Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."
Reading #1: Read through the poem while listening to it being read by Bryan Cranston and attempt to figure out meaning.
1. Circle any unknown words
2. Star powerful words or meanings
3. Put question marks next to things that confuse you or that are hard to understand
We go through the words they didn't understand first and discuss what the poem might be about. Then we discuss what the poem is about, identifying point of view and multiple narrators.
As students infer using information from the text, I also give them some background info about the poem. For example, did you know that Percy Shelley and his friend Horace Smith both wrote poems about Ozymandias? At the time, a new exhibit at the British Museum inspired them to both write on the topic and see whose poem was more successful. Knowing the origins of the poem definitely added to student understanding.
1. Highlight words with strong connotation
2. Underline examples of figurative language
3. Note in margins the stylistic elements
Then we discuss what the tone of the poem is, using textual evidence to prove our claims.
Reading #3: Finally, we identify the theme of the poem and prove the theme using textual evidence. Students write a paragraph wherein they must use direct quotes from the poem to prove the theme they have discovered.
As the students go through the readings, they complete TPCASTT: Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude, Shift, Title, Theme.
"On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness" by Arthur Guiterman The tusks that clashed in mighty brawls Of mastodons, are billiard balls. The sword of Charlemagne the Just Is ferric oxide, known as rust. The grizzly bear whose potent hug Was feared by all, is now a rug. Great Caesar’s bust is on my shelf, And I don’t feel so well myself. | We started by comparing "Ozymandias" to another poem, "On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness" by Arthur Guiterman. Students did a great job of discovering the different tone and stylistic elements. We also had a great discussion about how the themes were similar, despite the differences. |
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listened as the crowd would sing
Now the old king is dead long live the king
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you'd gone there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world