Category: Alexander Pope

E.V Reiu’s translation of The Odyssey is more effective than the other known translation by Emily Wilson, Alexander Pope, and Robert Fagles. The analysis of Odysseus’ actions, thoughts and emotions were best translated through Rieu’s passage. E.V Reiu’s translation of The Odyssey, E.V Reiu takes a better approach to the sentence structure.

Having the translation of the poem in prose, it creates a better understanding of the plot, and draws the reader into the story, when compared to Emily Wilson, Alexander Pope, and Robert Fagles who take on more of a poetic of writing style to describe the scene. Their translations can tend to lose some of the detailed factors that are included in the real story. In the three translations, Odysseus battles Polyphemus, Poseidon’s son. E.V Reiu exhibits a clear interpretation of Odysseus’ actions. These actions show a clear exemplification of Odysseus’ character as a whole. E.V Reiu states, “But on second thoughts I refrained , realizing that we should have perished these as surely as the Cyclops, for we should have found it impossible with our unaided hands to push the rock which he had closed the great mouth of the cave”. This indicates the intelligence that Odysseus portrays for example in book 12 when Odysseus had to face the challenge of voyaging into two negative situations, Scylla and Charybdis. He chooses the face Scylla instead of Charybdis. Odysseus knew that if he faced Charybdis that he would lose his whole crew. So, instead he decided to face Scylla to preserve his men. This event is very similar to the situation with the cyclops. Odysseus was cunning enough to think about his men’s survival against the Cyclops. However, in Emily Wilson’s interpretation of the epic, it states “then thinking like a military man, I thought I should get out my sword, and go up to him and thrust right through his torso, that would’ve doomed us all. On second thoughts, I realized we were too weak.” Even though this is the same scene in the epic, Wilson describes Odysseus as fearful and unsureness when making his decision regarding the survival of himself and his men. On the other hand, when looking at the actions Odysseus commits, he is really seen as more of a man who would make these logical decisions based of his cleverness and wisdom, rather than acting out of fear. Emily Wilson’s style is similar Robert Fagles, who states in his translation “And with my fighting heart, I thought at first to steal up to him, draw the sharp sword at my hip and stab his chest where the midriff packs the liver”. When reading this line, the reader can see the connection in which Odysseus is acting more out of indecisiveness and fear, than cleverness and wisdom. I believe that E.V Reiu’s translation of this event that occurred in the Odyssey has the best interpretation when compared to the other passages by Emily Wilson, Alexander Pope, and Robert Fagles.

Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock is a satirical and regularly demeaning appear at the roles of girl in 17th century English society. While Pope pokes interesting at the superficial personality of aristocratic society, he looks to in unique core of attention on the rituals of womanhood and is mainly condescending toward women. His humor is often offensive and factors to a greater huge view and interpretation of the cost of women in society. By focusing on a particular negative incident, now now not very serious via many standards, Pope dismisses the anger that the young female ought to rightfully ride and turns the complete episode into a laughable charade. Pope manages to marginalize women, in unique Belinda, by means of the usage of turning this incident-the de-locking-into a mock epic, mocking Belinda and discounting her worth.

The popular interpretation has stated that Pope wrote this story ‘in the hope that a little laughter might also serve to soothe ruffled tempers’ after a real-life incident involving a stolen lock of hair had taken location (2233). The editors of the Norton Anthology of English Literature suggest that because of ant through Pope’s mock-heroic epic style, the reader is compelled to ‘compare small matters with great’ (2233). It is said that although Pope ‘laughs at this world and its creatures-and remembers that a grimmer, darker world surrounds it (3.19-24, 5.145-48)-he makes us very an lousy lot conscious of its splendor and charm’ (2234). Unfortunately, I can no longer purchase this argument due to the reality it does now not appear that Pope at all takes this incident seriously. Instead, he makes use of it as an risk to criticize women and poke interesting at common female thought and practices. I absolutely noticed few moments when the superiority of malehood used to be once in any way threatened or ridiculed.

Pope writes an epigraph, directed to the woman involved, Ms. Arabella Fermor, which suggests that the poem used to be posted at her request, although in certainty the writing of this poem was once suggested to Pope with the useful resource of one of his male pals (2234). By implying otherwise, Pope is making it appear as although Ms. Fermor loved and even requested to be mocked. If Pope’s intent was to unite the two feuding households (Lord Petre and the Fermors) by way of presenting a story over which the two must giggle together (Pope 2233), he is severely disappointing. It is doubtful whether or no longer or now no longer Ms. Fermor cherished this story and ended her anger, on the other hand from a late twentieth-century perspective, it is fantastically not going that insulting any character so forcefully need to have any top notch impact.

From the story, one may additionally acquire that the aristocracy at this time lived a then again frivolous life. Women spent heaps of their day making geared up themselves for social points (5.19). Beauty will grow to be very important, as do appearances- each physical and social. The benefit of splendor in this poem can no longer be overstated. Pope writes, ‘If to her share some girl errors fall, Look on her face, and you’ll overlook about ‘em all’ (2.17-8). The beautiful lady Belinda is regarded as larger virtuous than others genuinely due to the truth of her bodily features. Showing social grace and enchantment is more fundamental for female than some thing mental they ought to say. Despite our readiness to brush aside this life as useless and worthless, it is viable to see that these girls took their roles and obligations very seriously. It is also quite apparent that these kinds of conduct were predicted of girl and that a female who did now now not conform would be an unwelcomed outcast. For example, the Sylphs are geared up to go to warfare for Belinda to keep her beauty and chastity, and terrific punishment is threatened for any fairy that does no longer guard these virtues (2.91-136).

A female’s self confidence and viable of social freedom are to be determined through the fulfillment of a culturally relevant social life, fraught with rituals and mores for behavior between the sexes. When describing Belinda’s splendor routine, Pope writes, ‘The inferior priestess, at her altar’s side, Trembling starts offevolved the sacred rites of Pride’ (1.127-8). For women, pleasure is to be attained through the rituals of beauty. When Belinda is compelled to deal with her unexpected hair loss, she experiences a fantastic deal of disgrace and public humiliation. She exclaims, ‘Oh, had I as a substitute unadmired remained In some love isle, or a long way away northern land. . . There saved my charms hid from mortal eye, Like roses that in deserts bloom and die’ (4.153-158). She wants she had been hid from society and desires to hide her face in shame.

