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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 8 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What part of the statue is still standing when the traveler sees it?
2. Which lines contain caesuras?
3. How many voices are heard in "Ozymandias"?
4. What is the meter of the poem's first two lines?
5. What is the likely purpose of capitalizing "Works" (line 11) and "Wreck" (line 13)?
Short Essay Questions
1. How does the poem's setting support its main point?
2. What poetic techniques create impact in the line, "Half sunk a shattered visage lies" (line 4)?
3. How does the epithet that Ozymandias gives himself help the reader understand the intentions behind his quote?
4. What claims does the poem make about the statue's sculptor?
5. Briefly summarize the action of the poem.
6. Describe the poem's form.
7. Identify the three voices heard in "Ozymandias."
8. Explain the irony of the poem's ending.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The passage from Ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus that both Shelley and Smith used as the basis for their poems is this:
One of these, made in a sitting posture, is the greatest in all Egypt, the measure of his foot exceeding seven cubitts. This piece is not only commendable for its greatness, but admirable for its cut and workmanship, and the excellency of the stone. In so great a work there is not to be discerned the least flaw, or any other blemish.
Upon it there is this inscription: – 'I am Osymandyas, king of kings; if any would know how great I am, and where I lie, let him excel me in any of my works.’ (The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian, translated by George Booth, page 53).
Write an essay that considers how Shelley transformed this source material into the action of "Ozymandias." What did he keep? What did he cut? What did he add or reshape? How do these choices reveal Shelley's thematic intentions? Support your claims with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both "Ozymandias" and the passage by Diodorus Siculus.
Essay Topic 2
Read one of Shelley's more obviously political poems: either "The Masque of Anarchy" or "England in 1819" (both are available online). Then, write an essay comparing and contrasting his approach to political subject matter in the poem you chose and "Ozymandias." Use textual evidence from both works as support for your ideas; cite all sources in MLA format.
Essay Topic 3
Write an essay in which you consider the three voices in "Ozymandias" as "stand-ins." Who might the speaker stand in for? Who might the traveler represent? What about Ozymandias himself? As you consider your answers to these questions, think about why each voice is necessary to the poem's overall meaning. Support your ideas with evidence from the poem; if you use outside sources, be sure to cite these in MLA format.
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This section contains 888 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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