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GCSE · English Literature

GE.T-PowerConflict Literature: Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology

AQA 8702 · Calculators not allowed · about 130 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Show all your working.

Ozymandias, by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1818)

Public domain (pre-1928). Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote this sonnet in 1817, reportedly in a friendly competition with fellow poet Horace Smith, and published it in 1818. It is part of the AQA Power and Conflict cluster and is reproduced here in full for original comprehension and analysis questions written for Revision Library.

I met a traveller from an antique land

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.

For each poem below, state whether it is pre-1928 (out of copyright) or a twentieth or twenty-first century poem (in copyright).

a) 'Ozymandias' (Shelley)
b) 'London' (Blake)
c) 'My Last Duchess' (Browning)
d) 'Remains' (Armitage)
e) 'Kamikaze' (Garland)
f) 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (Tennyson)

(a)'Ozymandias' (Shelley)(1)

(b)'London' (Blake)(1)

(c)'My Last Duchess' (Browning)(1)

(d)'Remains' (Armitage)(1)

(e)'Kamikaze' (Garland)(1)

(f)'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (Tennyson)(1)

(Total for Question 1 is 6 marks)

Match each literary term to its correct definition by writing the correct letter next to each number.

Terms:
1 Hubris
2 Volta
3 Dramatic monologue
4 Caesura

Definitions:
A a poem in which a single speaker addresses a silent listener, often unintentionally revealing their own character
B excessive pride or overconfidence, often leading to a downfall
C a deliberate pause or break within a line of poetry
D a turn or shift in argument or mood, often found partway through a sonnet

(Total for Question 2 is 4 marks)

'Ozymandias' is written as a sonnet (a fourteen-line poem), but Shelley subverts some of the traditional sonnet conventions.

a) Identify one way the rhyme scheme of 'Ozymandias' deviates from a strict, regular sonnet rhyme scheme.
b) Suggest one reason why Shelley might have chosen an irregular rhyme scheme for a poem about a fallen tyrant.

(Total for Question 3 is 2 marks)

Answer both short questions below.

a) Which poem is a dramatic monologue in which a duke discusses a portrait of his 'last duchess' with a silent visitor?
A) 'Ozymandias'
B) 'My Last Duchess'
C) 'London'
D) 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'

b) Which poem describes a colossal, broken statue in the desert bearing a boastful inscription?
A) 'London'
B) 'Ozymandias'
C) 'Remains'
D) 'Kamikaze'

A) 'Ozymandias'
B) 'My Last Duchess'
C) 'London'
D) 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'

(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)

Two poems in the anthology explore how conflict can change a person's sense of identity or belonging, even though they take very different approaches to the idea.

Give the titles of two anthology poems (other than 'Ozymandias') that could be used to explore this idea, and briefly state, in general terms, why each is relevant.

(Total for Question 5 is 4 marks)

Name one anthology poem, other than 'Ozymandias', that uses an irregular or unconventional structure (for example broken stanzas, inconsistent line lengths, or a lack of clear rhyme scheme), and explain in general terms what effect this kind of structure usually has on a reader encountering a poem about conflict.

(Total for Question 6 is 4 marks)

Read lines 1 to 6 of 'Ozymandias':

'I met a traveller from an antique land
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'

Explain how Shelley's use of a frame narrative, a traveller reporting what he saw, affects the reader's understanding of the ruined statue.

(Total for Question 7 is 6 marks)

Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (1854) uses a distinctive galloping metre and a repeated refrain.

Explain how form and structure are used in this poem to reflect its subject matter (a doomed cavalry charge during the Crimean War).

(Total for Question 8 is 6 marks)

Read lines 9 to 11 of 'Ozymandias':

'And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"'

Analyse how Shelley uses irony in these lines to present ideas about power.

(Total for Question 9 is 8 marks)

Read the final three lines of 'Ozymandias':

'Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.'

Analyse how Shelley presents the power of nature and time over human power in these closing lines, and consider how this relates to the poem as a whole.

(Total for Question 10 is 8 marks)

Write about how ideas of pride are presented in 'Ozymandias'.

(Total for Question 11 is 10 marks)

Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess' (1842) is a dramatic monologue in which a duke shows a portrait of his late wife to a visitor, gradually revealing his controlling and possibly murderous jealousy.