Belinda’s priorities might also be out of whack with today’s society; however, the reality remains that this was the kind of life-style afforded to her with the useful resource of her status. As a woman, the courtly lifestyle was as soon as the tremendous risk for a totally comfortable life. Of path Belinda would and must be upset via the use of such a ‘trivial’ matter. Her sole doable of livelihood and success has been shattered by using using the ‘rape of the lock.’ Like many rape victims and female socialized into society today, Belinda tries to rationalize this incident by means of way of blaming herself. She remembers how she was once forewarned about her fate, on the other hand she chosen to omit reason. She says she ought to have acknowledged higher (4.165-166). Here, the lady is now not entirely blaming herself, but professing her very own internalized stupidity and implying her inferior status. She cries out from the pain she is experiencing and shouts, ‘Oh hadst thou, cruel! Been content to seize Hairs much less in sight, or any hairs however these!’ (4.175-6). The sexual undertones here are not very challenging to see. It seems that Belinda would have desired to be raped sexually, the place she would have suffered solely personal humiliation, than to have a precious lock of her hair cut off publicly. By this incident, Belinda is defaced now not solely privately then again additionally publicly. Everyone can it appears that evidently see that Belinda has this imperative defect. It is as although the Scarlet ‘A’ has been branded on her chest. Her ‘flaw’ has develop to be obvious to everyone; hence, the sufferer is victimized again with the useful resource of society.

For these reasons, it is more often than not unfair of Pope to paint this sickening, one-sided picture of Belinda and this incident. From Pope, we see no lady character improvement whatsoever, and all mentions of Belinda’s persona are negative. We see a photo of a male blinded via the unrequited love a supposedly coquettish woman. The male in this story is portrayed now not as a rapist, as the title of the poem would suggest, but as a sufferer bitten by using using the love worm and stung through capability of Belinda’s piercing eyes.

Like the tendency these days to blame the rape victim, we blame Belinda for her coyness and merciless wit. It is her fault that guys can no longer manipulate themselves round her. She is honestly too amazing and full of her sly seductiveness. Women are expected to stay chaste and pure in order to continue to be honorable, but girls who refuse guys are considered as prudes and deserving of sick will.

The madonnawhore trouble is performed out in the course of this story. Many mentions of Belinda’s virginity are made, simply as her refusals are given full attention. Pope writes, ‘And she who scorns a man die a maid; What then stays then again properly our electricity to use, And maintain real humor however whate’er we lose? (5.28-30). The woman who remains actual to her advantage anticipate to be sad and barring a mate. Likewise, according to Pope, a lady should take a look at to laugh at her non-public victimization and secondary recognition due to the fact it is herbal and there is little she can do to stop it. Because Belinda suggests pleasure in prevailing the card game and beating out men in a male domain, morality dictates that she have to be punished and set straight about her ‘rightful’ place. The didactic lesson is clear. A lady have to never expect to be equal to a man.

The male worried here, the Peer, shows no regret for his actions. He tells Belinda, ‘’This hand, which acquired it shall continually wear’. He spoke and speakme in proud triumph unfold the long-contended honors of her head’ (4.138-140). He is mocking Belinda and belittles and victimizes her even larger with the aid of his flagrant disrespect for her body as private property. He values the lock of hair as a prize-a prisoner of battle or combat booty. This hair symbolizes that Belinda (all women) is (are) certainly a sufferer and a loser in this combat between the sexes. Like rapists today, the Peer does no longer allow Belinda the proper to possess her private body. By mocking this fact, Pope is excusing this man from his accountability and displaying that this type of violation is acceptable. When Pope invokes the fairies in the establishing of the poem, he has the sprite Ariel say, ‘Warned by using using the Sylph, O pious maid, beware! This to expose is all thy guardian can: Beware of all, then again most pay interest of Man!’ (1.112-114). Man is to be viewed through female with at least some bit of trepidation. Through this, men’s violent or irrational conduct would possibly also be naturalized and women’s feature as sufferer and secondary Other may also additionally emerge as expected, naturalized and internalized.

More generally, Pope turns this story spherical to show how the girl is at fault and loses in the struggle of the sexes due to the reality of her strongly implied inferiority. Pope focuses on the flaws and weaknesses of lady and makes use of this as an rationalization and justification for women’s secondary reputation in society. In Canto 5, as Pope essential factors the battles of war, he judges the really worth of guys and women. He writes, ‘Now love suspends his golden scales I air, Weighs the men’s wits in opposition to lady’s hair; The dubious beam long nods from aspect to side; At size the wits mount up, the hairs subside’ (5.71-74). Pope bases his cost equations on the mind of guys versus the splendor of women. Women are to be judged now not for their brains however for their bodily features- a fact which makes Pope’s mocking fashion even more disturbing. He name callings Belinda and other girls for their rituals of beauty, regardless of the truth that this is how they are to be judged. Would Pope mock a man for studying a e book or practising his elocution skills? Surely not!

Pope’s mindset nearer to ladies is obvious before one even begins offevolved the poem. In his letter to Arabella Fermor, he writes, ‘I comprehend how disagreeable it is to make use of hard phrases formerly than a lady. . .’ (2234). He moreover states that it is in the nature of ‘modern ladies’ to ‘let an movement be by no means so trivial in itself, they usually make it show up of the utmost importance’ (2234). This act is no longer so trivial when one considers the broader social implications of allowing this type of behavior. To supply men free reign in society to abuse and assault the personhood of female is a gross injustice. Ms. Fermor is justified in being irritated and defending herself towards the predatory will of a self-centered man.

