Which of the following ideas can you infer from the closing image of Shelley’s “Ozymandias”? Explain why you chose your answer.a. Kings from ancient times were less intelligent than men and women of today.b. The spiritual world carries more importance than the physical world.c. Exotic lands are more important to the imagination than familiar settings.d. All forms of wealth and power are ultimately impermanent and meaningless.

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Revolt · Accepted Answer

The best inference is d: all forms of wealth and power are ultimately impermanent and meaningless. In the closing image, the statue of a once-mighty king lies broken in an empty desert, surrounded by “lone and level sands.” That contrast shows that Ozymandias’s pride, power, and riches could not survive time. Nature and time outlast human greatness.

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