English Literature

Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley

The poem starts off with a tourist meeting an explorer. The explorer tells the story of a once powerful king, Ozymandias who's kingdom has now collapsed and all that remains is his broken statue. The poet expresses the importance and significance of art - in this case the sculpture by showing the reader that the statue, although broken is still alive, unlike Ozymandias himself.

The poet describes Ozymandias as an evil king who believed that he was the most powerful to ever exist. In fact, the sculptor was so great that he managed to capture his facial expression, one of terror. The poet proceeds to quote the words engraved on the pedestal at the bottom of the statue:  "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings, look on my works ye mighty, and despair," these words highlight his true nature and characteristics. Ozymandias was a proud ruler, the most powerful of his time and he thought he was the greatest to ever exist. However, this is proved to be a lie as Ozymandias died, just like all the previous rulers. With his death came his kingdoms downfall, and to this day, not many remember Ozymandias, and no one remembers his work either. However the artist/sculptor who was thought to be inferior to the king lived on and is remembered to this day by many people. Although the sculptor died physically, his statue is still alive and it is the only way in which people remember who Ozymandias was.

In this poem, Bysshe Shelley shows the reader that material possessions and positions of power will one day finish and once you have passed away, you cannot take either one with you. However, it is by your great and inspiring work that people will remember you and that you will live on.

The Discovery - J.C. Squire

The poem starts off by describing the simple, relaxed life of an "Indian". It is important to note that the poem is referring to the discovery of America by Christopher Colombus. It is also good to understand that Colombus was trying to get to India when he discovered the new land (America), however both him and his crew thought that they were in India, finally they realized that they had found a new place. This is why the people are called "Indians" when they are actually in America. Therefore the poem is set on a stranded beach in America, which has not yet been discovered and is therefore a quiet, lonely and isolated land.

The poet tells us that the Indian "had known no change" this is an indication to the simple, calm life he lived, one in which he never had to make any decisions. The Indian is "gathering shells" this shows the tranquility of the land before it was invaded. It is also quite a childish thing to do - this further highlights the simplicity of the Indian's life. However, his life is about to change once he hears the noise. "gasped for speech" shows the surprise the Indian felt at what he saw, mostly because he had never seen anything like it.

The poet describes what the Indian saw - Colombus' ships heading towards the land. The Indian calls them "huge canoes" because he has never seen such a ship and therefore can only relate it to what he has seen; canoes. In fact, he uses the word "magic" showing that it was something that he could never have imagined. The crew are preparing to land and invade America.

The last stanza is one of panic and fear because the Indian man's life is about to change forever. The man is described as "naked" showing that the people on the land had been cut off from the rest of the world and did not know any better. The Indian drops the shells, this might show how his peaceful life is about to change, and he will no longer be able to live an easy life. The poem ends with Christopher Colombus and his crew landing ashore America.

Not Waving But Drowning - Stevie Smith

The poem starts off with a direct sentence "Nobody heard him the dead man," this immediately sets the tone for the poem and shows the reader that a tragic event has just taken place - the death of a man. The person who died isn't given a name and seems to lack identity. This may imply that nobody really knew him or cared for him, he was just another person. However it may also be a message from Smith, informing the readers that it is not only one person who has died but several others, therefore the man may be representing several people who have faced the same death. The poet says that nobody heard the man calling out for help, this may be taken literally (nobody heard, or cared that he was drowning) or figuratively (nobody noticed that the victim had been trying to seek help).

The second stanza gives the reader and insight to the bystanders thoughts and opinions. They address the victim as "chap" implying that they were not so close to him or did not have a relationship with him at all. Furthermore, they say that he "always loved larking," this shows that in their eyes, the victim was living a good life and he loved to joke around. Here, Smith seems to be sending a message that sometimes, the people who seem the happiest are those suffering the most. Moreover, the bystanders seem to be making excuses for his death "must have been to cold for him his heart gave way," they are now realizing that something was wrong.