Unfortunately, Pope does now now not feel the equal way. In describing Belinda’s anger, the creator goes to tremendous lengths to paint her as a witch with almost supernatural characteristics. Pope makes use of the Cave of Spleen, a variety of virtual fact hell, to supply an clarification for the ensuing argument between Belinda and the Peer. He speaks in some aspect of Thaletris-an Amazonian type female who enjoys fighting. It is fascinating that even Thaletris experiences some doubts about whether or not or not or no longer she must help Belinda who ‘burns with more than mortal ire’ (4.93). Thaletris exclaims that she can already see that Belinda’s honor is lost and that she has develop to be without delay defamed and deflowered through this act (4.105-116). To keep their personal social appearances, her friends need to desolate tract her or face this equal kind of degradation. Thaletris have to examine whether or not or no longer supporting Belinda is actually really worth her while.

Thaletris tends to preserve male characteristics and subscribe to some male-dictated norms, while rejecting men and distinctive male-determined mores; therefore, she is the shape of female that is to be most feared and scorned by the use of men. Thaletris, whilst no longer as such, represents the truely free girl and is an early feminist character. Thatletris’ personality is divided amongst the different woman characters and is used in reality to portray the supposed vengeful, spiteful, and utterly illogical persona of women. Her feminist standards can also be rejected today, as she seems to reject femininity and scorns ‘feminine’ females; then again she represents the sole sturdy woman characteristic in the story. Thaletris’ militaristic notions about existence and her unbridled sexuality lead her to consider Belinda a ‘prude’ (5.36). She can now no longer take shipping of Belinda as a fellow sister, free to make her private non-public choices, on the other hand ought to nonetheless reject her on certain grounds.

All in all, Pope’s characterization of lady and his satirical telling of this incident paint a very terrible photo of women. Women are verified as conniving, untrustful, illogical, and most importantly, inferior to men. Pope ridicules Belinda’s (Ms. Fermor’s) anger and does now not show up to understand why girl may additionally favor to get so aggravated over such a ‘trivial’ matter. He does now now not recognize woman autonomy and buys in to the madonnawhore perception of women. The Rape of the Lock does a terrific injustice to women and only serves to perpetuate negative stereotypes and generalizations about woman character.

English writer Samuel Johnson’s poem ‘London’ was published in 1738, contains 263 lines, and pays homage to Juvenal’s Third Satire. The poem is considered a neoclassical work. Neoclassicism was the dominant movement of Johnson’s time, and its writers – Johnson, Jonathan Swift, and Alexander Pope – tried to revive classical Greco-Roman styles of writing in the same vein as Horace, Virgil, and Ovid. The primary inspiration for Johnson’s work was Juvenal, an ancient Roman satirist who bemoaned the deterioration of Roman society and critiqued the failures of its leadership.

In Juvenal’s Third Satire, which Johnson’s poem is modeled after, the speaker’s friend Umbricius leaves Rome to distance himself from the vices and social ills of the city. He goes to live in Cumae, a Greek colony in Italy. In Johnson’s poem, the speaker’s friend Thales leaves London for Wales, then called Cambria. The latter is provincial compared to London, but it is where Thales believes he can ground himself and find peace. In this sense, ‘London’ can be considered an escapist narrative, in which Thales decides to leave a large metropolis in order to escape the vices associated with modern cities. He believes that he may find relief in the countryside, near ‘[s]ome pleasing Bank where verdant Osiers play Some peaceful Vale with Nature’s Paintings gay.’ By contrasting imagery of a serene pastoral landscape with descriptions of a decaying city, the poem could also be considered a blatant social criticism of the modern urban lifestyle, particularly in British society.

Thales criticizes the social and economic ills of London, citing the rising crime rate in the city-including theft, rape, and murder-and the growing gap between the wealthy and the poor. The poem also discusses corruption and greed, particularly how people living within London’s ‘curs’d walls, devote to vice and gain,’ all while ‘unrewarded Science toils in vain.’ Simply put, the avaricious upper class let the city fall apart for their own benefit, while those devoted to ‘Science’ or academic pursuits conduct their work of advancing human knowledge or advocating for the poor in vain.

Alexander Pope, a leader among the neoclassical poets, praised Johnson’s poem, particularly for its political commentary. The evils plaguing London are personified as ghastly caricatures in the poem, a technique that allowed Johnson to vividly depict the social and political ills of the city. These ills are depicted as destroying London and its social fabric, thus prompting Thales’s need to escape to Wales.

The poem’s formal qualities are representative of the neoclassical school. ‘London’ consists of rhymed heroic couplets, which give the poem a stately, didactic tone that fits Thales’s critical attitude towards his subject matter. Moreover, like many neoclassical works, the poem is long and unhurried, preferring verbosity to concision. At 263 lines, it amply covers its subject matter, in many cases conveying a point several times over.

English essayist Samuel Johnson’s sonnet ‘London’ was distributed in 1738, contains 263 lines, and gives recognition to Juvenal’s Third Satire. The sonnet is viewed as a neoclassical work. Neoclassicism was the predominant development of Johnson’s time, and its scholars -Johnson, Jonathan Swift, and Alexander Pope – attempted to resuscitate traditional Greco-Roman styles of writing along these lines as Horace, Virgil, and Ovid. The essential motivation for Johnson’s work was Juvenal, an antiquated Roman humorist who lamented the weakening of Roman culture and studied the disappointments of its administration.

In Juvenal’s Third Satire, which Johnson’s sonnet is designed according to, the speaker’s companion Umbricius leaves Rome to remove himself from the indecencies and social ills of the city. He goes to live in Cumae, a Greek state in Italy. In Johnson’s sonnet, the speaker’s companion Thales leaves London for Wales, at that point called Cambria. The last is commonplace contrasted with London, yet it is the place where Thales accepts he can ground himself and discover harmony. In this sense, ‘London’ can be viewed as an idealist story, where Thales chooses to leave a huge city to get away from the indecencies related with present day urban communities. He accepts that he may discover alleviation in the open country, close ‘[s]ome satisfying Bank where verdant Osiers playSome quiet Vale with Nature’s Paintings gay.’ By differentiating symbolism of a peaceful scene with depictions of a rotting city, the sonnet could likewise be viewed as an outright friendly analysis of the advanced metropolitan way of life, especially in British society.

