Q. Compare how the writers present ideas about power in London and one other poem from the anthology.
Both London and Ozymandias explore cruelty. In Ozymandias, Shelley tells the story of a traveller who comes across a statue of an ancient ruler. Shelley makes clear the ancient ruler looked down on his people by writing ‘sneer of cold command’. This imagery helps the reader to imagine the facial expression of the statue, which gives the reader an indication of the kind of ruler Ozymandias was. Shelley’s use of the word ‘sneer’ implies that Ozymandias looked down on his people. Shelley’s use of the words ‘cold command’ suggest that he was a heartless, unkind ruler who did not show any warmth towards his people. Shelley uses Ozymandias as an example of other cruel leaders, such as King George, King of England at the time Shelley was writing, who did not use their power to look after their people. In London, Blake demonstrates that the poor people suffer from the cruelty of their leaders by writing that they are in ‘mind-forged manacles’. This imagery helps the reader to imagine that the poor people are in chains and are trapped. The chains in this image symbolise how trapped the poor people feel as a result of having no money or opportunities. Blake uses his poem to criticise people in power for allowing this cruelty to continue.
Both poems explore misuse of power. In Ozymandias, Shelley makes clear the ruler was arrogant by writing that he had the words ‘king of kings’ written on the base of his statue. Not only did Ozymandias misuse his power and his country’s money to have a statue erected for himself, but he also chose to describe himself as the best king on the base of the statue, which indicates how arrogant he was. Shelley criticises Ozymandias for being arrogant, as this is not a good quality in a leader. Leaders should use their power to help others, not to put up statues that celebrate how powerful they are. Shelley uses the arrogance of Ozymandias to criticise other leaders, such as King George, who was king of England at the time Shelley was writing. In London, Blake criticises the church’s misuse of power by describing it as ‘blackening’. Blake’s use of the word ‘blackening’ associates churches with funerals because black is the colour many people wear when they attend funerals in churches. Perhaps Blake does this in order to criticise the church for not doing enough to help poor people, and poor children especially, who worked in terrible conditions in factories and up chimneys. Many of these people died as a result of the terrible and unsafe working conditions. The colour black could symbolise the church’s responsibility for their deaths. Although he was a religious man, Blake was angry with the church for not doing more to stop poor people from being exploited in this way.
Both poems explore nature and humankind. Shelley makes clear Ozymandias no longer has power by describing his statue as a ‘colossal wreck’. This imagery helps the reader to imagine that the statue has been destroyed and lies in pieces on the sand. Shelley’s use of the word ‘colossal’ represents how huge Ozymandias’s power was when he was still alive. Shelley’s use of the word ‘wreck’ not only helps the reader to imagine the destroyed statue but also refers to how little power Ozymandias still has. Shelley gives the reader a very clear message about the power of nature versus the power of humankind.Through the fact that the statue has been destroyed by nature, Shelley clearly indicates that nature is far more powerful. In contrast, humans are more powerful than nature in London. In the opening stanza, Blake describes the River Thames as ‘chartered’, which indicates that even the river, which is something natural and should be owned by everyone, is owned by the wealthiest people in London. Blake’s repetition of the word ‘chartered’ emphasises the anger he feels about the charter system, which resulted in large parts of the city, including the river, being owned and managed by the wealthy people, leaving nothing for the poor. Blake uses his poem to challenge inequality in London at the time.
Q. Compare how the writers present ideas about power in London and one other poem from the anthology.
Both Blake and Shelley use their poems, ‘London’ and ‘Ozymandias’, to expose the ways that power has been abused by leaders of Empires new and old.
