Comparison of Poems the Magpies and Ozymandias Essay

In the two numberss, The Magpies by Denis Glover and Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley a common theme is that of mans immortality. In The Magpies this theme is made curiously apparent through the comparison of the immortality of Elizabeth and Tom with natures ability to remain constant due to its continuous regeneration. Mean magic spell, in Ozymandias a king has a statue built however just like him the statue does non survive and is actually left abandoned and forgotten in the desert. This theme of immortality is also shown through a range of techniques such as the structure, pick of language, imagery, movement and sounds. Likewise, this theme is illustrated through the distinctive tone of the author in all(prenominal) poem. The poem The Magpies has a truly set structure of six four-line stanzas. In each of these stanzas the last two lines describe the sounds of the magpies, while the first two lines are about Tom and Elizabeth. The snatch line of each stanza also rhymes wit h the last line of each The magpies said. For instance in the first stanza the second line is, The bracken made their go to bed.This rhyming of the lines about Tom and Elizabeth with the magpies said links the two in concert and creates the idea of the magpies watching everything Tom and Elizabeth do. Likewise the structure of the last two lines be about the magpies enhances the idea that the magpies are constant and despite the cadence that has passed, the pines grew overhead the magpies are still there while Tom and Elizabeths lives come to an end, Elizabeth is drained now The poem Ozymandias is also written in the format of an iambic pentameter and has an irregular rhyming pattern throughout. The rhyming pattern helps to link the poem together and create a sense of flow and almost lyrical rhythm. For example the first line, an antique land, rhymes with the third line, on the sand. The poem is also not broken into stanzas like The Magpies and is sort of presented as a sonnet made up of an octet and a sestet. In the octet the question that is posed is, who does the statue in the desert represent? as the statue is only described as trunkless legs of stone and a shatterd visage.In the sestet this question is thusly answered through the quoting of the words found on the plaque on the statues pedestal, My name is Ozymandias, king of kings. The structure of this poem is interesting as in the one-sixth line the poem reads, its sculptor well those passions read however it is not until the tenth line that the man the statue is of is named. This arrangement of the poem creates the idea that although Ozymandias was the one who outfit the statue to be built and claims it as his, Look on my works it is not really his works that have survived but those of a nameless sculptor. In the poem, The Magpies the choice of language is interesting as it is very simple and straight to the point. It also has some contradictions in the features use upd, for example it states E lizabeth is dead now while when describing Toms declining mental state it uses the euphemism Old Tom went light in the head.The use of the onomatopoeia of the magpies calls, and Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle enhances how irritable the magpies calls are and the repetition of this take up same sentence illustrates how the magpies are constant and unchanging. However, the very last refrain of the magpies ends with the magpies say which creates the idea that even now and into the future, the magpies will anticipate to live on the farm that Tom and Elizabeth left so long ago. This is in keeping with the theme of the poem which is mans mortality as it shows how homosexual lives are limited while nature as a whole is constantly regenerating so can outlast any individual. unconnected The Magpies, the poem Ozymandias uses much more descriptive and poetic language. For instance the country that the traveler is from is described as an antique land. As the reader assumes that the travel ler is from the land where the statue stands this metaphor emphasises the idea that the country has a long, rich history.Likewise, the smashed face of the statue is described as a shatterd visage. beginning rhyme is also a language feature that is used regularly throughout this poem. For example the statue is described as having a sneer of cold command. The labored c sounds illustrate that Ozymandias was not a kind ruler but one who ruled strongly over his people with very little compassion. In the last two lines of the poem alliteration is also used when describing the physical appearance of the desert such as boundless and bare and lone and level. This use of alliteration emphasises how free the statue is and the soft consonant sounds provoke an image of rolling desert plains unbroken by human civilisation. In the poem Ozymandias the use of adjectives to describe the size of the statue, vast and colossal, add to the irony of the piece as despite the statues immense size it is n othing compared to the magnitude of the desert and disregarding of its size it has still been forgotten.This relates to the idea of the mortality of man as although Ozymandias statue has survived long after his death his statue does not cause the despair that he hoped it would but instead is now forgotten by most and mocked by the few who have found his works. This also creates an idea of human perception as while Ozymandias saw the statue as threatening, the sculptor saw it as an opportunity to make a mockery of Ozymandias egocentric personality. In the poem The Magpies by Denis Glover and Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley a common theme is that of immortality. In both poems this idea is explored through features such as structure and the use of language techniques. The structure of the two poems were different, however each was suited to the authors purpose.For example in The Magpies the author illustrates the theme of human mortality through the comparison of the length of the lives of Elizabeth and Tom with the seemingly endlessness of the presence of the magpies. Meanwhile, in Ozymandias the poem is arranged in a sonnet which resigns the author to let the poem flow despite its irregular rhyme pattern. The use of the chosen language techniques in each piece is also necessary for the emphasis of the theme of immortality. For instance in The Magpies the most significant feature is the onomatopoeia of the magpies call. As this refrain is unchanged throughout the poem it illustrates the point that despite mans best efforts to tame nature it is often possible for a short time as human lives are limited while nature continuously regenerates.In Ozymandias the use of alliteration is essential as it allows for a greater understanding of just how isolated and abandoned the statue is. This in turn creates the idea that although Ozymandias had the statue built to immortalise himself and leave a legacy on earth as he was not the sculptor they are not really his work s that remain and are remembered but those of an unnamed artist. Both these poems illustrate how people can spend their time on earth working hard to reach perfection or an ultimate goal but in the end it is often impossible and does not allow them to be any more immortal than the next person. Perhaps then people would do better to accept that their time is restricted and work with these limitations to go over that their time is not wasted in seeking immortality or creating a useless legacy and instead doing what good they can in the short time that they are given.