Here's my response to Ozymandias
The most pertinent theme of Shelley’s poem, Ozymandias, is pride. Pride is discussed at several different levels within the poem—this unusual sonnet is not meant just to describe both the political and strictly human spheres of the pharaoh’s egoism, but also the pride of mankind in general.
The structure of the poem itself allows for an irony which helps emphasize just how prideful humans can be. The poem is split into three parts: the teller’s description of the dilapidated monument, the arrogant inscription on the Pharaoh’s tomb, and the teller’s response. Shelley chooses to begin with the traveler’s description, the ironic sight of a crumbling monument meant to “immortalize” a ruler’s legacy, and juxtaposes it with the prideful inscription on the tomb. The Pharaoh’s arrogance in his own works is sneering and disdainful, however “nothing beside remains.”
This not only emphasizes how egotistical the Pharaoh is because of his political prowess, but reflects how arrogant humankind can be as well. We are hindered by our mortality, and our consequent inability to see our works in the proverbial “bigger picture” often drives us to become self-absorbed. Like Ozymandias, we begin to see our works as timeless landmarks on some eternal plane of humankind. However, as the traveler responds to the inscription, we see that “nothing beside remains”---Ozymandias’ empire has decayed with time, as will the works of mankind.
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