Thales reprimands the social and financial ills of London, refering to the increasing crime percentage around there ncluding robbery, assault, and murder and the developing hole between the affluent and poor people. The sonnet additionally talks about debasement and eagerness, especially how individuals living inside London’s ‘curs’d dividers, give to bad habit and gain,’ all while ‘unrewarded Science works to no end.’ Simply put, the covetous high society let the city self-destruct for their own advantage, while those dedicated to ‘Science’ or scholastic pursuits direct their work of propelling human information or upholding for the poor to no end.

Alexander Pope, a pioneer among the neoclassical artists, commended Johnson’s sonnet, especially for its political analysis. The wrongs tormenting London are exemplified as horrible personifications in the sonnet, a strategy that permitted Johnson to strikingly portray the social and political ills of the city. These ills are portrayed as obliterating London and its social texture, in this way inciting Thales’ need to get away to Wales.

The sonnet’s proper characteristics are illustrative of the neoclassical school. ‘London’ comprises of rhymed chivalrous couplets, which give the sonnet an impressive, educational tone that accommodates Thales’ basic disposition towards his topic. Besides, in the same way as other neoclassical works, the sonnet is long and unhurried, leaning toward verbosity to concision. At 263 lines, it plentifully covers its topic, much of the time passing on a point a few times over.

Alexander Pope’s ‘The Head Thief’ has a satirical and often despicable view of the role of women in 17th-century English society, where the Pope enjoys the superficial nature of aristocratic society, but with a particular focus on women’s rituals. His humor is often uncomfortable and shows broader views and interpretations than the values of women in society Not so serious by many standards Concentrating on certain negative events the Pope should make young women feel right dispels the rage and changes the entire episode into a funny fiction, where the Pope turns this event (unlocked) into a mock epic, ridiculing Belinda and discounting her value, succeeding in alienating women, especially Belinda. Alexander Pope opens the humorous mock epic The Rape of the Lock with the poem ‘A Powerful Contest That Happens in Trivial Things.’

From the beginning, Pope presents his position on a poetry-based case. .. Throughout the city, the Pope can satirize the shortcomings of bourgeois society by cunningly observing and commenting on the epidemic of narcissism and the obsession with public imagery. Religious image of wastefulness, nymph symbolism and exaggerated hair treatment are devices that make up the pope’s ridiculous comments that simultaneously ridicule all traditional grand structures and minor social priorities. .. The traditional interpretation is that after the actual incident (2233) associated with the Pope stealing his hair, ‘I wrote this story, hoping that a little laugh would help heal the bumpy nature.’ The editor of the Norton Anthology of English Literature argues that readers need to ‘compare the little and the great’ (2233) for Ali through the Pope’s simulated heroic epic style.

The Pope says, ‘Laughs this world and its creatures, and remembers the darker and darker world surrounding it (3.19-24,5.145-48), but he makes us very conscious of its beauty and charm’ (2234) . Unfortunately, I can’t live up to this debate because the Pope doesn’t seem to be taking the case seriously. Instead, he uses it as an opportunity to criticize women and enjoy traditional women’s ideas and practices. I really saw a moment when male superiority threatened or ridiculed in any way. The Pope is writing an epiglot directed towards Mr. Arabella Palmer, a woman involved. It is suggested that the poem was published at her request, but in reality one of his boyfriends writing this poem was proposed as Pope (2234). By suggesting otherwise, the Pope appears to have asked Mr. Palmer what he enjoyed, and even mocked. If the Pope’s intention was to unite two discordant families (Sir Tres and Fermas) by providing a story that the two could laugh at together (Pope 2233), he is terribly disappointed. It’s unclear whether Mr. Farmer enjoyed this story and ended his anger, but from a late 20th century perspective, insulting someone who wasn’t very strong is unlikely to have a positive impact. From the story, you may know that the nobles of this period were living a fairly frivolous life. Women spent most of their day preparing for social functions (5.19).

Beauty is very important, appearance is also important both physically and socially. The beauty of this poem cannot be overstated. The Pope said, ‘If she shares the fault of a woman look at her face, then you will forget everything’ (2.17-8). The beautiful woman Belinda can be considered more honest than others simply because of her physical characteristics. Showing social elegance and attractiveness is more important than being able to tell a woman to be intelligent. Despite being prepared to dismiss this life as useless, useless, you can see that this woman is taking her roles and duties very seriously. It is also very clear that this type of behavior was expected of women, and that women who did not comply were unwelcome outcasts. For example, Sylph is preparing a war for Belinda to preserve her beauty and purity, and a great punishment is threatened for the fairy not protecting these virtues (2.91-136).

The means of women’s self-esteem and social freedom are found through the realization of a culturally desirable social life full of rituals and customs of behavior between men and women. When describing Belinda’s beauty routine, the Pope writes that ‘the inferior shamantrembling by her altar will initiate a sacred ritual of pride’ (1.127-8). Self-esteem for women is gained through a sense of beauty. When Belinda suddenly has to deal with hair loss, she experiences huge numbers and public shame. She said, ‘Oh, if I remained unpraised some islands of love and far north … My charm was hidden in my mortal eyes.Like a rose blooming and dying in the desert. (4.153-158) She wants to hide her face in the numbers hidden from society. Belinda’s priorities can be confusing in today’s society. However, the fact that this is a lifestyle offered based on her position still remains. A polite way of life as a woman was the best opportunity for a happy life. Belinda, of course, talks about such ‘minor’ issues, and only then. Her only means of livelihood and success was shattered by ‘rock rape.’ Like many rape victims and women socialized in today’s society, Belinda is trying to rationalize the case by blaming herself. She remembers how she was warned of her destiny in advance, but decided to ignore the opposite sex. She says she should know better (4.165-166). Here, a woman not only blames herself, but also confesses her internalized stupidity, meaning her inferior position. She aloud in the pain she was experiencing, ‘Oh, cruel!’ (4.175-6). It’s not that hard to see the sexual shading here.

