Could you please mark this GCSE English essay?

Compare the way that the power of nature is presented in 'Storm on the Island' and in one other poem from 'Power and Conflict'. [30 marks]

'Storm on the Island' was a poem written in 1966 based on an extended metaphor comparing the Troubles in Northern Ireland to a group of islanders who aim to protect and secure their homes from damage during a storm, but their efforts are futile. Rather than conflict, cooperation between man and nature is encouraged. 'Ozymandias' was a poem written as the Duke of Wellington (who had defeated Napoleon in battle) was expected to become the next Prime Minister. Shelley feared the creation of a military dictatorship, and aimed to criticise human desire for power, stating that the power of any individual or civilisation will be lost due to the more powerful forces of nature and the passage of time.

Both 'Storm on the Island' and 'Ozymandias' focus on the overconfidence humans have in their own power. 'Storm on the Island' begins with the opening phrase 'We are prepared:'. This short, firm beginning suggests that the islanders feel they are definitely protected from the storm, and the caesurae in the first two lines mimic the solid structure of their 'squat' houses, built from 'rock' and 'good slate'. The first and last two lines of the poem end with a half-rhyme, although there is no consistent rhyming scheme throughout the poem. This may reflect their certainty in the protection of their houses, however another interpretation is that it gives the poem a cyclical structure. 'prepared' suggests that such storms have happened many times before, and it is almost madness for the islanders to expect their property will not be damaged by it this time. The tyrant in 'Ozymandias' expected his power to last forever - he calls upon the readers of the message inscribed on his pedastal to 'Look upon my Works, ye Mighty / And despair!'. This grandiose line is quickly followed by 'Nothing beside remains'. This stark contrast highlights the extent to which people are mislead about their own individual importance in the world, and his statement is ironic. He challenges other rulers, telling them to 'despair', as Ozymandias' kingdom is supposedly greater than theirs. However, in reality, Ozymandias should 'despair', as his power will eventually crumble like his statue.

In 'Storm on the Island', man is portrayed as destroying nature as it is seen as a threat to his own power. The society imagined in this poem is very unnatural and shocking to the reader - the 'wizened earth' (meaning it is completely barren and bare and cannot produce any crops), has 'never troubled [them]'. The islanders would rather have their island completely desolate and lifeless so nothing could be damaged in a storm, rather than have a beautiful island, full of life. Their 'walls' are sunk 'in rock', which has the connotation that they are completely unwilling to leave their island, and will instead continue this futile battle against nature rather than seek peace. 'the sea' and 'trees' are described as being 'no company', and the islanders are glad that there are no trees, as they would become a distraction from their constant work of preparing for the storm. In other words, man wants nature to be weak so his own creations can survive. In Ozymandias, man is not seen as destroying nature directly, but rather such oppression is focused on the king's subjects, who are 'mock'd' and belittled by the king, yet they depend on him to provide food for them. One may question whether or not one individual should have so much power as to be able to kill fellow human beings without needing justified reason.

Shelley presents nature as much more powerful force than humanity. All leaders and man-made institutions will ultimately fall, and nature will once again claim back the world, and Earth will eventually be filled by the 'lone and level sands' of the desert. Once one of the most powerful rulers in the world is now represented by nothing but the 'shatter'd visage' on a ruined statue. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue built in Ancient Greece, build on the coast where lots of people entering the city could see it and marvel at the power of such a great civilisation. This, however, collapsed. Despite its collapse, an educated person during the time the poem was written would still be aware of the existence and history of the statue, which suggests that some elements of human power can still be preserved long after their relevance by things such as education and art. However, it can be inferred that a few more thousand years later (if that), Ozymandias' statue will have completely fallen, and there will be nothing left to remember him by. This ultimately shows that no human creation can outlast nature and the passage of time, and thus the latter is the more powerful.

In 'Storm on the Island', nature is seen to be fighting back at the islanders. While a long time ago, 'man' and 'tree' lived in cooperation, and watching the trees would have been a comfort during a storm, man has tried to defend itself from the natural processes of nature (storms) and thus has tried to destroy nature. Nature stages a counterattack and turns on man - the sea 'hits / The very windows' of houses, whilst the wind 'dives and strafes invisibly'. Diving suggests a wild, irrational movement, which is unlike a sane human, suggesting nature is a more dangerous force. Nature is likened to a 'tame cat / Turned savage'. A cat is a domestic pet, which used to (and still can) exist as a wild animal. Perhaps Heaney is trying to illustrate that we should not aim to domesticate and 'tame' nature, as it is not natural. The cat may represent nature's attempt to fight back against man and return to the natural order, where nature dominates man. Nature returns to its wild and uncontrollable state during the storm - it attacks the islanders, who are 'bombarded by the empty air'. This is part of a semantic field of war, suggesting that nature is like an enemy army on a battlefield. And nature is clearly the superior force, as all the islanders can do is 'just sit tight' as nature freely acts upon its will.

In conclusion, both poems present nature as the enemy of man. In 'Ozymandias', nature is shown to be the greater force, sweeping away all traces of human power and existence - this is a warning poem to future leaders to not fight against nature (and to not oppress those they rule over). In 'Storm on the Island', nature is shown to destroy the island and their houses regardless of their meticulous preparations for it. Both poems show that attempting to outsmart time and nature is futile, as an individual man or group of men are relatively insignificant in relation to the greater universe and history.

Reply 1

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

Great summary of both poems and their differences and similarities in theme to start off with
I would focus on including more language analysis (and maybe analysis of structure and form of the poems) more consistently throughout focusing on different levels of analysis in one or two quotations per paragraph rather than paraphrasing and focusing all your attempting on meaning- although your meaning to the quotations is amazing and will get you lots of marks but language analysis and organisation could be a good thing to improve on slightly
Overall really good response, I would say maybe around 25 or 26 out of 30 (marked against the aqa markscheme). Your use of context is excellent and informs your answer really well and your interpretations of the message of the poems is fantastic.