In the final stanza, the poet allows the reader to hear the victim's side of the story. The victim admits that "it was too cold always," this implies that he had been facing problems/struggles all throughout his life. The fact that it was "too cold" might show his relationship with other people, especially those who are meant to be closest to him. The victim appears to feel that everyone was cold to him. "I was much too far out all my life," further proves that the victim had been facing problems all throughout his life. The final verse, "and not waving but drowning," sends a final message to the bystanders who did not understand his situation and thought he was living a good life (they thought he was waving) when in fact, the victim had been going through a lot of pain (drowning).

The Lesson - Edward Lucie-Smith

The poem starts off with a direct message, introducing the readers to the situation, "your father's gone, my bald headmaster said," Although a direct sentence, the poet uses euphemism to imply that the headmaster did not want to be harsh on the boy and was possibly upset himself. The boy admits to crying upon hearing the news, however he adds that he wasn't crying because he was upset but because he was quite happy that his father died. This is because he believes that he won't be bullied for a while since people will feel sorry for his loss, "Could bind the bully's fist for a week or two," after realizing what he is thinking, the boy cries because he is ashamed of himself for wanting to use his father's death to gain something out of it. However, he then cries for relief because he knows that he is actually going to gain from it.

The second stanza begins with "I was a month past ten," this highlights the young boy's innocence at such a young age. The boy's age makes us feel sorry for him because not only has he lost his father at such an early age, but he has also lost his childhood and innocence as seen when he thinks about benefiting from his father's death. This is all a cause of the bullying that the boy has faced, and the fact that he is in a boarding school and probably had no one to turn to. The boy remembers pretending to be upset in assembly so that the others would notice. He compares school to a prison, further implying how unhappy he is at school. He says that the goldfish were indifferent about his feelings, and didn't really care for him. However, the students were all looking at him. Due to this, the boy felt proud because he would actually manage to avoid being bullied for a few weeks.

Dulce et Decorum est - Wilfred Owen

The poem is set in a war zone/battlefield where the soldiers are exhausted and indifferent about their situation because they are so used to it. The poet describes the soldiers physical appearance, all bent, coughing and bleeding. Wilfred Owen states that the soldiers had turned their backs to the flames, this shows that the soldiers had been in this situation many times and were so tired that they couldn't be bothered. "Towards our distant rest began to trudge," indicates that the soldiers are walking towards their death and they are all aware of this, but they are helpless. "Deaf even to the hoots of tired, outstripped, Five Nines that dropped behind," further confirms the exhaustion that the soldiers are facing, as they cannot even hear the bombs.

In the second stanza, the tone changes to a frantic one as the soldiers realize that there has been a gas attack, "Gas! Gas!" The exclamation marks highlight the panic and tension that arose and draws the readers attention to the change in atmosphere. The poet describes how one of the soldiers could not get his mask on in time. He says that he was "like a man in fire or lime," the use of visual imagery helps us imagine a man, stuck in  burning building while at the same time, the poet introduces the color green. "Misty panes and thick green light," allow us to imagine being behind the mask ourselves. The poet cannot see clearly through the misty panes which is the glass of his mask and the green light which the gas bomb has given off.

In the third stanza, the poet describes how helpless he felt, unable to do anything to save the innocent soldier from dying. He admits to seeing the soldier in his dreams, this suggests that he is still reliving the day and cannot seem to get the memories out of his brain.

In the final stanza, the poet addresses the reader as well as the British government, saying that if the people lived through these experiences themselves, and saw the soldier slowly die before them, unable to help, they would not believe that being a soldier is honorable. He ironically calls the government his friend, even though it is his biggest enemy which has sent out innocent people to face their deaths. He calls the nation the government's children and says that if the government knew the truth, they would not say it is honorable to be a soldier. The poet concludes with the Latin words, "Dulce et decorum est, por patria mori," However, he calls this a lie meaning that it is in fact not sweet and honorable to die for your country. This gives the title of the poem an ironic edge as Dulce et Decorum est means that dying for your country is good. However, Wilfred Owen ends the poem by calling this a lie.

