English XI Ch 13 Ozymandias SQ & Notes FSc FA ICS ICom KPK FBISE

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Q.1) What is the theme of the poem ‘Ozymandias?’
Answer: The theme of the poem rests on the fact that everything comes to an end and nothing is immortal in this world. It gives a reminder to the affluent, powerful people of the society that their power, achievement, fame and fortune have no real worth as they are temporary. Those who think that they have all the powers and they are going to enjoy the same position and stature forever, they are actually deceiving themselves.

Q.2) Describe in your own words the anatomical conditions of the statue of king Ozymandias, as portrayed by Shelley.
Answer: The statue of the Ozymandias was quite huge in size as it was reflected in the lines, “Two vast and trunk less legs of stone stand in the desert.” There was no specific shape of the statue of Ozymandias as it was shattered and its parts were sunken in the desert sand. The lips were wrinkled with a mocking smile on them.

Q.3) What is the tone of the poem ‘Ozymandias?’
Answer: The tone of the poem has ironic solemnity. The sharp contrast between the boasting of the king through the inscribed lines on pedestal and the shattered condition of the statue in the remote desert represents situational irony. The king vanished with all his grandeur but what left behind is just his broken statue.

Q.4) Throughout the poem ‘Ozymandias’, Shelley uses alliteration. Give some examples and show what purpose do they serve?
Answer: Shelley uses alliteration throughout the poem. Some examples of alliteration from the poem are:
stand, sand
cold, command
boundless and bare
sands stretch
The purpose that alliteration serves in Ozymandias is to produce sonic effects and create rhythm to the poem. The lyrical quality of alliteration creates a pleasant and bright impact on the mind of the readers.

Q.5) Describe the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Answer: The rhyme scheme of the poem is ab ab ac dc ed ef.

Q.6) Describe the imagery of the poem ‘Ozymandias.’ What sort of picture does it evoke? How much the imagery contributes to the tone of the poem?
Answer: The imagery of sight is impressively used by the poet that helps the readers to imagine the whole picture of the statue, for instance, “two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert”. Apart from this the facial expressions show the arrogance of the king as the lips are wrinkled and frowned. The imagery contributes greatly to the tone of the poem as it is ironic in nature. Though the inscribed lines on the pedestal represent the pride and boasting nature of the king but the shattered statue tells the opposite story to the readers that nothing is immortal in this world not even the mighty kings or arrogant rulers last forever.

Q.7) The inscribed lines on pedestal of the statue have ironic overtone. Explain the implied meaning of these words.

Answer: The inscribed lines on pedestal of the statue are the clear representation of pride, arrogance, and grandeur of the mighty king. These lines have ironic overtone. Furthermore, the words that appear on the pedestal of the statue also speak of the egotism of the cruel king and imply how bold, proud and commanding he is. But in reality, the shattered statue tells the opposite story as the king is dead and nothing worthwhile is left behind except the broken statue.

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Writing

Write your considered views in one paragraph on the implications of these lines:

“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing besides remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Answer:
The implications that one can draw from the above-mentioned lines of the poem ‘Ozymandias’ include the reflection of the power and arrogance of King Ozymandias who was once an arrogant, rude king. It shows that nothing is immortal in this world, everything has an end. Same happens with the statue of Ozymandias that it too perished, boundless and bare, all alone. One can understand the simple lesson of life from these lines that nothing remains forever so one must not show arrogant, rude, egoistic attitude towards others and life as well.