Pride comes before the fall. The main characters in both “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Ozymandias” are very prideful. They both put great importance in their individual statures. In one story, there is the very superficial and conceited “lady” being the Grandmother. In the other story, there is the great “king of kings” Ozymandias. The two of them find out that pride can often blind you. In the Bible, in Proverbs 16 it says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Nothing lasts forever, and no amount of works can save you in the end. They soon find out that there are consequences for every action. The Grandmother was a master manipulator, and her selfish ways got the best of her. Ozymandias was a tyrannical king,
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The traveler speaks about these two big “trunkless legs of stone” (2), and about a partly buried “shattered visage” (4) implying that there once was a great statue of a king that stood near there. Later, the traveler reads that the statue was a portrait of Ozymandias himself. Also, Ozymandias called himself the “king of kings” (10), and he said that his works were something to feared by other kings. The fact that Ozymandias commissioned to have a colossal statue of himself built, and calls himself such dignified names, shows he thinks very highly of himself. The traveller also describes the expression on Ozymandias’ face on the statue with “...whose frown, And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command.” (4-5) Perhaps Ozymandias was not truly satisfied with the sculptors work, and he was giving him a frown. He might have been frowning, because he believed that his empire was not colossal enough and that he wanted more. This statue is a symbol of Ozymandias's aspiration, pride, and absolute …show more content…
Firstly, this poem is being told by the narrator who is being told by another person (the traveller). The story of the great Ozymandias doesn't even come from the original source. It seems that Shelley wanted to make the point of transience from the very beginning. The statue is described to be a “colossal wreck” (13) which tells you loud and clear that nothing lasts forever, and that human achievement is impermanent. The traveller encounters “…. two vast and trunkless legs of stone… Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies.” (2-4) Everything that is left from the statue are just the two legs and the shattered face. There isn’t even a body to be found anywhere. We are told that this statue comes from an “antique land” so we can assume that this statue will soon succumb to the ravages of time like a lot of other antiques do. We also can assume that the trunkless legs might soon end up buried, like the shattered visage. Not only is the statue almost completely gone, but there is nothing around it. It says, “Nothing beside remains; round the decay of that colossal wreck.” (12-13) Decay is an important word. The word decay implies that this statue has been slowly fading away, and it will eventually be turned to dust. Ozymandias’ pride tells us that he believes his kingdom and works will last forever, but instead he is just another traveller’s
The traveler speaks about these two big “trunkless legs of stone” (2), and about a partly buried “shattered visage” (4) implying that there once was a great statue of a king that stood near there. Later, the traveler reads that the statue was a portrait of Ozymandias himself. Also, Ozymandias called himself the “king of kings” (10), and he said that his works were something to feared by other kings. The fact that Ozymandias commissioned to have a colossal statue of himself built, and calls himself such dignified names, shows he thinks very highly of himself. The traveller also describes the expression on Ozymandias’ face on the statue with “...whose frown, And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command.” (4-5) Perhaps Ozymandias was not truly satisfied with the sculptors work, and he was giving him a frown. He might have been frowning, because he believed that his empire was not colossal enough and that he wanted more. This statue is a symbol of Ozymandias's aspiration, pride, and absolute …show more content…
Firstly, this poem is being told by the narrator who is being told by another person (the traveller). The story of the great Ozymandias doesn't even come from the original source. It seems that Shelley wanted to make the point of transience from the very beginning. The statue is described to be a “colossal wreck” (13) which tells you loud and clear that nothing lasts forever, and that human achievement is impermanent. The traveller encounters “…. two vast and trunkless legs of stone… Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies.” (2-4) Everything that is left from the statue are just the two legs and the shattered face. There isn’t even a body to be found anywhere. We are told that this statue comes from an “antique land” so we can assume that this statue will soon succumb to the ravages of time like a lot of other antiques do. We also can assume that the trunkless legs might soon end up buried, like the shattered visage. Not only is the statue almost completely gone, but there is nothing around it. It says, “Nothing beside remains; round the decay of that colossal wreck.” (12-13) Decay is an important word. The word decay implies that this statue has been slowly fading away, and it will eventually be turned to dust. Ozymandias’ pride tells us that he believes his kingdom and works will last forever, but instead he is just another traveller’s