Sunday, January 10, 2016

Ozymandias

Answers to text book questions:
Ozymandias
1.    “The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed”. Whose hand and heart has the poet referred to in this line?
Answer: The sculptor’s hands and heart of Ozymandias are referred to in this line. It was the sculptor whose hands had skilfully portrayed the expression and the inner most emotions of Ozymandias while making the statue.

2.    “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings”. Why does Ozymandias refer to himself as King of Kings? What quality of the king is revealed through this statement?

Answer: Ozymandias was an arrogant King. He believed himself to be the most powerful king, superior than the kings that is why he refers to himself as King of Kings. This statement shows that the king must be very proud of his achievements.

3.    Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” Who is Ozymandias referring to when he speaks of ye Mighty? Why should they despair?

Answer: Ozymandias is probably referring to the other kings. He wants to be awestruck by his works and feel despair at his achievements.

4.    Bring out the irony in the poem.

Answer: There is situational irony. The once powerful king had a grand statue built so that he would be immortalized and everyone looking at it would be impressed by his greatness. But with the passage of time the statue was shattered into pieces; lying against the backdrop of mighty nature. The king was forgotten.

5.    “Nothing beside remains”. What does the narrator mean when he says these words?

Answer: Apart from the trunkless legs on the pedestal and a shattered visage, no remains of the once colossal statue can be seen in the vast desert. By saying this, the narrator tries to highlight that with the passage of time everything is destroyed.

6.    What is your impression of Ozymandias as a king? 

Answer: Ozymandias was an arrogant, boastful and aggressive king who considered himself to be superior and incomparable in regard to his achievements. He built a colossal statue of himself so that he was immortalised, but he did not take into account the fact that with the passage of time everything in this world gets decayed and destroyed.

7.    What message is conveyed through the poem ?
Answer: The poem conveys that all human success, glory and achievement is transient and temporary. With the passage of time everything is destroyed and only thing that is permanent is nature.


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