Write about how Browning presents the Duke's abuse of power in 'My Last Duchess'.

(Total for Question 12 is 10 marks)

Wilfred Owen's 'Exposure' presents the experience of soldiers suffering in freezing conditions during the First World War, arguably facing the weather as a more immediate threat than the enemy.

Write about how the poet presents the suffering caused by conflict in 'Exposure'.

(Total for Question 13 is 10 marks)

Compare how poets present the impact of conflict on soldiers in Ted Hughes's 'Bayonet Charge' and one other poem from the Power and Conflict anthology of your choice.

In your answer, you should compare:
- the poets' ideas about the impact of conflict on soldiers
- the methods the poets use to present these ideas
- the effects of these methods on the reader.

(Total for Question 14 is 12 marks)

Compare how poets present the lasting effects of conflict on individuals in Jane Weir's 'Poppies' and Carol Ann Duffy's 'War Photographer'.

In your answer, you should compare:
- the poets' ideas about how conflict continues to affect people after the event
- the methods the poets use to present these ideas
- the effects of these methods on the reader.

(Total for Question 15 is 12 marks)

Compare how poets present ideas about the abuse of power in 'Ozymandias' and one other poem from the Power and Conflict anthology of your choice.

In your answer, you should compare:
- the poets' ideas and attitudes towards the abuse of power
- the methods the poets use to present these ideas
- the effects of these methods on the reader.

You should also consider the contexts in which the poems were written.

(Total for Question 16 is 16 marks)

Mark scheme · GE.T-PowerConflict Literature: Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology

Question 1

(a) B1 pre-1928 / out of copyright (1818)
(a) Answer: Pre-1928 (1818).
(b) B1 pre-1928 / out of copyright (1794)
(b) Answer: Pre-1928 (1794).
(c) B1 pre-1928 / out of copyright (1842)
(c) Answer: Pre-1928 (1842).
(d) B1 twentieth/twenty-first century / in copyright
(d) Answer: In copyright (21st century).
(e) B1 twentieth/twenty-first century / in copyright
(e) Answer: In copyright (21st century).
(f) B1 pre-1928 / out of copyright (1854)
(f) Answer: Pre-1928 (1854).

Question 2

B1 1-B
B1 2-D
B1 3-A
B1 4-C
Answer: 1-B, 2-D, 3-A, 4-C

Question 3

B1 identifies that the rhyme scheme is irregular/unconventional for the sonnet form, e.g. it does not follow a standard Petrarchan (ABBAABBACDECDE) or Shakespearean pattern throughout (oe)
B1 valid suggestion, e.g. the broken pattern mirrors the broken, decayed statue and the collapse of the king's supposedly permanent power (oe)
Answer: The rhyme scheme is irregular rather than following a standard sonnet pattern. This broken form could mirror the physically broken statue and the decline of Ozymandias's power.

Question 4

B1 a) B
B1 b) B
Answer: a) B - 'My Last Duchess'. b) B - 'Ozymandias'.

Question 5

B1 valid poem title 1, e.g. 'The Emigree' or 'Checking Out Me History' or 'Kamikaze' or equivalent
B1 valid brief reason for poem 1 linked to identity/belonging/conflict (oe, no quotation required)
B1 valid poem title 2, different from poem 1, e.g. 'Checking Out Me History' or 'The Emigree' or 'Kamikaze' or equivalent
B1 valid brief reason for poem 2 linked to identity/belonging/conflict (oe, no quotation required)
Answer: Any two of: 'The Emigree' (explores a speaker's relationship with a lost or troubled homeland), 'Checking Out Me History' (explores a speaker reclaiming a suppressed cultural identity), 'Kamikaze' (explores how a pilot's choice affects his standing within his own family and community).

