration highlighting the strict dictatorship style of ruling. He wants to ensure everyone remembers him and fears him. Strong personal history Emigree – a childhood place seems different when looking on it as an adult, “That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll. ” Simile highlights this was a childish and idealised view of her childhood place when looking back on it now. Checking Out Me History – Power of personal history/heritage. “Now I’m checking out me own history. ” “Carving out me own identity. ” Verbs (checking and carving) he is being active in finding out about his own history. Poppies – the mother struggles with her son’s personal history as war has changed it (taken him away). ”I traced the inscriptions. ” Poignant verb showing she is remembering her son by feeling his name. “hoping to hear your playground voice. ” Senses – mother hoping to hear her son’s voice again. All shows that her son’s history has stopped and that her own future will be affected.

Checking Out Me History – Power of personal history/heritage. “Now I’m checking out me own history. ” “Carving out me own identity. ” Verbs (checking and carving) he is being active in finding out about his own history because it is important to him. Ozymandias – Aggressive and arrogant ruler. “Sneer of cold command” Alliteration highlighting the strict dictatorship style of ruling. He wants to ensure everyone remembers him and fears him. “Looking on my works” Verb highlighting he is proud of his accomplishments. Charge of the Light Brigade – men given wrong order but still show pride in battle “jaws of death” or “mouth of hell. ” metaphors of death highlight the power of war and bravery of the men. Pride and Glory My Last Duchess – proud of his position and status “king of kings…look at my works and despair!” Hyperbolic, arrogant and commanding his audience to admire his work. London – average person in society is powerless, so Blake attempts to warn against a revolt by the masses because he is proud of his land wants everyone to feel the same, “mind-forged manacles. ” Alliteration highlighting the control and oppression of the people.

The Prelude – dramatic monologue of an intense moment with nature. Long, detailed and fluent emphasising the sudden change in mood and atmosphere. My Last Duchess – dramatic monologue again long and detailed sharing a threatening tone to the potential suitors. Ozymandias – Sonnet structure (14 lines with rhyme scheme) though there would be a typical end of a rhyming couplet which Shelley doesn’t include – why? Not a typical king… Charge of the Light Brigade – Last line stands out to emphasise the decrease in numbers of men. Repetition also to highlight the cannons, jaws of death, mouth of death and honour. Exposure is similar in the last line standing out to emphasise the fact that little or nothing happens. Dramatic structure Kamikaze Italics mark the different speaker (sister) who tells her point of view. London – regular quatrains to echo the strict and uniformed streets and rules of London. Slight change in the last line – will there be a change in society? ? Checking Out Me History – 2 distinct structures to highlight the 2 different countries important to Agard. Repetition of “Dem tell me” which changes to him being more active himself and seeking his identity.

a l u F m r o

Compare the ways poets present ideas about power in Ozymandias and in one other poem from ‘Power and conflict’. Each paragraph share a link between the poems and then gives examples and explores in each noting any further similarities or differences. Both Ozymandias and My Last Duchess show the effects of power and how it corrupts. In Ozymandias adjectives are used to describe the ‘sneer of cold command’ as if to suggest that he is a cruel and heartless leader, only concerned with his own power and the immortality it will bring. The Duke in My Last Duchess is similarly concerned with his own power and status. Although the monologue is supposed to replicate a conversation, there is no opportunity for his listener to speak – Browning writes the monologue to show the Duke’s self-obsession and that he is not interested in anyone’s views other than his own. Both poets are concerned with the effects of power and how in the wrong hands it corrupts. The Duke is shown to be misguided as Browning uses dramatic imagery to hint at the Duchess’ kindness and gentle spirit “white mule” to prove that she is innocent and has been killed for nothing. Ozymandias is shown to also be cruel: ‘sneer of cold command’ – however he has been left with nothing: ‘the lone and level sands stretch far away’. It could be argued that the Duke has also been left with nothing: he has a statue of ‘Neptune’ which is made of cold bronze. He doesn’t realise this himself however, as he cares nothing for human relationships and is far more concerned, like Ozymandias, with his pride and reputation. Ultimately both leaders are shown by the poets to be corrupt. Both poets feel that power in the wrong hands has devastating consequences on the innocent. However, although both poets show that this corruption is punished in the end, perhaps it is the Duke who is shown more clearly to be the true *despot as Browning uses the dramatic monologue to show first-hand how completely self-absorbed he is.