Belinda likes to sexually rape her head, which would have suffered as much as private humiliation than publicly cutting off her precious hair. Due to this incident, Belinda’s public as well as her personal life were polluted. Everyone can clearly understand that Belinda has this big flaw. It is as if a crimson u201cAu201d is engraved on the chest. Her ‘defects’ became apparent to everyone. Therefore, the victim is again sacrificed to society. For this reason, Belinda, it is unfair to the Pope to draw a one-sided picture of this illness in this case. From the Pope we have no idea of u200bu200bfemale character development and all references to Belinda’s personality are negative. We display a picture of a man who is unrequited love. The man in this story, as the title of the time suggests, is not a rape, but a victim of a love bug biting into Belinda’s sharp eyes. Like today’s tendency to blame rape victims, we condemn Belinda’s embarrassment and brutal wit. It is her fault that a man cannot control himself around her. She is full of beauty, too, cunning seduction. Women are expected to remain pure and pure in order to protect their honor, but women who reject men are considered rude and malicious. The MadonnaProstitute issue unfolds throughout this story.

There are many references to Belinda’s virginity as her refusal is to pay full attention. The Pope said, ‘She must die to a maid who looks down on a man.Then only the power we have available and what we lose still keeps good humor? (5.28-30). The virtues of are to expect misery and no spouse. Similarly, according to the Pope, women learn to ridicule their victims and secondary positions because there is little that can be prevented naturally. is needed. Morality stipulates that if she has to be punished, she does not have to set straight to her ‘right’ digit, as Belinda earns in card games and shows pride in winning men in the men’s realm. I will. The lesson is clear. Women should not be equal to men. Related here, the masculine peer does not regret his actions. He tells Belinda, ‘I won, but my hand is my mouth forever.’ He said with a proud victory and spread her long-headed honor ‘(4.138-140). He is ridiculing Belinda and sacrifices her further challenge with his blatant contempt for her body as a personal property. The head is used as a prisoner of war or as a loot for war. This hair symbolizes Belinda (all women) as a clear victim and loser in this war between men and women. Like today’s rape, Peer, Belinda, has the right to own her body. By ridiculing this fact, the Pope exempts this man from his responsibility and shows that these violations are acceptable. When the Pope conjured a fairy at the beginning of the verse, he wrote to Ariel in the sprite ‘Sylph the Pious Maid, beware!’ (1.112-114).

Men should be considered women who are feeling at least a little insecure. It is expected that women’s roles as victims and assistants or other naturalized victims of male violence or irrational behavior can be naturalized and internalized. More generally, the Pope looks back on this story and shows how the woman made the mistake of defeating a man and a woman in a fight for her strongly implied sense of inferiority. The Pope focuses on women’s shortcomings and weaknesses and uses them to explain and justify women’s secondary status in society. In Canto 5, Pope details the fighting of war and judges the value of men and women. He said, ‘Love now hangs his gold scales that suck my wind.Weighs the wisdom of a man with female hair. A suspicious ray nods from side to side. It is based on the intellect of men and the beauty of women. Women should be evaluated based on their physical characteristics, not their brains. This fact further confuses the ridicule style of the Pope. He mocks Belinda and other women for their consciousness of their beauty, despite the fact that this is how they will judge them. Does the pope make fun of anyone who can read a book or practice his speech law skills? Never! The Pope’s attitude toward women is evident from the beginning of the poem. In a letter to Farmer Arabella, he writes: . ‘(2234). He also states that the nature of ‘modern women’ makes it appear that ‘the behavior itself is not so trivial but always the most important’ (2234). Given the wider social impact that would allow this kind of behavior, this behavior is not that trivial. It is a serious injustice to abuse and beat the character of women by giving them free domination of male society. Mr. Farmer is justified by protecting himself from the predatory will of anger, egocentric men.

Unfortunately, the Pope does not have the same idea. While portraying Belinda’s anger, the writer has put a lot of effort into portraying her as a witch with almost supernatural traits. Pope uses the Cave of Spleen, a kind of virtual reality hell, to explain the subsequent discussion between Belinda and Peer. He talks more about Amazon-type women deletless who enjoy fighting. It is interesting that even Thaletris ‘burns more than the wrath of death’ (4.93) feels some doubt as to whether to help Belinda. Taretoris says he already understands that Belinda’s loss of honor was immediately defamed and blossomed by the act (4.105-116). They either have to abandon her or face this type of decline in order to maintain their social face. Taretoris must make sure she’s worthy to help Belinda. Taretoris retains masculine characteristics and tends to agree with some norms determined by men, but rejects customs determined by men or other men. Therefore, she is the most terrifying form of woman that should be despised by men. Taretoris is not presented as such, but represents a truly free woman, an early feminist character. Thatletris’ personality is divisible by other female characters, and is simply used to portray a female vengeful grumpy character that is completely illogical. Her feminist standards may be rejected today because of her rejection of femininity and contempt for ‘feminine’ women.

But she represents the only strong female role in the story. The militaristic notions of Taretoris’ life and her unrestrictedness led her to regard Belinda as ‘rude’ (5.36). She cannot accept Belinda as her fellow sister, and is free to make her own personal choices, but she must reject her for some reason though. In conclusion, the Pope describes a society that lacks morality and is overwhelmed by vanity. He satirizes social class with a sense of exaggerated self-importance. From his explanation, it can be inferred that women in high society at the time played little or no important role, as their shallow purpose and their main concern was social status. It is these qualities that moved men to engage in frivolous fights. The victor is the one who achieves a high social status. The Pope recognizes that women have a far greater capacity for sympathy by condemning the social customs that have created them in such a way, despite explaining that women understand little or no reward. It can also be inferred from the ridicule of the pope’s social customs that the 18th century was probably a period when religious influence was declining. Thus, in the eyes of Catholics, it can be concluded that the ridicule of the papal society is a product of the religious stagnation of society. Overall, the pope’s characterization of women and his satirical account of this event paint a very negative picture of women. Women are witty, unreliable, illogical, and, most importantly, inferior to men. The Pope mocks Belinda (Mr. Palmer)’s anger and doesn’t seem to understand why a woman is so upset about such ‘trivial’ issues. He does not respect women’s autonomy and is in favor of the perception of a woman’s MadonnaProstitute. Rape of Rock only helps perpetuate negative stereotypes and generalizations about women’s personality that cause great injustice to women. Finally, through Belinda, you can see that women of the higher society of the 18th century were mainly admired by its beauty. It can be inferred that women at the time, at lavish parties and frivolous endeavors, were giving up on pursuing social activities and perhaps academic education. Thus, women in the early 18th century served as a symbol of social status based on the beauty of their appearance. Despite the fact that the Pope satirizes women, one can see his irony critique as a means of defending women’s rights. By satire of modern women’s behavior, the Pope encourages readers, especially women, to humorously accept their criticisms and seriously consider their pursuits. Therefore, the disagreement with the Pope’s heroic couple provides another light and stimulus.

