England in 1819

England in 1819

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 Shelley's 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 Shelley's

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). Shelley's use

of this kind of emphasis on consonants makes his phrasing linger in one's

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 as...

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...empt" (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 one's 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.