Poetry Sounds

The sounds in "To an Athlete Dying Young" reflect the melancholy mood of the poem and the progression of the athlete's life from happy and glorious to sad and peaceful. Words in the first two stanzas, such as "cheering" and "high" sound somewhat grand and positive, and therefore depict the athlete's life However, words in the following stanzas, such as "whithers," and "fade," have more melancholy, yet peaceful sounds and relfect the sadness and sense of helplessness towards the athlete's death. In "Ozymandias", the sounds are, generally, very delicate, such as in words like "antique," "wrinkled," and "sculptor." However, the sounds change when the author quotes King Ozymandias. They change into stronger and demanding sounds. The sounds that words such as, "king," "look," and "mighty" make reflect King Ozymandias' strength and power, but the rest of the poem's delicate sounds reveal how fragile the king's empire and statue really were compared to time. Both poems have a majority of softer sounds, but there are tonal shifts, in which the sounds of the words also change.