Poetry Analysis _ Pear

ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH
Percy Bysshe Shelley uses diction to stress the instabilities of human nature. In the

poem, Shelly emphasizes the fact that there is nothing that will be long lasting especially

prosperity and power. The way he uses lifeless to describe the statue, emphasizing the fact

that there is nothing in the world that is eternal. The statue in the story is King Ozymandias

who was once very powerful as he was described as King of Kings. However, both statue

and the king are subjected to mortality. The word lifeless highlights the fact that he already

died and his power is no longer remained and gradually fades away from people in the

society. This further stresses in the last few lines, here My name is Ozymandias, King of

Kings;/ Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! / Nothing beside remains. Round the

decay (line 10-12) The way Shelly uses the word Mighty, and despair to describe his

work or the statue shows that there is no true power and thing that can be eternally

remained. Even though the statue is created by him with his intention to make it represent his

power, at the end of the day people in the later generation still forget about his power unlike

what he hoped for. The word despair in this context represent of his desperate need of his

power to be long lasting and passes on to later generation even he died. However, the word

nothing further highlights that the other things that King did beside this statue are gone and

disappear as a matter of time. Also, the statue that is the symbol of him and still survive will

eventually wreck and decay and it will turn into the sands in the desert one day that it

might not leave any trace for future generation to know about him.