My Poem

The night is cold and nobody is awake

The days feel dull, and everybody is the same.

nobody has a unique thought

don’t stand out, or you’ll get caught

its never a problem, until its too late

by then there’s nobody to help change society’s fate

you’re all alone with nothing left to do

you could follow their rules, or stand up for yourself.

get on your knees, and follow their orders,

or risk your life,  fight status quo close quarters

“oh, well maybe it won’t be so bad to behave”

convincing yourself that you’re different than their slave

but in reality you’re just afraid

afraid to be up against them

so you choose the safest choice

to try and stay alive

become a puppet like the rest of them

what you’re doing is hardly living

My Poem Analysis

The poem above, written by Cameron Markel contains repetition, metaphor, and some hyperbole. These devices come together to portray the theme of societal apathy, and denial of problems. The poem was inspired by Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451.

In line one and two of the poem the words “nobody” and “everybody” rhyme. These lines seem to talk about the status quo of society, and how people try to fit in. next up the third and fourth lines there is rhyme between “thought” and “caught”, again bringing attention to the societal standards, and how standing out, and being different is frowned upon in a society so reliant on control through power. The next two lines, numbers five and six use a basic rhyme scheme with the words, “late” and “fate”. This line is saying that people need to speak up before it is too late, or else there won’t be an option to speak up again. On line seven, there is not any rhyming, but it does continue a similar message from the line above. It says, “you’re all alone with nothing left to do”(7) which is just the continuation to line above. The following line provides the two main options, towards how people could act towards the controlling behaviour of society. The following line, number nine has a metaphor, “get on your knees, and follow their orders” (9) This is a metaphor because getting on your knees is a symbol of giving up. This option being the submissive option, resulting in giving up your rights. many people decide the safe option because it is the easy way to fit in. The line below talks about the opposite option, containing a hyperbole saying to “fight status quo close quarters” (10) The hyperbole being the fighting close quarters part, because it is unlikely you would physically be fighting the people in charge as your first attempt at solving things. Also in this line the word quarters, and the word orders from the line above rhyme. Line eleven is a quote, as if someone were trying to justify to themselves why it wouldn’t be so bad to just let it happen. The following line states that the people try to convince themselves that they are doing it out of their own choice, because people don’t like to feel out of control. The next two lines use repetition of the word afraid, which seems like it is to make people realize that it isn’t actually their choice, and that people just like to believe it is. The following two lines don’t seem to have any literary devices, and it just means people tend to choose the safe option of the two, using the argument of how cooperating is best for their life long term.  The next line has a metaphor that says “become a puppet like the rest of them” (17) the metaphor here is comparing the members of society that don’t resist, and abide by the rules to puppets, since puppets get  controlled by the puppet master and they are the ones who pull the stings. Just like the citizens who’s strings are being pulled by the people in control. The last line of the poem says “what you chose is hardly living” (18) which relates to a line from earlier that talks about them just wanting to stay alive. This line says that a life where none of the choices you make are yours, isn’t really your life.

Societal apathy, and denial of problems, don’t result in living a sincere life. Only through courage and standing up in what you believe in can you live the life you desire.

A Photo That Relates to my Poem

This photo relates to my poem because burying your head in the sand is an expression for ignoring the bad that goes on around you, which is exactly what happens in society all the time.

Cite: https://thenegotiator.co.uk/dont-bury-your-head-in-the-sand/

Analysis of “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Throughout Percy Bysshe Shelley’s sonnet poem, Ozymandias, the author uses descriptive language, metaphor, alliteration, and personification to display that mankind’s power is not permanent.

One of the ways Percy displays this theme is by using effective words. There are many examples of this but a good one would be “Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command”(4,5) This is a really good section to demonstrate Percy’s use of descriptive language, because the words like shattered, frown, wrinkled, and cold, all paint a picture in the readers mind, which is likely what the author was intending. Another good example of descriptive language is “two vast trunkless” (2) This is good description because it is a more detailed way of just stating that there is a state with no body.

As for the metaphor used in this poem, a standout extended metaphor is that the statue represents power, and order all through the poem. The statue is symbolizing the power and command. This extended metaphor relates back to the theme, because the statue is a prime example of how power is permanent. It does this by describing the run down statue, that was made for Ozymandias’s legacy.

Percy uses alliteration quite a few times in the writing. The first being “cold command”(5) being used to describe the cold, and commanding smile on the severed head of the statue. Another being “Boundless and bare”(13), which is being used to display the nothingness surrounding the old withered down statue. Two more time where Percy used alliteration, is ” The lone and level sands stretch far away.”(14) Again being used to describe the nothingness that surrounds the fallen ruler Ozymandias’s statue.

Percy uses personification to describe the decaying statue and give it a sense of being alive when physically all it is, is a couple large chunks of stone. it gets brought to life with quotes like “two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert”(2,3) or “Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command”(4,5). These are both good examples because they are called legs of stone, and said to be standing, however they are really just shaped rocks that balance up vertically. The half sunk shattered visage refers to the severed head, while the sneer of cold command is just a mouth carved into the stone. This is a good use of personification, because it is giving the statue a cruel emotion.

Power and command will always be temporary, no matter how large of an influence you think you left on people.