The Importance of Unimportance

In Shelley's "Ozymandias", the whole poem is about a great king who thought that he was so mighty that his legacy would outlast time. However, instead of being known for his might and power, the king is forever known in time for one broken statue and the ruin and insignificance of his kingdom. I believe that this is why Shelley chose to give us the tale from an outsider and from a third-person perspective. He did this to make the king even more insignificant. The kings legacy and percieved might isn't even great enough for us to see what is left of it ourselves. Therefore, it gives the reader an even greater feeling of just how truly insignificant that the makings of humanbeings are to the passings of history and time. I feel like he is telling us something that we refuse to believe in most cases. We do not want to realize our own humanity and how little our actions affect history. However, I also believe that he is saying that our courageous and "good" actions can outlast any amount of time that is thrown at it due to the pure nature of these actions. However, if one's actions are done out of spite and just to boast about percieved power to make all others seem inferior without any intention of bettering the world for those around you, then "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare/The lone and level sands stretch far away." Conclusively, if you engage in the mindset and workings of Ozymandias, all that will remain of you is ruins.