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Great poetry is great not because of what it says but because of how it is phrased. Few poems say anything that is very profound; instead, the best of them use language in novel, memorable, and effective ways. Certainly this is true of Percy Bysshe Shelleys famous sonnet England in 1819. In this poem Shelley describes the depressing, dark, and dirty state of affairs caused in Britain by political, social, and spiritual corruption. However, this poem would not be nearly as effective if it were not for Shelleys powerful use of such classic rhetorical devices as adjectives, alliteration, assonance, imagery, irony, lists, themes, and verbs. One device that Shelley employs very potently is the use of adjectives.
The sonnet is full of vivid descriptive words. Such words include old, mad, blind, despised, dying (l. 1), dull (l. 2), muddy (l. 3), leech-like (l. 5), Golden, sanguine (l. 10), Christless, Godless (l. 11), glorious (l. 13) and tempestuous (l. 14). All these adjectives are obviously strong, memorable, and effective. A second technique that Shelley utilizes quite skillfully is alliteration. The poem is filled with the repetition of consonant sounds. For example, alliteration is apparent in such words as despised and dying (l. 1), dregs and dull (l. 2), mud and muddy (l. 3), blind, blood, and blow (l. 6), and starved and stabbed (l. 7).
Shelleys use of this kind of emphasis on consonants makes his phrasing linger in ones ears. A third tactic that Shelley uses very strongly is the use of assonance. The poem includes several repetitions of vowel sound in stressed syllables. Examples of such assonance include blind, despised, and dying (l. 1); see, feel, and leech like (ll. 4 - 5); mud and muddy (l. 3); graves and may (l. 13). Such use of assonance gives the poem rhythm and makes it more beautiful. [VERY NICE] A fourth device that Shelley makes use of is imagery.
The poem is full of such description and figureS of speech. Shelley uses many violent images, such as the leech like (l. 5) image of a king who sucks the blood out of his countrymen. The king is blind in blood (l. 6), the blood of his own people. If it was not enough that the king sucks the blood out of his countrymen, BUT he also HAS starved and stabbed (l. 7) them.
All these images function together to describe a horrible king who ignores the needs of his people and sends them out to fight his war. [VERY GOOD] A fifth method that Shelley brings to bear is irony. The poem is very negative, and the whole atmosphere implies that the king would lead his country to total ruin. The irony in the poem is that the destruction of England leads to a new beginning with hope. Shelley ends his poem by saying that Times worst statute, unrepealed/ Are graves from which a glorious Phantom may/ Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day (ll. 12 - 14). The positive idea of a new beginning is ironic because it is in such sharp contrast to the death and destruction presented earlier in the poem. [VERY GOOD] A sixth strategy that Shelley brings his attention to is listing.
Already in the first line, five adjectives are listed to describe the king. To describe the king as old, mad, blind, despised, and dying (l. 1) is much stronger and more effective than describing him with only one adjective. Another example of listing is the description of the rulers as unable to neither see nor feel (l. 4). This use of listing effectively shows the rulers lack of ability to understand their own people. [VERY GOOD] A seventh tool that Shelley exploits is repetition. For example, the theme of blindness is repeated three times. In the first line the king is described as blind (l. 1).
Then, in the fourth line the rulers are unable to see (l. 4). Finally, in the sixth line the people have become blind in blood (l. 6). This repetition puts an emphasis on the lack of ability to sense what is going on, and it makes the poem more memorable and effective. [VERY FINE] An eighth instrument that Shelley brings his sensitivity to is theme. The basic idea Shelley tries to communicate is the terrible state of England in 1819. According to this poem, the blindness of the king and the rulers is the reason why England is headed toward death and darkness.
This is {done} POINT IS MADE through the theme of blindness represented by words and phrases like blind (l. 1), and neither see (l. 4). Another theme that clarifies the terrible situation is death[, ] represented by words and phrases like dying (l. 1), drop (l. 6), starved and stabbed (l. 7). The darkness of theme represented by blindness and death through almost the whole poem is contrasted in the end by light and optimism. This optimism is stated in the last two lines where it is pointed out that from the graves [] [? ] a glorious Phantom may burst, to illumine our tempestuous day (ll. 13 - 14). [STILL STRONG] A ninth {trick} TECHNIQUE that Shelley uses is verbs. Because verbs are words that describe actions or states of being, they are effective to describe how bad the situation was in England in 1819. In this poem verbs like drop (l. 6), starved (l. 7), stabbed (l. 7), tempt (l. 10), slay (l. 10), burst (l. 14), and illumine (l. 14) are used to describe the terrible situation the country was in.
Because verbs are stronger and clearer than adjectives, they make the poem more effective. The choice of depressing verbs gives the intended dark atmosphere of the setting. In this poem Shelley uses rhetorical devices such as adjectives, alliteration, assonance, imagery, irony, listing, repetition, theme, and verb to make his poem memorable and effective. These rhetorical devices make the poem memorable and effective. It is through such techniques that a good poet like Shelley makes his poem powerful. England in 1918 is a superb example of how it is possible to express ones views effectively through a poem.
The reason the poem is effective is not because of what it says but because of how it is phrased.
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