OZYMANDIAS
Short Answers Type Questions
1. Comment on the irony of the pharaoh’s words, ‘Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Ans. This quote means that no one will ever be able to overcome this work. One might even conclude from this that Ozymandias would even challenge God himself. The irony in this is that all that remains of the mighty Ozymandias is this broken statue, and that this statue, which was intended to create fear, is now only licking the dust.
2. Briefly describe the statue of Ozymandias.
Ans. The statue is big in size. Two legs without upper body of the statue of Ozymandias are still standing on a pedestal. The half-broken face is lying shattered near the legs, half buried in the sand. There is an inscription on the pedestal that says, ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
3. Describe the look on the face of the statue.
Ans. The expression on the face of the statue was that of hate . It seemed as if the king was looking upon everyone with contempt.
4. What was written on the pedestal of the statue of Ozymandias?
Ans. The followings words were stated on the pedestal of the statue. “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye mighty and despair.”
Long Answers Type Questions
1. Bring out the irony in the poem.
Ans. The traveller sees the half-broken statue of Ozymandias which tells quite a different tale than that which Ozymandias had hoped it would be . Ozymandias got the statue erected thinking that it would represent enduring power, but only a broken heap of stones ravaged by time remains. The face of the statue is ‘shattered,’ and it no longer commands anyone or anything.
2. Write a brief character sketch of Ozymandias.
Ans. He was a powerful ruler who wanted the pomp and show of his power. He was proud of his power and hated the people in common. The inscription on the pedestal said ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ The expression on the face of the statue was that of a sneering contempt. He was living a life of fake and cruelty.
3. As the traveller, write a diary entry about what you saw in the ancient land where you had gone on a visit.
Ans.
14th september 2018
Thursday
Time- 11.30 pm
Dear diary,
I travelled to a place where ancient civilisation once existed. I saw an old, fragmented statue in the middle of the desert, which had a face of a person. The face looked stern and powerful, liken that a ruler. The sculptor did a good job at expressing the ruler’s personality which consisted of disdain and contempt for others. The irony of the situation is reflected in the writing on the pedestal which said: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ No other evidence of his strength except this giant, broken statue, could survive the ravages of time. This incident reminds one of man’s mortality and how all his pride gets destroyed while only art remains.
Good night
4. As the sculptor, write a diary entry about the statue of Ozymandias you created.
Ans.
14th september 2018
Thursday
Time- 11.30 pm
Ozymandias commissioned me to create his statue. He was an arrogant ruler. Every time I look at him, I see disdain and contempt for others. He was a powerful ruler who wanted the pomp and show of his power. He was proud of his power and hated the people in common. He wants me to carve on the pedestal ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ I wonder, will my art survive?
5. The proud Ozymandias lies forgotten in the desert. Comment.
Ans. Ozymandias used to call himself the `king of kings’ and boast of his works of art like the statue, pyramids. He used to think that he would be remembered for eternity. He achieved, both politically and artistically hisgh position but all was short lived. The statue is a symbol of Ozymandias’s ambition, pride, and absolute power. The value derived from the poem is that kingdoms and political regimes will eventually crumble, leaving no trace of their existence.
6. “The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.” Whose hand and heart has the poet referred to in this line?
Ans. The hands of the sculptor had quite skilfully carved the face and had brought out all the expressions of cruelty and arrogance of the king, for the viewer to see what sort of feelings he had in his heart which fed those feelings. They are there even today because of the craftsmanship of the sculptor.
7. “Nothing beside remains.” What does the narrator mean when he says these words?
Ans. Ozymandias, the king of kings, the mightiest ruler of his times had led the life of a man perpetually in pursuit of power, might, worldly pleasures. He had fought many battles and expanded his kingdom to an unthinkable vastness. After his death, nothing remained, time had wiped every trace of his kingdom, there was a vast sandy desert that remained. The piece of art survived the ravages of time, because even in the broken pieces of the statue one could read the face lying on the ground and get to know what sort of man he actually was.
8. What is your impression of Ozymandias as a king? •
Ans. Ozymandias was a powerful king of his times. He was considered • • mightiest of the mighty king. He had fought many battles and had brought untold wealth and had expanded his kingdom into a huge one. He built palaces and set an example among his contemporaries, who felt humbled when they saw his achievements. The facial expression of the broken head, lying on the ground half-sunk in sand conveys he was a cruel despot, who was very arrogant and looked down upon his subjects with contempt. But, he was not spared by time. He met his end, his vast kingdom mingled with dust; there was no trace of it. He himself had got a huge statue made of his own self, to perpetuate his memory, but it was not to be so. The broken statue lay scattered all over the place, giving the message that might and power of the mightiest gets wiped away by time. Nothing is left, as nothing is permanent.
9. What message is conveyed through this poem?
Ans. Nothing is permanent in this world. Everything is transient and gets washed away by the tides of time. We might run after material pursuits but they do not give us permanent happiness. We are blinded by our ego, arrogance and thirst for power which are not lasting hence can never give lasting happiness. The king tried to perpetuate his name and wanted to create all that he could to prove to the world his might, his power. But little did he realise the irony of his fate would not let anything of the sort happen. Nothing was left with time—his kingdom, his self—everything mingled with dust. Only vast sandy desert land remained.