Question 6

Level 2 (3-4): Names a valid poem and gives a clear, generalised explanation of the effect of an irregular structure on the reader, using appropriate subject terminology.
Level 1 (1-2): Names a valid poem with little or no explanation, or gives a generalised comment on structure with no named poem.
Indicative content:
- 'Storm on the Island' uses irregular, unrhymed blank verse, which can make the poem feel closer to natural, unpolished speech, matching its conversational tone.
- 'Bayonet Charge' uses a single, unbroken stanza with variable line lengths, which can mirror the disorientation and lack of control felt by a soldier caught mid-charge.
- 'Exposure' uses an unresolved, repeating structure with a returning refrain, which can suggest the monotony and hopelessness of waiting in freezing conditions.
- Accept any other valid anthology poem with a genuinely irregular structure and a plausible, generalised explanation of effect.

Question 7

Level 3 (5-6): Clear, relevant explanation of the effect of the frame narrative, supported by well-chosen textual reference and accurate use of subject terminology.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation of the effect of the frame narrative, with some supporting reference; some use of subject terminology, not always secure.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on the traveller or the statue; simple or generalised reference; simple or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- The statue is described at several removes: Shelley reports what the traveller told him, who in turn describes what he saw, creating distance between the reader and Ozymandias.
- This distancing structure means the tyrant's power is only ever encountered second-hand and already in ruins, reinforcing the idea that his authority no longer has any direct force in the world.
- The phrase 'antique land' suggests a setting remote in both time and place, adding to the sense that the events described are safely, almost mythically, distant from the reader.
- The plain, conversational reporting style ('Who said') contrasts with the grandeur the statue was designed to project, subtly undercutting Ozymandias's intended effect before the description even begins.
- Accept any other valid, textually supported interpretation of the frame narrative's effect.

Question 8

Level 3 (5-6): Clear, relevant explanation of how form and structure reflect the subject matter, using accurate subject terminology and general awareness of the poem's method.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation of form or structure, with some relevant comment; some use of subject terminology.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on form or structure; simple or generalised reference; simple or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- The poem uses a strong, driving dactylic rhythm which mimics the physical rhythm of galloping horses, immersing the reader in the momentum of the charge.
- The repeated refrain 'the six hundred' and the recurring line 'Rode the six hundred' give the poem a chant-like, memorial quality, as though the poem is designed to be recited or remembered like a tribute.
- The short, urgent lines and repetition of commands ('Forward, the Light Brigade!') mirror the soldiers' lack of time to question their orders.
- The poem's structure, moving from the charge itself to reflection on the soldiers' honour, allows Tennyson to combine celebration of bravery with an implicit criticism of the leadership that caused the loss of life ('someone had blundered').
- Accept any other valid, generalised point about form/structure reflecting subject matter.

Question 9

Level 4 (7-8): Convincing, exploratory analysis of the irony of the inscription, supported by well-chosen textual reference and precise use of subject terminology.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear, relevant analysis of the irony, supported by relevant textual reference and accurate use of subject terminology.
Level 2 (3-4): Some understanding of the irony, with some supporting reference; some use of subject terminology, not always secure.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on the inscription; simple or generalised reference; simple or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- The inscription boasts of permanent, unrivalled power ('king of kings') and commands other rulers to 'despair' at the scale of his achievements, showing extreme pride/hubris.
- This boast is immediately undercut by what surrounds it in the poem: the statue is 'shattered', 'half sunk' and surrounded only by empty desert, so the 'works' the inscription refers to no longer exist.
- The command 'despair' was presumably meant to intimidate rival rulers with envy at Ozymandias's power, but for the reader it now carries the opposite, ironic meaning: rulers should despair at how completely even the greatest power fades over time.
- The exclamation mark and imperative mood ('Look on my works') capture the tyrant's arrogant, commanding voice, which contrasts sharply with his current powerlessness as a ruined, forgotten statue.
- Shelley's use of dramatic irony here reflects his own radical political views and Romantic-era scepticism about the supposedly eternal authority of monarchs and empires.
- Accept any other valid, textually supported analysis of the irony.

