Monday, September 2, 2013

Describe the face of the half sunk statue. What were the emotions reflected on the visage?

The face is partly buried in the sand and the face is "shattered" and eroded. The face has a frown, a "wrinkled lip" and a "sneer of cold command." Although the statue was commissioned by Ozymandias to portray his greatness, the sculptor chose to portray the ruler's pride and selfish superiority. Ozymandias is frowning, showing disdain and his sneer illustrates his condescending attitude. The speaker of the poem notes that the sculptor understood the ruler's passions well. In other words, the sculptor focused on Ozymandias's pride, rather than his greatness, and chose to illustrate that and thereby mock the ruler. 


This shattered visage illustrates a haughtiness, condescension, pride, and even anger (the frown). The sculptor tried to show the ruler's contempt for those he thought were beneath him (essentially, everyone else). So, the emotions the face communicates have to do with Ozymandias's feelings of superiority and selfish pride.  The wrinkled lip certainly suggests condescension but might also suggest annoyance. The face/ruler is annoyed with how inferior everyone else is. 

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