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Ozymandias & The Prelude - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Ozymandias repeats language used to describe Jesus in the Bible which implies he believes his power in on par with that of a God
      - Furthermore he uses the imperative 'look' to challenge 'ye Mighty' which implies he actually believes he is more powerful than the omnipotent God. This shows his immense ego
    - - the consonance reflects his callous lack of compassion for his subjects due to his illusionary ego
        
        this shows the oppressive nature of human power
    - - sonnets are 14 line poems usually about love
      - Shelley writes it in this form to show Ozymandias' excessive self-love
  - - - at the beginning of the poem, the speaker seems to believe they are in control - they seem to believe they can dominate nature in whatever way they desire
    - - start of a cyclical structure
      - shows the hubris of humanity in this feeling of entitlement to nature
      - the speaker knows they are in the wrong but still feels as if they can overpower nature and do so without consequences
    - - simile shows the pride of humans* as the speaker believe he can control nature to reach his own ambitions
- - - - shows the dramatic irony in the proclamation Ozymandias made previously - his empire has been reduced to nothing and his power has been forgotten
      - implies Shelley believes human power can never last which aligns with his views as a romantic poet
        
        romantics focuses on the subjective and emotional aspects of life including the beauty of nature and simplicity of the past with a strong rejection of institutions of power
    - - metaphorical language - the literal sands of the desert have eroded his kingdom and decimated Ozymandias' statue while the figurative sand of time destroyed the memory of Ozymandias and reduced his power to nothing
      - imagery of insignificance - the one statue is irrelevant when compared to the endless sand of the desert
        
        shows the insignificance of human power compared to the omnipotence and omniprescence of nature
    - - although the sonnet form can be seen as a proclamation of Ozymandias' self-love, the poem actually blends two different sonnet structures (Petrarchan & Shakespearean)
        
        this demonstrates that all conventions (including that of human power) are only temporary and will be evolved overtime, just like how nature has moved past Ozymandias' power
      - as nature begins to take over the power, the ABAB rhyming structure begins to break down, showing how nature destroys any human institutions of control and power
  - - - as the poem progresses, the speaker becomes overwhelmed by the mountain and his language becomes less sophisticated
      - from 'elfin pinnace' and 'glittering idly' romanticising nature at the start
      - the revelation of nature's power renders his descriptions more simplistic and clumsy - 'huge peak, black and huge'
        
        the repetition also mimics stuttering which shows his newfound fear
        
        cyclical structure - at the end there is a linguistic echo of 'stole [his] way back to the covert of the willow tree'
        
        shows the psychological change from the initial arrogance to the fear of the power of nature at the end
        
        the descriptions begins to focus on simple statements of size and colour to express his shock at the limits of his world being redefined
    - - 'measured motion like a living thing'
        
        describes nature as otherworldly and like a god which presents it as superior
        
        Wordsworth was also a romantic poet so often focused his work on the sublime
      - 'o'er my thoughts there hung a darkness, call it solitude'
        
        'darkness' seems to symbolise how he had realised his previous ignorance of nature
        
        'solitude' implies the epiphany of his insignificance compared to nature has left him to question his world view and feel powerless
      - '(led by her)'
        
        the parenthesis implies this was added afterwards which shows how at the beginning, the speaker thought he was in control but realised nature that nature had been leading him the whole time
- - - - the narrative is framed as a second-hand account of 'a traveller from an antique land'
        
        for a political perspective it could be argued Shelley does this to alienate himself from the opinions expressed in the poem as it may be an allegory against King George III which may be considered treason
        
        King George III had reigned longer than any other king before and the public believed he had outstayed his welcome - he engaged in many military conflicts and is *remembered for his oppression and tyranny
        
        Shelley was a pacifist so positioned himself strongly against King George and his military endeavours
        
        it also diminishes Ozymandias' power as his reign is lead to feel even more distant and irrelevant
        
        this almost mocks Ozymandias as it sharply contrasts the writings engraved on his statue showing there is nothing 'mighty' left of his empire
  - - - the first-person form adds tension to the extract and provides a sense of immersion which strongly contrast the distant tone of 'Ozymandias'
    - - this gives the poem a dramatic and serious tone
      - this serious tone emphasises the life-changing impacts of the events of the poem
      - show the great power of nature
    - - epic poems are long, narrative poems that are often focused around a heroic protagonist
      - arguably the hero is not Wordsworth instead it is nature personified
      - the epic poem structure and theme of humanity's evil may be an allusion to John Milton's 'Paradise Lost'
        
        both poems are also lengthy narrative poems written in iambic pentameter
        
        Wordsworth alludes to this to show how humanity's innate hubris leads to ignorance and subsequent offences against the forces they underestimate