on the lack of ability to sense what is going on, and it makes the poem more memorable and effective. [VERY FINE] An eighth instrument that Shelley brings his sensitivity to is theme. The basic idea Shelley tries to communicate is the terrible state of England in 1819. According to this poem, the blindness of the king and the rulers is the reason why England is headed toward death and darkness. This is {done} POINT IS MADE through the theme of blindness represented by words and phrases like "blind" (l. 1), and "neither see" (l. 4). Another theme that clarifies the terrible situation is death[,] represented by words and phrases like "dying" (l. 1), "drop" (l. 6), "starved and stabbed" (l. 7). The darkness of theme represented by blindness and death through almost the whole poem is contrasted in the end by light and optimism. This optimism is stated in the last two lines where it is pointed out that from the "graves [] [?] a glorious Phantom may burst, to illumine our tempestuous day" (ll. 13-14). [STILL STRONG] A ninth {trick} TECHNIQUE that Shelley uses is verbs. Because verbs are words that describe actions or states of being, they are effective to describe how bad the situation was in England in 1819. In this poem verbs like "drop" (l. 6), "starved" (l. 7), "stabbed" (l. 7), "tempt" (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"...