When bringing up the topic of misogyny in history and literature, many tend to shrug their shoulders and say “well, that’s just how it was back then,” or “women just didn’t have the same rights. It was the tradition.” Even a certified educator approved by eNotes Editorial on enotes.com argues that “…during Pope’s day, women had no rights. Feminism was a far-off idea. Pope’s attitude toward women would have been considered within the norm.” What some people do not realize is that just because something was normalized, it does not mean that it was okay and misogyny is not always a man deciding that he hates women. Misogyny was deeply ingrained in the culture of England in the eighteenth century and still is today, though to a much lesser extent, and Alexander Pope’s mock epic poem The Rape of the Lock is a great example of this. The work is actually based on true events which caused a feud between two wealthy families. A Lord Petre had cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor’s hair, to her and her family’s dismay and outrage. A friend of the family and Pope suggested he write something “in the hope that a little laughter might serve to soothe ruffled tempers” (“Alexander Pope” 506). In the poem, Arabella is represented by the character Belinda and Lord Petre is represented by The Baron. Pope also uses this poem as a commentary on vanity, triviality, and high expectations and standards in society, specifically the bourgeoisie; however, he seems mostly to make use of women to make his point. Despite the fact that the mock epic is riddled with misogynistic themes, The Rape of the Lock is one of the most, if not the most, well-known and often-read works by Pope along with being commended by many as the best mock epic in English-language literature. The Rape of the Lock is beautifully written, but that beauty hides Pope’s misogyny in his negative portrayal of women’s behavior, his objectification of women, and his promotion of rape culture; this is supported by the critical work ‘The Rape Of The Lock | Feminist Analysis” from UKEssays.com, “’Quick as Her Eyes, and as Unfix’d as Those’: Objectification and Seeing in Pope’s ‘Rape of the Lock’” by Rebecca Ferguson, and “Re-Reading the Power of Satire: Isaiah’s ‘Daughters of Zion’, Pope’s ‘Belinda’, and the Rhetoric of Rape” by Miles Johnny.

Beginning in the dedication to Arabella, Pope begins to build up an idea that women are flawed or less intelligent. He is definitely trying to tiptoe around offending Arabella by using flattery and describing the construction and wording of the poem but still manages to insult her knowledge. He explains his use of “machinery” in his poem, which, according to him, “…is a term invented by the critics, to signify part which the deities, angels, or demons are made to act in a poem…” (Pope 508) and then apologizes for “how disagreeable it is to make use of hard words before a lady” (Pope 508). The language is simply demeaning; it is as if he is talking to her like a child. It almost sounds like a joke, but that is his real dedication to her. Before this, he also indicates that his poem is aimed mostly at “…young ladies, who have good sense and good humor enough to laugh not only at their sex’s little unguarded follies but at their own” (Pope 507). This solidifies the idea that he is being more critical of women than he is of men. This dedication alone largely sets the misogynistic tone of the poem. ‘The Rape Of The Lock | Feminist Analysis” brings to light some of the elements of the actual poem that reflect a belief that women are inferior in the game of cards that Belinda plays at the party. It also mentions that the poem builds Belinda as a “mock-hero” and a powerful female character while describing how she has everything done for her and is not fighting a real battle, but a game of cards, and “by portraying Belinda as a powerful woman as the leader in a mock battle, Pope effectively exaggerates any sense of true power that Belinda possesses” (‘The Rape Of The Lock | Feminist Analysis”). The essay reveals how Pope is basically giving Belinda pointless and exaggerated. authority and power; her card-battle is meaningless. ‘The Rape Of The Lock | Feminist Analysis” shows that while The Rape of the Lock is not only a mockery of epic poems and heroes, but a mockery of women and their authority or lack thereof and also brings up important ideas like those that women were believed to have only the purpose of serving men.

Something in Pope’s work that is insulting to women not discussed in the aforementioned essay is The Cave of Spleen in Canto 4. In the article “The Cave of Spleen,” Lawrence Babb states that “…Pope represents Spleen as a sullen goddess who holds court in a misty underworld cavern filled with apparitions and subsidiary personifications.” He also says that “The malady… called spleen (vapors, hypochondria, and hysteria…) had had a long history in medical tradition.” It wasn’t that long ago that medical professionals believed that women were hypochondriacs and had false pains and ailments along with female hysteria, a broad term that could be used as a diagnosis for any physical or mental ailment suffered by a woman for no other reason than having a uterus (McVean). It was commonly believed that not only were women inferior in character but also physically inferior and naturally flawed. In Pope’s work, Belinda is overcome by this “hysteria” when her attention is brought to her now severed lock of hair. Belinda “sighs forever on her pensive bed, Pain at her side, and Megrim at her head” (Pope 519). Pope is describing some false illness or pain and melancholy that she must be feeling, which paints her as dramatic. He goes on to describe all women as “feel[ing] such maladies as these When each new nightdress gives a new disease” (Pope 519). This excerpt is basically saying that everyday women will have some new dramatic pain or ailment allegedly afflicting them. ‘The Rape Of The Lock | Feminist Analysis” and the references to female hysteria in Canto 4 of The Rape of the Lock paint a clear picture of a man who generalizes women as inferior to men in their gender role, their mental ability, and their physical health.