The Tiger - William Blake

The poem starts off by directly addressing the tiger itself, "Tiger Tiger," this shows Blake seemingly talking to the tiger. The poet describes the tiger as "burning bright," this is a reference to the tiger's bright orange coat which appears to be a flame (burning) in the forest at night. The poet then asks a rhetorical question, possibly also questioning the power of God. He asks what powerful immortal could have been brave enough to create such a beautiful but dangerous creature.

In the second stanza, William Blake goes on to continue questioning God's existence and his power. Again, he asks who would dare to create such a perfect but fearful animal, "What the hand, dare seize the fire," the poet seems to be asking who would even dare to create such an animal, let alone actually create it.

In the third stanza, the poet continues to ask who would be bold enough to not only create this fearful animal, but also let it live freely, "could twist the sinews of thy heart," Furthermore, he is amazed at how whoever created him had the ability to make the tiger beautiful but dangerous.

In the fourth stanza, the poet compares God/the creator to a blacksmith by mentioning things which he would use to create any other object, "hammer," "chain," "furnace," "anvil," William Blake goes on to say that the creator who is being compared to a blacksmith must have been brave but perhaps also angry to create the tiger.

In the fifth stanza, the poet questions the creator's feelings after he had created the tiger, "Did he smile his work to see?" Blake is unsure whether the creator was pleased to see the tiger that he has created or perhaps afraid of the majestic animal or otherwise remorseful that he had created such a powerful beast. Moreover, the poet asks if it is possible that the same creator who made the lamb also made the tiger, "Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" this shows the power of the creator who was able to create both the lamb (meek, innocent, calm) and the tiger (dangerous, powerful, wild). The contrast between both animals is clear as the lamb is seen as a small and innocent animal while the tiger is the opposite.

The final stanza is a repetition of the first stanza, however the final line is changed from  "Could frame thy fearful symmetry," to "Dare frame thy fearful symmetry," This shows that after the poet has thought about the tiger's power, he has realized that the creator of the tiger was even more powerful. He still questions the creator's braveness but this time, he asks if the creator dares to make such an animal. This is because he has seen that the creator can in fact create such a creature, but if he dares to do that is still unsure.

Sea Fever - John Masefield

The poem starts off with a powerful verse which is repeated before every stanza, "I must go down to the seas again," the use of the word "must" shows an obligation. The poet feels like it is a necessity to go back, this shows his longing to be at sea. The fact that he uses the word "again" indicates that the poet has been sailing before and feels attached to the lifestyle of seamen. This is further proved in the following verse in which Masefield makes a list of all the things he wishes to have while out at sea. The fact that he only needs natural elements ("star" "mist" "wind" "dawn") shows that he is an experienced sailor. Moreover, the poet personifies the ship, calling it "her", almost as if it is an actual friend to him.

In the second stanza, the theme of longing for the sea is further shown, "Is a wild call, and a clear call that may not be denied," once again, this shows the poet's obligation to be at sea because he can hear the sea calling out to him and he cannot refuse. John Masefield makes use of visual and aural imagery to help the reader imagine what it's like to be at sea "windy day" "white clouds" "sea gulls crying."

In the final stanza, the poet compares the life of a sailor to that of a gypsy, "vagrant gypsy life," this is referring to the fact that sailors do not stay in a fixed place but travel around the world, not knowing what to expect and not having an exact plan, similarly, a gypsy roams the streets without having a home or staying in a particular location.  The poet wishes to live this kind of life, which is regarded as free. The fact that he wishes for a "laughing fellow rover," shows that the poet does not wish to be alone, in fact he wishes to have another sailor with him. The fact that he is laughing shows the positive atmosphere that Masefield imagines if he had a life at sea.

