Unit 9 -Topic 1-A

The key concept in the poem “Ozymandias” that the author Percy Bysshe Shelley is trying to get across to the reader is that once you die you cannot take valuable items with you. The imagery in this poem is a key concept in developing the theme. The fourth line states, “Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown.” (Bysshe Shelley, 721). This helps the reader imagine that in the desert their lies a valuable piece, but at the same time nobody is able to see it, because after all it is in the desert. In this poem one gets to discover the multiple speakers that are presented. Each has their own different view, that add to the depth of the poem. The first one the reader encounters is the speaker. He is telling the story. This adds to the poem in the fact that this “great encounter” is worth telling and it shows meaning to the poem. The first line states, “I met a traveler form an antique land.” (Bysshe Shelley, 721). Right from the start one can tell that the information presented by the traveler is valuable, therefore it is worth telling to a complete stranger, the speaker. The traveler is also a speaker that gives meaning and relevance to the poem. The main point in this poem is that vanity items never last. However the poem describes some items that do last. Lines six and seven state, “Tell that its sculptor well those passions read which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,” (Bysshe Shelley, 721). This helps explain that passion and one’s own personality, dignity, and memories will never die, but their possession will in time.