Written by Alexander Pope in the 18th century, The Rape of the Lock is a narrative poem renowned for its satirical depiction of traditionally epic conventions and characters in addressing the frivolous reality of vanity. Although the inspirations that lead to the creation of the poem are highly debated, with some speculating that the poem was written as a commentary on a real-life event involving a family feud caused by the cutting of a woman’s hair, the interpretations regarding the narrative as a social commentary are highly convincing. From the trivial nature of the central conflict within the poem to the roles that the side characters and antagonist play in both harming and assisting the main character’s desire for maintaining a face of poise, elegance, and perfection; it is clear that Pope sees the prioritization of appearance as less than noble and particularly unnecessary. Throughout the narrative, Pope utilizes mock-epic characteristics in highlighting society’s frivolous nature in addition to the utilization of a caricaturized epic hero and whimsical features such as sylphs and other mythical creatures in order to highlight the folly of self-obsession and vanity.

In the opening of the poem, Pope’s main character, Belinda, is quickly presented as the poem’s lavish and extravagant heroin who is not only rich in beauty and material assets, but also guarded by the powers of her faithful sylph, Ariel, and various other spirits and supernatural creatures sent to protect her honor and ‘chastity’. Despite this extravagant introduction to his main character, however, it is quickly made clear that Belinda does not have any other redeeming qualities beyond her physical beauty and wealth; she does not meet any of the expectations or requirements of a traditional ‘epic hero’, nor is her character presented as particularly intelligent, powerful, or imbued with an unrelenting desire for peace or justice. Her beauty is continuously referenced and numerous references to epic conventions are made, and consequently satirized, in the detailing of even the most trivial events such as Belinda simply looking in the mirror; for example, following the “dreadful event” alluded to in her dream by her faithful sylph, Ariel, she awoke and began dressing, an ordeal which is highly dramatized and described in lines 139-144 of Canto I:

Now awful Beauty puts on all its Arms;

The Fair each moment rises in her Charms,

Repairs her Smiles, awakens ev’ry Grace,

And calls forth all the Wonders of her Face;

Sees by Degrees a purer Blush arises,

And keener Lightning quicken in her Eyes.

Throughout this description, Pope paints an image of Belinda as a goddess preparing herself for treacherous battles, rather than simply putting on a gown and makeup in preparation for her day, similar to the way in which a traditional hero would be described. This serves to comment on the dramatic and highly frivolous nature of beauty and vanity; it is clear that she is not putting on protective armor or shields, nor is there any meaningful ferocity (or ‘lightning’) in her eyes as she stares at herself while she and her guardian sylphs revel in her beauty. As described by Lucinda Janson in her literary critique, “the comparison of a warrior’s shield to a woman’s petticoat connotes the inconsequentiality of Belinda’s world” (93). Additionally, in lines 123-124 of Canto I, Pope notes that, beyond admiring her own features, she ‘adores’ the cosmetic products that allow her to enhance her beauty and compares the powers of her products to that of mythical powers. In its entirety, this scene is not only present to describe Belinda’s seemingly ethereal beauty but to depict and mock her vanity and desire for adoration.

Furthermore, the Sylphs themselves are used as tools to not only feed into but emphasize Belinda’s vanity. As explained by Pope, sylphs are spiritual creatures that are manifested from the deaths of very attractive women; after these women die, their essence becomes intertwined with the elements of the air, and they exist once again in the form of sylphs. These creatures may be used to represent the omniscient Gods and Goddesses traditionally present in ancient epics, whose roles are that of guardians, watchers, judgers, and overseers of truth and justice- however, the roles of the sylphs throughout the poem are much more superficial. From the very beginning of the poem, the sylphs are introduced as Belinda’s loyal guardians, but not as guardians of her life, nor her mental health and well-being, but as guardians of her material possessions, protectors of her purity, and even worshippers of her beauty. This idea is repeatedly expressed throughout various scenes in the poem, particularly in lines 111-122 of Canto II, when she is attending a party on a boat filled with other wealthy attendees, and Ariel orders the other sylphs to guard Belinda’s fan, watch, hair, and her petticoat. By this description, it is clear that the only purposes that these sylphs serve is to “participate in Belinda’s comical self-delusion” (Latimer, 698), and to simultaneously protect Belinda’s beauty and chastity from the hands of men whilst also helping her preen and flaunt her beauty in order to attract adoration and attention (including the attention of men). Through the utilization of these supernatural beings, Pope illustrates the dire importance placed on the maintenance of beauty, along with the endless pursuit of trying to attract attention while wanting to flaunt yet maintain ‘purity’, as humorous and silly at best.

As the poem progresses, Pope introduces an epic antagonist, Baron, who is initially acknowledged as merely another suitor in pursuit of Belinda; however, it soon becomes clear that he is not a romantic interest, but rather a villain in pursuit of a lock of Belinda’s hair. Seeing that Belinda is often highly preoccupied with maintaining her beauty, the cutting of Belinda’s hair would serve to trigger her ‘downfall’- another characteristic of traditional epic literature that is flouted. Following her encounter with Baron, in which he expresses his interest in her, they engage in a melodramatic chess ‘battle’ that is depicted as an intense war in which each seeks to become the heroic victor. The way in which it is described is meant to make this scene seem intense and full of action, similar to that of real combat, but it is truly nothing more than a, comparatively, underwhelming game of chess and setting for flirtation between Baron and Belinda, and a venue for Belinda to further display her beauty. The subsequent cutting of a lock of her hair (highly implied to be a metaphoric representation of her loss of purity and chastity), following the end of their chess game, is followed by horrifying screams and ‘shrieks to pitying heaven’ in lines 156-157 of Canto III and is implied to be worse than the death of men and animals and the falling of empires in the subsequent lines (158-159). Through this description, Pope further comments on the reality of vanity, and how those who place far too much importance and self-identity in their appearance alone can be easily threatened and figuratively torn down by even the smallest of things; in this case, a small cut to a lock of hair. It is speculated that within this scene, Baron is also a figure of vanity and self-conceit, as he triumphs in the idea that he had taken a lock of her hair (or metaphorically, her purity), and attributes it to ‘fate’; he seems rather confident in the idea that destiny is in his favor, a trait that appears to exemplify the opposite side of female self-obsession: male conceit and over-confidence. Although the true intentions behind the inclusion and dramatization of Baron’s character are highly speculated, it may be the case that perhaps Pope had carefully constructed Baron as a representation of “male narcissism” (Crehan, 53), which would pose Pope’s narrative as not only one that comments on female vanity but male vanity as well.