The final verse, "And a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over," gives the poem a different meaning rather than just the longing to be at sea. Through this verse, one can also see the longing for freedom. To the poet, the sea is freedom and it is regarded as his escape from his problems and stress. The "quiet sleep," is a metaphor for death, giving the idea that after he has lived a happy life, with minimal problems, he will have a peaceful death. Furthermore, the "sweet dream," refers to the afterlife, hinting that once his current life comes to an end, there might be hope for another life, even better than this one. Finally, the "long trick," refers to life itself which will one day come to an end, this is why Masefield emphasizes the importance of living the life he wishes.

My Parents Kept me from Children who were Rough - Stephen Spender

The title of the poem itself gives the reader a clear indication of what the poem is about; a young boy who was not allowed with certain children, simply because they seemed to be rough (outsiders). The use of the word "kept" shows the boy's anger at his parents because he feels as though his parents are to blame for his situation. He insists that he was held back from being free. Furthermore, we are given a detailed description of the children's appearance, "torn clothes," "thighs showed through rags," and their characters "threw words like stones," "ran in the streets," this is probably why his parents kept him from playing with them. This creates an idea of social classes, the boy being in a higher social class then the other children who wore torn clothes and enjoyed the freedom that the boy was so jealous of. Moreover, the fact that they "threw words like stones," shows that the children have been bullying the boy, possibly because they are also jealous of him because he has parents who care for him and a more luxurious life in general.

"I feared more than tigers," shows the boy's feelings towards the bullies. He was afraid of them because he knew that they were stronger. Moreover, Spender suffered from several disabilities, one of them being a club foot. For this reason, he could not fight back or run away, but simply had to suffer. "Who copied my lisp," shows that the boy was not only being physically abused but also verbally.

In the final stanza, the boy refers to the bullies as "they," and himself and his family as "our," this further proves the difference in social classes and perhaps even the boys entitlement as he says, "Like dogs to bark at our world." In the final two verses, we are given an insight to the boy's attitude towards the bullies, he simply smiled and walked on, "pretending to smile," shows that the boy was actually hurting but tried not to show it. Furthermore, the poet admits that he "longed to forgive them," even though they had caused him so much suffering, he was still ready to befriend them as he was so envious of their lifestyle. The poem however, reaches an anticlimax as the bullies never returned his smile.

We are going to see the rabbit - Alan Brownjohn

The poem starts off with a simple declaration, "We are going to see the rabbit," this may confuse readers as to us, it is quite normal to see a rabbit and it is not something which we need to announce or be excited about. However, the poem opens up to be a futuristic one, dealing with man's destruction of nature and urbanization. "Which rabbit," is a repeated question, this is to emphasize it's reply, "The only rabbit in England," the poet makes the readers aware that this animal, one which is so common and has a massive population has almost become extinct, as there is only one rabbit in all of England. This is the reason why the people are excited to be seeing the rabbit, as if it is a trip, because there is only one rabbit. The following  3 verses are yet another indication of man made resources, "barbed wire fence," "neon lights," "sodium lights," The fact that the rabbit is behind a barbed wire fence shows how it is a prisoner and cannot escape humanity's evilness. "On the only patch of grass," continues to bring out the grave situation England (and the world) is in as there is only one patch of grass left.

The fact that they "must be there on time," creates a sense of urgency in the poem, the people cannot be late - maybe because the rabbit might die and they won't ever get to see a rabbit, maybe because they want to be in front to get a clear view - whatever the reason, they cannot afford to be late, further emphasizing the rush of the future generation. The poet goes on the mention all the means of transport that they use to get to the rabbit, creating the idea of a generation which is comfortable and have everything around them, yet they are harming the environment as almost every means of transport used creates pollution. "We shall have to go on foot," continues to create an idea of a lazy population, especially through the words "have to," as if they are making a huge effort to arrive, when it is actually their fault that they have to travel so far to see a rabbit (because they have killed all the other rabbits)

