The message or theme of the poem (sonnet) is that man is insignificant and his efforts are vein when compared to the forces of time and nature. The subject matter, diction, figures of speech, sound devices and structure used by shelly convey the idea of permanence and impermanence.
<Tab/>To consider the issue of the power of time and nature the poet has the narrator reporting on a meeting with a traveler from Egypt who told of seeing in the desert the remains of a vast statue. Only the legs remained standing. The trunk was missing and the shattered face lay half buried in the…
