gcse essay english
could someone mark and grade this pleasee and give me feedback i have a mock on friday so really need thiss
Compare the ways poets present power and control in ‘Ozymandias’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’.
In both Ozymandias by Percy Shelley and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, the poets explore the corrupting and fragility of human power. However, while Shelley focuses on the temporary nature of power and its eventual decay through time and nature, Browning exposes the psychological and abusive control of power through the Duke’s relationship with his late wife, revealing his obsession with dominance, jealousy, and status. Both poets explore the arrogance of powerful men, but do so through different forms, voices and different approaches.
Both Ozymandias and the Duke in My Last Duchess abuse their power, using it to dominate others and portray themselves as superior. Ozymandias’ arrogant presentation of power is revealed through, “look on my words, ye mighty and despair!” look is an imperative, it’s a stressed syllable that highlights his commanding tone, this statement is ironic as he is telling other mighty kings to admire the size of his statue and despair – but really they should despair because power is only temporary. More importantly, this line hightlights his boastful and narcisttic attitudes as he tells others to “despair”, as their achievements will never equal his works. The exclamation makr after despair reflects on his triumphant attitude once initimidating his enemies. In this line its also seen that Ozymandias sees himself as all powerful, but time has completely destoryed everything. This tone is mocking. The Duke’s power in my last duchess is expressed as controlling and possessive, “I gave commands then all smiles dropped”. Euphemism tells us that the Duke ordered his wifes murder, the use of language here is cold and clinical indicating his lack of emeotion and reinforces that he sees her as a possesion rather than the fact he loves her. Both ozymandias and the duke demonstrate power as cruel and used for control, but Ozymandias’s approach is more public and political, its portrayed as power over an empire, while the Duke’s is power over a woman, so it more personal and private.
Ultimately, the poems highlight how power is both fragile and short lived and manipulative and lasting. Shelley shows that no matter how mighty someone is, time and nature will expose their weaknesses and reduce their legacy to ruins. The desert imagery, "The lone and level sands stretch far away," emphasises the vast emptiness that surrounds Ozymandias’s statue and his insignifiacance that the desert is contrasting with the broken statue, symbolising how his once-great empire has been swallowed by natrue, leaving nothing behind but decay and unimportance. It suggests a metaphorical levelling, that no matter how superior you are in life, in death were all equal and have nothing. It reveleas the futility of mens aspirations for domination. Eventually all will fall to dust and all frutiless actions forgotten. In comparison, Browning ends My Last Duchess with the Duke pointing to a statue of “Neptune... taming a sea-horse,” symbolising his obsessive need to dominate and control, even in art. This final image reflects a power that is still actively enforced — the Duke controls not only people but also how they're remembered.
Ozymandias and My Last Duchess use structural techniques to reflect how power is presented — either as broken and decayed or as tightly controlled and manipulative. Ozymandias is represented as a sonnet which is usually seen to be a love poem but is the complete opposite. The poem ozymandias also contians an irregular rhyme scheme, indiicating how human structure and power can be broken, theres also a volta at line 9, which again reflects how human structures can be destroyed or decayed. The fragmented structure mirrors the ruiend statue and the collapse of power. Unlike Ozymandias, My Last Duchess is written as a dramatic monologue, meaning only the Duke speaks and the visitor stays silent the whole time which shows complete power. Theres also use of enjambment because the Duke is expressing his irritation towards his wife as a result of her disloyalty. This technique reflects on his inability to contain his thoughts which leads to him ranting about the dynamic within the marriage, hes getting carried away with his anger. Shelley’s structural form reflects the collapse of power through the use of structure as Ozymandias’ power has faded. Browning’s form shows tight control, the structure used represents that the Duke is ongoing and dangerous.
In conclusion, Ozymandias and My Last Duchess both explore how power can be destructive, fragile, and rooted in arrogance. Shelley, a Romantic poet who disliked the oppression of ordinary people, wrote this at a time when King George III was ruling; he was symbolic of Ozymandias. Shelley was inspired to write Ozymandias because of a recent event around the time of an unearthing of an egyptian pharoah, egyptians believed pharoahs were like Gods and their power would last forever. In contrast, Browning, who was born in England but moved to Italy for a few years wrote this during the Victorian era, a time obsessed with status, reputation, and patriarchy, where women had to please their husbands. The poem he wrote included his interests of culture, history and art.
