Question

I MET a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert ... Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage [face] lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which still survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. Select one piece of evidence that supports the situational irony of the poem. From an antique land Cold command Boundless and bare Those passions read

Answer 1

The phrase 'boundless and bare' in the poem 'Ozymandias' exemplifies situational irony as it contrastingly depicts the transience of power against the lasting desolation, contrary to the king's boastful inscription.

Step-by-step explanation:

Selecting one piece of evidence that supports the situational irony of the poem Ozymandias, the phrase 'boundless and bare' starkly contrasts with the image of a once great kingdom the vanished ruler, Ozymandias, claims to preside over.

The irony lies in the fleeting nature of power and legacy, opposed to the enduring and vast emptiness of the desert sands that have reclaimed the environment. While Ozymandias’ command was once ‘cold’ and mesmeric, what remains now is a desolate landscape, underscoring the impermanence of human achievements and the inexorable passage of time.