Question 10

Level 4 (7-8): Convincing, exploratory analysis of how nature and time are presented as more powerful than human rule, with well-integrated reference to the whole poem and precise subject terminology.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear, relevant analysis of the closing lines, supported by relevant textual reference and accurate use of subject terminology.
Level 2 (3-4): Some understanding of the closing lines, with some supporting reference; some use of subject terminology, not always secure.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on the ending; simple or generalised reference; simple or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- The blunt short sentence 'Nothing beside remains' brings the poem to an abrupt, final-sounding stop, emphasising total loss rather than any lasting legacy.
- The 'lone and level sands' that 'stretch far away' present the desert as vast, empty and indifferent, dwarfing the once-mighty statue and, by extension, Ozymandias's kingdom.
- The repetition of long vowel sounds and soft sibilance in 'boundless and bare' and 'stretch far away' slows the pace of the final lines, mirroring the endless, featureless landscape that has outlasted the tyrant.
- The juxtaposition of the tiny, shattered 'colossal wreck' against the enormous surrounding desert reinforces the poem's overall argument that natural time will always outlast human power and pride, however great it once seemed.
- This ending connects back to the ironic inscription earlier in the poem, since it is time and nature, not any rival king, that ultimately fulfils the command to 'despair'.
- Accept any other valid, textually supported analysis linking the ending to the poem's wider ideas about power.

Question 11

Level 5 (9-10): Convincing, conceptualised response exploring how pride is presented across the whole poem, supported by well-chosen quotation and precise, sustained use of subject terminology; relevant awareness of Romantic-era context integrated naturally.
Level 4 (7-8): Clear, exploratory response to how pride is presented, supported by well-chosen textual reference and accurate subject terminology; some relevant reference to context.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear, relevant explanation of pride in the poem, with relevant textual reference and generally accurate subject terminology.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation of pride in the poem, with some supporting reference; some use of subject terminology.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on pride; simple or generalised reference; simple or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- Ozymandias's pride is shown most directly through his own inscribed words, 'king of kings', which claim an unmatched, almost god-like status among rulers.
- His pride is also implied through the sculptor's craftsmanship: the 'sneer of cold command' captures a permanent expression of contempt and superiority, suggesting Ozymandias's arrogance was well known even to those who served him.
- The command to other rulers to 'despair' shows pride that expects to intimidate rather than inspire, revealing a ruler more interested in dominance than respect.
- The poem punishes this pride structurally: the boastful inscription is immediately followed by a description of total ruin, so the reader experiences Ozymandias's downfall directly after his proudest claim.
- Contextually, Shelley was a radical thinker who distrusted absolute monarchy and inherited power; the poem can be read as a wider warning about the pride of any tyrant or empire that believes its power will last forever.
- A strong response might note that Shelley never criticises Ozymandias directly, instead letting the irony of the ruined setting expose the emptiness of his pride without authorial comment.

Question 12

Level 5 (9-10): Convincing, conceptualised response exploring how the Duke's abuse of power is presented across the poem, supported by well-chosen general reference to the poem's content and method, and sustained, accurate subject terminology; relevant awareness of context.
Level 4 (7-8): Clear, exploratory response, supported by well-chosen reference to the poem and accurate subject terminology; some relevant reference to context.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear, relevant explanation of the Duke's abuse of power, with relevant reference to the poem and generally accurate subject terminology.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation of the Duke's power or control, with some supporting reference; some use of subject terminology.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on the Duke; simple or generalised reference; simple or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- The Duke's controlling attitude is shown through his treatment of the portrait, which he keeps behind a curtain that only he may draw back, symbolising his desire to control access to, and the image of, his late wife even after her death.
- His casual, almost boastful revelation that he had her behaviour stopped ('all smiles stopped together') implies he ordered her death for smiling too readily at others, presented in an unsettlingly calm, conversational tone that makes the abuse of power more chilling.
- The dramatic monologue form traps the reader inside the Duke's perspective and self-justification, gradually exposing his need for absolute control over how his wife is perceived, without any other voice able to challenge his account.
- The Duke's negotiation, near the end of the poem, over a dowry and a new wife shows him treating women as possessions to be acquired and displayed, reducing marriage to a transaction that reinforces his social and economic power.
- The Duke's boasting about his 'nine-hundred-years-old name' reveals that his abuse of power is bound up with an inherited sense of aristocratic entitlement, suggesting the poem critiques not just one man but a wider system of unquestioned, hereditary male power.
- Contextually, Browning's monologue can be linked to Renaissance Italian court culture, in which a duke's authority over his household, and his wife, was rarely challenged, making the silent listener's presence feel especially powerless.

