![]() The colloquial language, such as “legs it”, creates an informal and conversational tone. In ‘Remains’, Armitage immediately thrusts the reader into the soldier’s first-hand experience of war. Again, the regret and remorse felt by Armitage’s solider is apparent in the quote “the drink and drugs won’t flush him out”.īoth ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage and ‘War Photographer’ by Carol Ann Duffy explore the emotional, physical and psychological impacts on the poems’ subjects, as a result of war. This is different to Duffy’s poem, where the duty is being actively and voluntarily undertaken, with the present progressive verb “preparing” telling the reader this. For example, in ‘Remains’, the repetition of “probably armed, possibly not” demonstrates how the duty he undertook still haunts him the guilt he carries is inescapable and impossible to shed. In contrast, ‘Remains’ by Simon Armitage depicts a solider from the Iraq war who is struggling with excruciating guilt and remorse after taking a looter’s life. Such a sacrifice would be salient to the reader and elicit much gratitude and sympathy, which could have been the objective of Duffy, who is friends with people (McCullin and Griffiths) who specialise in war photography and have struggled with what they have witnessed. This simile signifies that he is acting out of a solemn duty, as a priest would, performing a ritual that may not be pleasant, but must be done regardless. This sense is compounded by the simile “as though…he a priest preparing to intone a Mass”. Alternatively, “he” is no longer affected by it, despite there being large quantities (“spools”) of presumably quite lurid (“suffering”) imagery before him. For instance, the alliteration / sibilance “spools of suffering” is rhythmically read aloud with ease and almost rolls off the tongue, implying that, perhaps due to experience, this process has become instinctive. In ‘War Photographer’, the protagonist appears to have become inured and desensitised to the horrors of war. Ironically, the power of nature has reduced Ramesses’ statue to a “shattered visage” and a “colossal wreck”. Many Egyptians would have feared Ramesses II, who, like his ancestors, would have aspired to achieve a sense of immortality through statues erected and dedicated to them. This is immediately followed by the harsh alliterative “c” sound of his “cold command”, reflecting his harsh demeanour and ultimate power to control an empire. ![]() In the opening octave of ‘Ozymandias’, what is immediately apparent is the plethora of negative language detailing Rameses II’s “frown”, “wrinkled lip” and “sneer”. ![]() Significantly, both poems convey the message that power has the ability to change and influence people and their actions. ‘Tissue’ concentrates on the power of “paper” and the impact it can have on human lives. ‘Ozymandias’ centres around one of the most celebrated and powerful pharaohs of the Egyptian Empire (Ramesses II), who reigned for sixty-six years, from 1303 BC - 1213 BC. Both ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘Tissue’ present nature as the fundamental and overlooked symbol of power within our world, whilst depicting the efforts of mankind to control or overpower it as futile. ![]()
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