The second stanza creates the sense of an impatient society, everyone is longing to see the rabbit, which to them is such a rare sight, however they are more concerned about the fact that they "have come a long way," Although it is their fault that they have to go see the rabbit, they people are "angry," "jostling," "complaining," and "slanging,"

The next stanza shows us how the rabbit managed to escape by burrowing down into the Earth. This shows the rabbit's fear and discomfort. However, no one is concerned about how to rabbit feels, instead they are complaining because they have traveled for nothing and they are actually blaming the rabbit itself. "What can we do?" shows the irony of the situation, it is actually too late to do anything, action should have been taken a long time ago.

The final stanza gives us an insight to the rabbit's thoughts. The rabbit is described as sad and obviously afraid as he says that "It won't be long, they are bound to come, they are bound to come and find me, even here," this shows the rabbit's helplessness in the situation as he cannot keep escaping the humans, because they will always find him.

Sonnet LX - William Shakespeare

The poem starts off by comparing waves to time. Shakespeare says that as the waves slide towards the shore, our time on Earth also passes, slowly at first but seemingly faster as we grow. The poet reflects upon the way time passes as we "crawl to maturity," this once again shows that with every second that passes, we are getting closer to our death. "And time that gave doth now his gift confound," shows that time gave us life, but time will also take that gift away from us.

In the second stanza, Shakespeare talks about the effects of time, saying that it removes youth and "delves the parallels in beauty's brow," this shows that as we grow older, our beauty and youth start to decrease and instead, we are left with wrinkles. The poet then introduces another character, the grim reaper, who is taking away lives and collecting dead souls. However, Shakespeare ends the poem on a positive note as he says that despite the cruel nature of time and despite his death, he will live on through his works. "My verse shall stands," shows that William Shakespeare hoped that he would be remembered through his art, which is immortal.

Wind - Ted Hughes

The poem starts off with a metaphor, saying that the house "had been far out at sea all night," this creates an image of isolation. Although the house hasn't actually been at sea, it has been raining so much that it seems as if it was at sea. "Winds stampeding the fields," shows the power of the storm, more specifically the wind, which has been compared to the power of a herd of animals running over a field.

The enjambment between the first and second stanza shows that the storm kept going all night, this is further proved by the verse "Till day rose." Hughes proceeds to describe the damage the wind has done, so powerful that "the hills had new places," this shows that the wind moved the landscape and the place now looks unfamiliar.

In the third stanza, Ted Hughes leaves his house to examine the outdoors, however he remains as close to his house as possible. "Dented the balls of my eyes," once again shows the power of the wind which is so strong that is has dented his eyes. Hughes then describes the hills which seem to be like camping tents pulling at the ropes in the storm.

Ted Hughes continues describing the landscape, "the skyline a grimace," shows an angry emotion on the skyline. Furthermore, he describes what happens to a flying bird in the wind, a black back gull was bent like a bar of iron.

In the fifth stanza, the poet goes back inside and notices that the house will be shattered any minute because of the forces of nature which have even managed to move the hills, let alone a small house. However, the poet and a second companion choose to do nothing about it, instead they sit in front of the fire and wait for their doom. The fire, which is usually a sign of comfort and warmth is used as yet another dangerous element.

In the final stanza, the poet admits that they cannot be distracted, instead they can only focus on their horrible fate and what's to come. Yet they both sit and stare, doing nothing about their situation. Here the poet and his companion's passivity are brought out as neither one of them tries to solve their problems.

This poem can also have a metaphorical meaning rather than just a storm which is about to lead to their doom. The storm and the wind might be representing all the problems and all the things that have gone wrong in a relationship. Instead of solving these problems or talking about them, the poet and his companion, possibly a lover, sit in passivity, not talking to each other or entertaining each other. They both focus on the problem without actually doing anything about it. In other words, they simply wait for their doom.