Question 13

Level 5 (9-10): Convincing, conceptualised response exploring how suffering is presented across the whole poem, supported by well-chosen general reference to the poem's content and method, and sustained, accurate subject terminology; relevant awareness of context.
Level 4 (7-8): Clear, exploratory response, supported by well-chosen reference and accurate subject terminology; some relevant reference to context.
Level 3 (5-6): Clear, relevant explanation of suffering in the poem, with relevant reference and generally accurate subject terminology.
Level 2 (3-4): Some explanation of suffering in the poem, with some supporting reference; some use of subject terminology.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on suffering; simple or generalised reference; simple or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- The poem presents extreme cold and wind as an antagonist as dangerous as, or more dangerous than, the human enemy, creating a sense of helplessness against forces the soldiers cannot fight back against.
- A repeated, unresolved refrain running through the poem ('but nothing happens') creates a sense of endless waiting and psychological suffering caused by monotony and uncertainty, alongside physical hardship.
- The poem's use of half-rhyme and an unsettled rhythm can suggest disorientation and physical discomfort, mirroring the soldiers' suffering at the level of sound and form as well as content.
- Imagery associating the soldiers with sickness and death is juxtaposed with memories of a warm, comfortable home life, sharpening the reader's sense of what has been lost and increasing the poem's emotional impact.
- The poem's largely static, cyclical structure, returning again and again to the same conditions, suggests that the soldiers' suffering has no clear end or resolution, reinforcing a mood of despair rather than heroism.
- Contextually, Owen wrote from direct experience as a soldier in the First World War, and the poem is often read as challenging more patriotic, glorified portrayals of conflict common at the time.

Question 14

Level 6 (11-12): Exploratory, critical comparison of both poems, with a sustained overview across both texts and precise, discriminating use of general reference and subject terminology; sophisticated awareness of relevant context.
Level 5 (9-10): Convincing, developed comparison of the poets' ideas and methods, supported by well-chosen general reference and accurate subject terminology; relevant awareness of context.
Level 4 (7-8): Clear, relevant comparison of ideas and methods, supported by relevant reference to both poems and generally accurate subject terminology.
Level 3 (5-6): Some relevant comparison of ideas or methods, with some supporting reference from at least one poem; some use of subject terminology.
Level 2 (3-4): Mostly narrative or descriptive comment on one or both poems, with little genuine comparison; general or generalised reference.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on one poem only, or on conflict in general; little or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- 'Bayonet Charge' presents the impact of conflict as sudden and disorientating, showing a soldier acting on instinct rather than conscious patriotic belief once the charge has actually begun.
- A student might compare this with 'Exposure', where the impact of conflict is instead slow, drawn-out physical and psychological suffering caused by extreme weather rather than a single violent moment.
- Alternatively, a comparison with 'Remains' could focus on how both poems show conflict causing lasting psychological damage, whether in the disorientated present-tense action of a charge or in a soldier's guilt and flashbacks long after the event.
- Both 'Bayonet Charge' and many other anthology conflict poems use violent, unsettling imagery of the natural world (for example animals or landscape) to reflect the soldier's internal state rather than describing emotion directly.
- A strong comparison should note similarities and differences of method, for example one poem's use of a single, breathless unbroken stanza to convey urgency compared with another poem's more measured, repetitive structure conveying prolonged suffering.
- Well-supported comparisons using any other valid Power and Conflict poem (for example 'Kamikaze', 'War Photographer' or 'Storm on the Island') exploring the physical or psychological impact of conflict on individuals should be credited equally.

