Ozymandias Q: How can I consider the presentation of the a character in a new poem? Word of the day Visage (n.) - a person's face, or the face of a statue. Starter: What is happening in this picture? Challenge: What can you infer about the emotional atmosphere?
Why are statues created in honour of people? Think. Pair.Share. Why are statues created in honour of people? How does it change your view if you know that the person represented by the statue ordered its creation?
What kind of character is he? 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 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.' Percy Bysshe Shelley Read through the poem. Are there any words/phrases that you do not understand? Who is Ozymandias? What kind of character is he? Challenge: Why has the poet chosen such an unusual name for the character?
Group Task: On the next few slides are some key questions focused on an area of the poem that you will answering in your groups. You will then be feeding back your responses to the rest of the class and sharing your understanding of the text as a whole group. In terms of differentiation- the earlier 1-2 slides are simpler. The latter three consider more challenging questions- you may wish to set them accordingly. With a group work task it will also help to consider assigning ‘roles’ to ensure clarity of work produced and productivity from all students. You have 20 minutes. In this time you will be expected to: Discuss and respond to all of the questions Consolidate your ‘best’ ideas clearly on the sugar paper- ready to feedback to the class
What does the name of the poem suggest? Who is the narrator/speaker? Subject and Intention What does the name of the poem suggest? Who is the narrator/speaker? What are they writing/speaking about? What happens during the poem, and does anything change? Do you think the poem has a message for its readers? If so, what is it? Challenge: Why might the name of the speaker be particularly ‘unusual’? What impact does this have on the reader?
Are there any similes or metaphors? What do they suggest? 2. Imagery What do you see when you read the poem? What is the effect of these images? Does the poet use explicit language to create vivid imagery, or hint at things that the reader must interpret? Why? Are there any similes or metaphors? What do they suggest? Do any of the images remind you of anything? Might they be symbolic? If so, of what? Challenge: How many alternative impressions of these images are there? Is there room for multiple interpretations?
Is the language formal? Colloquial? Simple? Poetic? Why? Does the poet use any linguistic techniques? Alliteration? Repetition? Assonance? Sibilance? What can you infer? Is the language formal? Colloquial? Simple? Poetic? Why? Which words stand out to you? Ambiguities? Connotations? Why did the poet choose them? Challenge: How do the techniques ‘work together’ to create an overall tone or impression?
Challenge: Which is the most powerful aspect of structure and why? 4. Structure and Form of the poem (how it is constructed) Compare the start of the poem with its end – do you notice any change (perhaps in subject matter, language or tone)? What does this tell you? Do you notice any patterns in the poem (rhyme, stanza-length, rhythm, repetition), or is the poem irregular? Why do you think this is? Are the lines end-stopped? Is enjambment used? To what effect? Do you notice anything about punctuation? Word- or line-length? What does it suggest? Do you notice any contrasts in the poem? Oxymoron? Contrasting characters? Contrasting vocabulary? Different themes? What is the effect of this? Challenge: Which is the most powerful aspect of structure and why?
Are there any changes in tone? If so, where do they occur, and why? How does the poem make you feel? What does the writer do to make you feel this way? What tone of voice is employed? Mocking? Humorous? Matter-of-fact? How does this affect the reader? Are there any changes in tone? If so, where do they occur, and why? Challenge: How do you think the writer feels about hierarchies? What about heroes? How is this attitude demonstrated?
Plenary Each group has 4 minutes to share their ideas using the ‘consolidated’ responses on their sugar paper. As they present- the rest of the group should be noting down as many ideas as possible (Remember- in your exam you will need to include ‘multiple’ ideas and interpretations to be credited for an ‘exploratory’ response)
Homework Watch Mr Bruff’s Grade 9 analysis video and add to your annotations