Short Answers Type Questions
1. Comment on the irony of the pharaoh’s words, ‘Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Ans. This quote means that no one will ever be able to overcome this work. One might even conclude from this that Ozymandias would even challenge God himself. The irony in this is that all that remains of the mighty Ozymandias is this broken statue, and that this statue, which was intended to create fear, is now only licking the dust.
2. Briefly describe the statue of Ozymandias.
Ans. The statue is big in size. Two legs without upper body of the statue of Ozymandias are still standing on a pedestal. The half-broken face is lying shattered near the legs, half buried in the sand. There is an inscription on the pedestal that says, ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
3. Describe the look on the face of the statue.
Ans. The expression on the face of the statue was that of hate . It seemed as if the king was looking upon everyone with contempt.
4. What was written on the pedestal of the statue of Ozymandias?
Ans. The followings words were stated on the pedestal of the statue. “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye mighty and despair.”
Long Answers Type Questions
1. Bring out the irony in the poem.
Ans. The traveller sees the half-broken statue of Ozymandias which tells quite a different tale than that which Ozymandias had hoped it would be . Ozymandias got the statue erected thinking that it would represent enduring power, but only a broken heap of stones ravaged by time remains. The face of the statue is ‘shattered,’ and it no longer commands anyone or anything.
2. Write a brief character sketch of Ozymandias.
Ans. He was a powerful ruler who wanted the pomp and show of his power. He was proud of his power and hated the people in common. The inscription on the pedestal said ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ The expression on the face of the statue was that of a sneering contempt. He was living a life of fake and cruelty.
3. As the traveller, write a diary entry about what you saw in the ancient land where you had gone on a visit.
Ans.
14th september 2018
Thursday
Time- 11.30 pm
Dear diary,
I travelled to a place where ancient civilisation once existed. I saw an old, fragmented statue in the middle of the desert, which had a face of a person. The face looked stern and powerful, liken that a ruler. The sculptor did a good job at expressing the ruler’s personality which consisted of disdain and contempt for others. The irony of the situation is reflected in the writing on the pedestal which said: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ No other evidence of his strength except this giant, broken statue, could survive the ravages of time. This incident reminds one of man’s mortality and how all his pride gets destroyed while only art remains.
Good night
4. As the sculptor, write a diary entry about the statue of Ozymandias you created.
Ans.
14th september 2018
Thursday
Time- 11.30 pm
Ozymandias commissioned me to create his statue. He was an arrogant ruler. Every time I look at him, I see disdain and contempt for others. He was a powerful ruler who wanted the pomp and show of his power. He was proud of his power and hated the people in common. He wants me to carve on the pedestal ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ I wonder, will my art survive?
5. The proud Ozymandias lies forgotten in the desert. Comment.
Ans. Ozymandias used to call himself the `king of kings’ and boast of his works of art like the statue, pyramids. He used to think that he would be remembered for eternity. He achieved, both politically and artistically hisgh position but all was short lived. The statue is a symbol of Ozymandias’s ambition, pride, and absolute power. The value derived from the poem is that kingdoms and political regimes will eventually crumble, leaving no trace of their existence.
6. “The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.” Whose hand and heart has the poet referred to in this line?
Ans. The hands of the sculptor had quite skilfully carved the face and had brought out all the expressions of cruelty and arrogance of the king, for the viewer to see what sort of feelings he had in his heart which fed those feelings. They are there even today because of the craftsmanship of the sculptor.
7. “Nothing beside remains.” What does the narrator mean when he says these words?
Ans. Ozymandias, the king of kings, the mightiest ruler of his times had led the life of a man perpetually in pursuit of power, might, worldly pleasures. He had fought many battles and expanded his kingdom to an unthinkable vastness. After his death, nothing remained, time had wiped every trace of his kingdom, there was a vast sandy desert that remained. The piece of art survived the ravages of time, because even in the broken pieces of the statue one could read the face lying on the ground and get to know what sort of man he actually was.
8. What is your impression of Ozymandias as a king? •
Ans. Ozymandias was a powerful king of his times. He was considered • • mightiest of the mighty king. He had fought many battles and had brought untold wealth and had expanded his kingdom into a huge one. He built palaces and set an example among his contemporaries, who felt humbled when they saw his achievements. The facial expression of the broken head, lying on the ground half-sunk in sand conveys he was a cruel despot, who was very arrogant and looked down upon his subjects with contempt. But, he was not spared by time. He met his end, his vast kingdom mingled with dust; there was no trace of it. He himself had got a huge statue made of his own self, to perpetuate his memory, but it was not to be so. The broken statue lay scattered all over the place, giving the message that might and power of the mightiest gets wiped away by time. Nothing is left, as nothing is permanent.
9. What message is conveyed through this poem?
Ans. Nothing is permanent in this world. Everything is transient and gets washed away by the tides of time. We might run after material pursuits but they do not give us permanent happiness. We are blinded by our ego, arrogance and thirst for power which are not lasting hence can never give lasting happiness. The king tried to perpetuate his name and wanted to create all that he could to prove to the world his might, his power. But little did he realise the irony of his fate would not let anything of the sort happen. Nothing was left with time—his kingdom, his self—everything mingled with dust. Only vast sandy desert land remained.
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