Question 15

Level 6 (11-12): Exploratory, critical comparison of both poems, with a sustained overview across both texts and precise, discriminating use of general reference and subject terminology; sophisticated awareness of relevant context.
Level 5 (9-10): Convincing, developed comparison of the poets' ideas and methods, supported by well-chosen general reference and accurate subject terminology; relevant awareness of context.
Level 4 (7-8): Clear, relevant comparison of ideas and methods, supported by relevant reference to both poems and generally accurate subject terminology.
Level 3 (5-6): Some relevant comparison of ideas or methods, with some supporting reference from at least one poem; some use of subject terminology.
Level 2 (3-4): Mostly narrative or descriptive comment on one or both poems, with little genuine comparison; general or generalised reference.
Level 1 (1-2): Simple, limited comment on one poem only, or on conflict in general; little or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- 'Poppies' presents the lasting impact of conflict through a mother's private, ongoing grief and worry for a son who has gone to war, focusing on the domestic and emotional aftermath rather than the conflict itself.
- 'War Photographer' instead presents the lasting impact through a professional who has witnessed conflict directly and now struggles to process his memories and emotional distance once back in an indifferent, comfortable home environment.
- Both poems explore a contrast between an ordinary, safe domestic setting and the intrusion of conflict's memory or consequences, though 'Poppies' centres on a parent's anxiety while 'War Photographer' centres on professional trauma and guilt.
- Both poets use structured, controlled forms (regular stanzas or careful pacing) which could suggest an attempt by the speaker to manage or contain difficult emotions, rather than expressing them in an uncontrolled way.
- A comparison might contrast the more private, personal register of 'Poppies' with the more detached, almost clinical tone sometimes used in 'War Photographer', reflecting the different relationships each speaker has to the conflict described.
- Both poems ultimately suggest that conflict's effects extend far beyond the battlefield or event itself, continuing to shape the emotional lives of those connected to it long afterwards.

Question 16

Level 5 (13-16): Exploratory, critical comparison of the poets' ideas and methods, with a sustained overview across both texts; detailed, discriminating analysis integrating precise textual evidence from 'Ozymandias' and well-chosen general reference to the second poem; sophisticated understanding of how meaning is shaped, including well-integrated consideration of relevant context.
Level 4 (10-12): Clear, relevant comparison of the poets' ideas and methods, supported by well-chosen textual detail from 'Ozymandias' and relevant reference to the second poem; accurate use of subject terminology; some relevant awareness of context.
Level 3 (7-9): Some relevant comparison of ideas and methods, supported by relevant reference to at least one poem; explanation of language, structure or form is attempted but may be uneven; terminology used with some accuracy.
Level 2 (4-6): Mostly narrative or descriptive comment about the poems, with limited comparison; general reference to at least one text; limited use of subject terminology.
Level 1 (1-3): Simple, generalised comment on power or one poem only; little or no comparison; little or no use of subject terminology.
Indicative content:
- In 'Ozymandias', abuse of power is shown through the tyrant's own boastful inscription, 'king of kings... Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair', which reveals a ruler who used his power to intimidate and demand admiration from others.
- A comparison with 'My Last Duchess' could focus on how the Duke, like Ozymandias, reveals his own abuse of power unintentionally, through his own words, implying he had his wife's behaviour, and possibly her life, controlled or ended because she would not submit fully to him.
- A comparison with 'London' could focus on how Blake presents abuse of power as systemic and institutional, oppressing ordinary people through 'mind-forged manacles' and corrupt authority, rather than through a single fallen tyrant.
- Both 'Ozymandias' and a chosen second poem typically expose abuse of power through irony: the powerful figure's own words or actions, reported by someone else, end up condemning them rather than celebrating their authority.
- Structurally, 'Ozymandias' undermines the tyrant across the sonnet form itself, moving from grand boast to total ruin within fourteen lines, while a chosen comparison poem may use its own structural choices (for example a dramatic monologue's unravelling logic, or repeated institutional imagery) to expose abuse of power over a longer or more gradual unfolding.
- Context is important to both poems: Shelley's radical, anti-monarchist views shape 'Ozymandias' as a warning about the impermanence of tyranny, while the context of the chosen second poem (for example Renaissance court culture for 'My Last Duchess', or Blake's radical response to eighteenth-century London for 'London') shapes how its abuse of power is presented and understood.
- The strongest responses will directly weigh both poems against each other throughout, rather than discussing each poem separately, and will reach a clear, supported overview of how each poet uses their chosen methods to expose the abuse of power.
- Well-supported comparisons using any other valid Power and Conflict poem exploring the abuse of power (for example 'Checking Out Me History' on institutional/colonial power, or 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' on military command) should be credited equally.

Literature: Power and Conflict Poetry Anthology - Worksheets, Questions and Revision