Week 4:
In Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias" the tone is one of misery or gloom. The poem is about a traveller who meets a man on his journey. The man tells the traveller about a place hes been where there is a destroyed statue in the sand of a man.
On the statue that is now " two vast and trunkless legs of stone, stand in the desert."(line2-3)
read the words " My name is Ozymandias king of all kings"(line10).Ozymandias believed that he would always be important and remembered, even if his people hated him like they did. But even Ozymandias would not surpass the harsh bitterness of time.Ozymandias was vain, he was the only one who thought of himself so greatly. Now all that's left of him legacy, is a statue in the middle of no where for no one to see. That is why the poem has a tone that shows the misery or even melancholy attitude to its readers.
Thanks Madison.
ReplyDeleteI know it's a lot harder to do in an imaginary essay where you aren't actually writing the rest, but there are a few things about your introductory paragraph here that I'd like you to keep in mind when you're writing your next full essay.
Avoid summarizing the poem. I know what happens in "Ozymandias," and so do you. Telling your reader what the poem is about is not a good use of your time. Spend time telling YOURSELF this stuff, so you're sure you understand it, but when you're writing an essay move right past the facts of the poem to what those facts mean and why they matter.
Your introduction should give a sense of your scope. When I read your first paragraph I should know where the whole essay is going. I should know what your main point is and also what you're going to use to support, prove, or argue that main point.