For many people it is important to leave a legacy or something they can be remembered for when they die. People leave their mark in this world because that is the only way to prove they existed. In Ozymandias, a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, a traveler describes the ruins of what was once a great monument of Ozymandias, and now is a “colossal wreck” (13). Nothing lasts forever, everything comes to an end, and you are either remembered or forgotten. Ozymandias was the Greek name for Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, of Egypt, the most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian empire. At the time of his death in 1213 B.C.E Ozymandias had left many temples and palaces that ran from Syria to Libya. He also left numerous statues and monuments
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For example in lines (2-3) “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone/ Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand” it talks about the “trunkless legs”. Shelley does not mention any other object or ruin near the fallen monument. Mother Nature had started to bury history. A visage is “half sunk”, the legs have stayed standing but the head has fallen and is almost unperceivable. The statue was almost buried with no witnesses to observe it “The lone and level sands stretch far away” (14). The statue that once represented prosperity and power is now forgotten. Only the pedestal can speak of what was once there. Not much remains of what was the “King of Kings” (10). During his lifetime Ozymandias had power and richest. After his death, he was not remembered but forgotten. Shelley on the other hand, during his lifetime had poetry. After his death, he was recognized for his great talent and is still remembered. During Ozymandias lifetime he received attention and was worshiped but at the end, his statue ended up as ruins. While Shelley was not praised for his work during his lifetime, after his passing his work was highly respected and praised. One man got to live success during his lifetime while the other got success after his
For example in lines (2-3) “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone/ Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand” it talks about the “trunkless legs”. Shelley does not mention any other object or ruin near the fallen monument. Mother Nature had started to bury history. A visage is “half sunk”, the legs have stayed standing but the head has fallen and is almost unperceivable. The statue was almost buried with no witnesses to observe it “The lone and level sands stretch far away” (14). The statue that once represented prosperity and power is now forgotten. Only the pedestal can speak of what was once there. Not much remains of what was the “King of Kings” (10). During his lifetime Ozymandias had power and richest. After his death, he was not remembered but forgotten. Shelley on the other hand, during his lifetime had poetry. After his death, he was recognized for his great talent and is still remembered. During Ozymandias lifetime he received attention and was worshiped but at the end, his statue ended up as ruins. While Shelley was not praised for his work during his lifetime, after his passing his work was highly respected and praised. One man got to live success during his lifetime while the other got success after his