Ozymandias Ode To The West Wind

Lessons for Life
(A discussion on the messages from Ozymandias, Ode to the West Wind, and To a Skylark written by Percy Shelley) “As controversial as Shelley's ideas about poetry may have been at the time, they speak also to an enduring assumption: that the workings of human creativity -- the clarity of curation, the filter of poetic understanding -- are what will finally save us from ourselves,” Garber gets down to brass tacks as she establishes her perception of Shelley’s principals and poetry. Shelley is the second of the second generation romantic poets in the history of english literature. His life consisted of burning the candle at both ends. Percy Bysshe Shelley died at a young age, but for the short time he lived, he lived a live to

Ozymandias is the recollection of a traveler of a sight he has seen. The sight consisted of a large stature, at least what remains of it. Two large legs continue to stand but above the waste nothing remains beside the head half buried in the sand. The traveler reads an inscription on the base of the stature it reads, “My name is Ozymandias… Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair,”(line 10). It is inferred that the creator, or issueuer of the creation of the statue, created it in order to boast of his power and well standing. The face of the statue has a frown on the face for the purpose of intimidation. The irony of the situation is that Ozymandias’ great statue no longer stands. Nothing but desert surrounds the statue and is gradually covering it with sand. Ozymandias was a powerful ruler and took great lengths to ensure everyone knew it. Nevertheless he too died and the memory of him will become covered and forgotten just as hsi statue is being. Shelly sends the message of humility through his poem Ozymandias. Describing the benefits of being humble Zukav states, “A humble person walks in a familiar world.” Zukav is of the opinion that humility gains friends, and while this is true Shelly takes a different route. Shelley argues that one should not only be humble in lue of the

Shelley did not live a morally upstanding life and he would most likely not be the first suggestion for asking advice. It goes to show that a lesson can be learned from any type of person. Every view is valuable, and should not be discredited. A majority of persons seek how to live the fullest and best life they can, Shelley offers his take on the concept in Ozymandias by suggesting humility and in To the West Wind when he suggest never losing hope, and in To a Skylark where one can decide to appreciate the undesirable situations through the appreciation that they make the sweet times more sweet.

Works Cited Beyer, Dana. “A Reason to Hope?” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Nov. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-beyer/a-reason-to-hope_b_12899100.html. Deschene, Lori. “30 Ways to Live Life to the Fullest.” Tiny Buddha, Tiny Buddha, 13 Aug. 2016, tinybuddha.com/blog/30-ways-to-live-life-to-the-fullest/. Garber, Megan. “Percy Bysshe Shelley Frets About Information Overload ... in 1821.”The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 July 2012, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/percy-bysshe-shelley-frets-about-information-overload-in-1821/260454/. Kennelly , Stacey. “10 Steps to Savoring the Good Things in Life.” Greater Good, Greater Good Magazine, 3 July 2012, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/10_steps_to_savoring_the_good_things_in_life. Zukav, Gary. “Humbleness.” Seat of the Soul Institute, Seat