"Ozymandias" ~by Percy Bysshe Shelley

This poem is about Ozymandias who was an ancient Egyptian tyrant. It describes a statue of him in the middle of the desert. The way the sculptor shaped the face and features of the statue depict what Ozymandias was like as a person. The author describes the face "whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command" shows that he had a bad reputation and was not well liked. The state of the statue is a bit ironic too. It has a pedestal saying to look on the statue with strength; however, the statue is falling apart to ruins. The arrogant and imposing looking statue stands in the middle of the desert where no one is around to see it. This demonstrates the way people remember reputations. If someone makes a positive impact on the world, then they will be remembered. However, if someone is a strict tyrant that everyone dislikes, then they will be forgotten and the only remembrance of them will be an old ruined statue in the middle of the desert that no one cares about.