Compare the ways poets present power and control in ‘Ozymandias’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’.
In both Ozymandias by Percy Shelley and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, the poets explore the corrupting and fragility of human power. However, while Shelley focuses on the temporary nature of power and its eventual decay through time and nature, Browning exposes the psychological and abusive control of power through the Duke’s relationship with his late wife, revealing his obsession with dominance, jealousy, and status. Both poets explore the arrogance of powerful men, but do so through different forms, voices and different approaches.
Both Ozymandias and the Duke in My Last Duchess abuse their power, using it to dominate others and portray themselves as superior. Ozymandias’ arrogant presentation of power is revealed through, “look on my words, ye mighty and despair!” look is an imperative, it’s a stressed syllable that highlights his commanding tone, this statement is ironic as he is telling other mighty kings to admire the size of his statue and despair – but really they should despair because power is only temporary. More importantly, this line hightlights his boastful and narcisttic attitudes as he tells others to “despair”, as their achievements will never equal his works. The exclamation makr after despair reflects on his triumphant attitude once initimidating his enemies. In this line its also seen that Ozymandias sees himself as all powerful, but time has completely destoryed everything. This tone is mocking. The Duke’s power in my last duchess is expressed as controlling and possessive, “I gave commands then all smiles dropped”. Euphemism tells us that the Duke ordered his wifes murder, the use of language here is cold and clinical indicating his lack of emeotion and reinforces that he sees her as a possesion rather than the fact he loves her. Both ozymandias and the duke demonstrate power as cruel and used for control, but Ozymandias’s approach is more public and political, its portrayed as power over an empire, while the Duke’s is power over a woman, so it more personal and private.
Ultimately, the poems highlight how power is both fragile and short lived and manipulative and lasting. Shelley shows that no matter how mighty someone is, time and nature will expose their weaknesses and reduce their legacy to ruins. The desert imagery, "The lone and level sands stretch far away," emphasises the vast emptiness that surrounds Ozymandias’s statue and his insignifiacance that the desert is contrasting with the broken statue, symbolising how his once-great empire has been swallowed by natrue, leaving nothing behind but decay and unimportance. It suggests a metaphorical levelling, that no matter how superior you are in life, in death were all equal and have nothing. It reveleas the futility of mens aspirations for domination. Eventually all will fall to dust and all frutiless actions forgotten. In comparison, Browning ends My Last Duchess with the Duke pointing to a statue of “Neptune... taming a sea-horse,” symbolising his obsessive need to dominate and control, even in art. This final image reflects a power that is still actively enforced — the Duke controls not only people but also how they're remembered.
Ozymandias and My Last Duchess use structural techniques to reflect how power is presented — either as broken and decayed or as tightly controlled and manipulative. Ozymandias is represented as a sonnet which is usually seen to be a love poem but is the complete opposite. The poem ozymandias also contians an irregular rhyme scheme, indiicating how human structure and power can be broken, theres also a volta at line 9, which again reflects how human structures can be destroyed or decayed. The fragmented structure mirrors the ruiend statue and the collapse of power. Unlike Ozymandias, My Last Duchess is written as a dramatic monologue, meaning only the Duke speaks and the visitor stays silent the whole time which shows complete power. Theres also use of enjambment because the Duke is expressing his irritation towards his wife as a result of her disloyalty. This technique reflects on his inability to contain his thoughts which leads to him ranting about the dynamic within the marriage, hes getting carried away with his anger. Shelley’s structural form reflects the collapse of power through the use of structure as Ozymandias’ power has faded. Browning’s form shows tight control, the structure used represents that the Duke is ongoing and dangerous.
In conclusion, Ozymandias and My Last Duchess both explore how power can be destructive, fragile, and rooted in arrogance. Shelley, a Romantic poet who disliked the oppression of ordinary people, wrote this at a time when King George III was ruling; he was symbolic of Ozymandias. Shelley was inspired to write Ozymandias because of a recent event around the time of an unearthing of an egyptian pharoah, egyptians believed pharoahs were like Gods and their power would last forever. In contrast, Browning, who was born in England but moved to Italy for a few years wrote this during the Victorian era, a time obsessed with status, reputation, and patriarchy, where women had to please their husbands. The poem he wrote included his interests of culture, history and art.
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