Both writers highlight how the populace suffer under cruel leaders. In ‘Ozymandias’, Shelley tells the story of a traveller who comes across a statue of the ancient ruler, Ozymandias (better known as Rameses II). Shelley conveys a sense of the pharoah’s superiority over his people when he describes the statue with a ‘sneer of cold command’. This vivid imagery helps the reader to imagine the disdainful facial expression of the statue, and therefore the supercilious attitude of the ruler himself. Shelley’s choice of the word ‘sneer’ implies that Ozymandias looked down on his people. Furthermore, the 'sharp 'C' sound in the alliterative phrase ‘cold command’ actually makes the words sound cruel, reflecting the idea of a heartless, unkind ruler who showed no warmth or compassion towards his own people. Shelley cleverly highlights the cruelty of Ozymandias’ rule through his pondering of the ancient statue; arguably though, he also uses the image of ‘Ozymandias’ to reflect on the cruelty of contemporary leaders, such as King George. George III was King of England at the time Shelley (and Blake) was writing; King George was criticised for his reckless spending and failure to look after his people. Unlike Shelley however, Blake does not focus on the cruelty of one ruler but instead highlights the numerous ways that people suffer because of an imbalance of power with the monarchy, church and financial institutions. In the opening stanza of ‘London’ Blake describes the River Thames as ‘chartered’, which indicates that even the river, which is something natural and should be owned by everyone, is owned by the wealthiest people in London. Blake’s repetition of ‘chartered’ emphasises the anger he feels about the charter system, which resulted in large parts of the city, including the river, being owned and managed by the wealthy people, leaving nothing for the poor.
Like Shelley, Blake uses his poem to criticise the people in power who cause or allow this cruel inequality to continue.
Both Shelley and Blake explore the misuse of power in their poems. In Ozymandias, Shelley emphasises the pharaoh's pride and arrogance through the declaration ‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings’ written on the base of his statue. Not only did Ozymandias misuse his power and his country’s money to have a statue erected for himself, but the blasphemous boast ‘King of Kings’ suggests that he saw himself as a god-like figure of irreproachable power and status. Perhaps Shelley draws attention to Ozymandias’ self-consumed arrogance in order to emphasise the traits of a tyrant. Good leaders use their power to help others, yet history is full of tyrants who erect great monuments but abuse their power and people. In London, Blake shows that he is appalled by the church’s misuse of power by describing it as ‘blackening’. Blake’s choice of the word ‘blackening’ connotes.death, despair and corruption, in sharp contrast to the light, goodness and hope that Christianity is supposed to represent. Perhaps Blake does this in order to criticise the church for not doing enough to help the poor people (and children) who worked, suffered and sometimes died in terrible conditions in factories and up chimneys. Interpreted this way, the colour black could also symbolise the church’s responsibility for their deaths. Although he was a religious man, Blake’s damning imagery makes it clear that he was angry with the church for not doing more to stop poor people from being exploited in this way.
Whereas Shelley shows that Ozymandias’ power was in the past, Blake’s poem emphasises the ongoing oppression of the poor. For all the pride and arrogance conveyed through Shelley’s portrayal of the great ruler, the bitter irony is that Ozymandias no longer has power. The ancient statue is a ‘colossal wreck’. This oxymoronic imagery perfectly conveys both the ‘colossal’ scale of Ozymandias’s power when alive, and the desolate ‘wreck’ of his statue’s (and Empire’s) remnants. Shelley gives the reader a very clear message that the power of nature and time is more powerful than humankind, and even the most powerful leaders and Empires (Eygptian or British) will fade eventually. This idea of time and nature breaking down man’s power and pride is also reflected in the structure of the poem, as Shelley’s choice of a sonnet with tight rhymes could be seen to reflect Ozmandias’ tight control; however Shelley subverts the conventional rhyme scheme at points perhaps to show that nature and time are beyond humankind’s control. In contrast, Blake’s ‘London’ is very much in the present. He uses four regular quatrains and a tight ABAB rhyme scheme to reinforce the sense of oppression and to show how people feel that the control in London is neverending. Furthermore, Blake demonstrates how the poor are oppressed by the ongoing cruelty of the rich and powerful through the metaphor of ‘mind-forged manacles’. This emotive imagery helps the reader to imagine and pity the poor people in chains. Because Blake describes the chains as ‘mind-forged’ he draws attention to the mental anguish of a multitude who suffer due to social and financial constraints. Unlike physical chains, these bonds cannot be easily removed; the poor are so accustomed to hardship and poverty that they see no possibility of change. Perhaps Blake creates this sense of control and ongoing oppression to expose the imbalance of power in late 18th century London and maybe to provoke the reader’s sense of injustice. Unquestionably, the two poems show that the abuse of power has always been an issue, as those in power continue to oppress the poor for their own gain.