Ozymandias

This whole poem is ironic. There is verbal irony in the lines '"My name is Ozymandias, King of kings;/Look on my words, ye Mighty, and despair'". Basically, he wants the people who view his statue to look at all the great things standing around him. Yet, there is nothing present except sand. There is no great city, and no magnificent reason for him to be remembered. All that remains is a statue with a cold sneer on his face. This cold sneer relates to the why there is nothing remaining him or of his rule. He was a tyrant who oppressed his people. Yet, years later, oppressing his people means nothing because there are no remains of the mighty king he thought he was. Overall, the poem teaches the lesson that the truth will really be the idea that withstands time.