In the concluding scene of the poem, a self-pitying Belinda seeks revenge (or perhaps, a ‘catharsis’ in regards to epic elements) through the employment of Sir Plume in order to rid herself of her self-pity and any further threats to her appearance and beauty, as well as gaining back her dignity and honor (which appears to be mostly rooted in her beauty and ‘purity’). This battle is also highly satirized since it is presented as another violent war full of pain and bloodlust when it is actually much more of a verbal argument than it is a physical battle. The amplitude of the entire event, however, illustrates the extent that Belinda would go to in order to avenge any threats to her appearance, and the lengths she would take when she feels as if her beauty has been disrespected. This idea, however, does not only apply to Belinda, because the other involved characters display the same vigor and desire to ‘fight’; as described by Steward Crehan in his analysis, the main characters in Pope’s narrative all seem to embody the idea that “mighty contests rise not from human passions, but from ‘trivial things’” (47). Although the scene results in Belinda’s ‘victory’, the speech given by Clarissa (a character that aided in Baron’s scheme to cut Belinda’s hair) is much more impactful and memorable. In her speech, the one piece of dialogue and text that appears to be completely truthful and non-satirical, she essentially summarizes Pope’s main claim that society places too much stress on female beauty, especially when considering that beauty is not permanent and eventually “decays” (Canto IV, line 5) when this stress should be placed on less superficial aspects instead, such as a woman’s intelligence, humor, or merit. This speech, however, is completely ignored, and proves Pope’s point- society is preoccupied with vanity.

Throughout the poem, The Rape of the Lock, Pope uses various caricaturized characters, mock-epic elements in representing menial things as grandiose (fitting the character’s perceptions of menial things as grandiose), and trivialized roles of supernatural beings in order to comment on the reality of vanity and how it is able to completely consume those who are too dedicated to their appearance. Although audiences are typically able to understand this deeper meaning, most interpretations focus solely on the social commentary on female vanity; however, he does not solely focus on women, despite placing a large emphasis on female vanity. Pope also appears to touch on the folly of male vanity, which allows the story to be reframed as one that comments on the narcissism of society as a whole, rather than just females as individuals. In conclusion, The Rape of the Lock is a narrative poem containing valuable social commentary and one that certainly deserves the acclaim it has received.

References

1. Crehan, Stewart. “‘The Rape of the Lock’ and the Economy of ‘Trivial Things.’” Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 31, no. 1, 1997, pp. 45–68. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30053644.
2. Johnson, Lucinda. “The Rape of the Lock.” Merici, vol. 2, 2016, pp. 91-98. The Australian National University. Print.
3. Lattimer, Bonnie. “Alchemies of Satire: A History of the Sylphs in The Rape of the Lock.” The Review of English Studies, New Series, Vol. 57, no. 232, 2006, pp. 684-700. Oxford University Press. www.jstor.org/stable/4501519
4. Pope, Alexander, and Aubrey Beardsley. The Rape of the Lock. London: Vintage Classic, 2007. Print.

Alexander Pope constructs The Rape of the Lock as a social satire as he utilises satirical techniques to comment upon contemporary society. This passage displays how Pope toys with structure and form to parody the popular genre of the epic by creating a mock-heroic piece, voicing how society focuses on such trivialities, as opposed to truly important matters. In addition, the passage exaggerates the cutting of Belinda’s locks to be symbolic, to expose the male control over female sexuality, forming an underlying didactic rhetoric against the policing of female chastity.

Pope exposes the confused values of the contemporary beau monde by mocking the trivial matter of cutting Belinda’s hair, reducing classic hero discourse and forming a mock-heroic poem. Pope imitates the supernatural machinery of real epic poems but as opposed to classical mythology, Pope uses Rosicrucian supernatural figures including Sylphs which try to protect Belinda; ‘A thousand wings, by turns, blow back the hair; and thrice they twitch’d the diamond ear; thrice she look’d back, and thrice the foe drew near’. The repetition of ‘thrice’ conveys how the attempt of cutting hair acts as a imitation of the battle scenes of the great epics of the time as the Baron is supplied with ‘a two edg’d weapon from her shining case’ to ‘arm him for the fight’. Through this war imagery, Pope is able to suggest that the passion once invested in serious matters have been transferred to more marginal acts like courting and gambling. This is a clear example why The Rape of the Lock is such an effective social commentary as Pope deploys satirical and literary techniques so subtly through structure and language. He successfully uses the Horatian style of satire, raillery, to enable his comments to appear both covert and humorous. Is at once the most a satire, and the most inoffensive, of anything of [his]. People who would rather it were let alone laugh at it, and seem heartily merry, at the same timer that they are uneasy. ‘Tis a sort of writing very like tickling . Pope heightens the mock-heroic form through the use of personification and exaggeration; ‘then flash’d the living lightnings from her eyes, screams of horror rend th’ affrighted skies’ , elevating the subject matter and conveying the seemingly supreme effects of Belinda’s panic, the act of cutting her hair appears to have divine implications. The iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets further dramatize the act as the rhythm of the poem mimics the heartbeat, making it feel as though ‘the meeting points the sacred hair dissever from the fair head, for ever, and for ever!’ is something very serious. The constant use of embellishment and exaggeration therefore allows Pope to grasp the attention of the aristocratical society, encouraging them to realise their faults in a humorous way, in hope of sparking a positive societal shift.

Pope’s social satire also exposes the judgement against female sexuality in a society of philanderers. Belinda functions as a type of Everywoman, the poem contains the main features bourgeois sexual ideology. The rise of bourgeois culture in England meant middle class women’s rise to economic superfluity . Mythical imagery is used in the form of the supernatural sylphs, the ethereal creatures which celebrate and protect a woman’s chastity. The sylphs try to protect Belinda, but are injured by the ‘weapon’ as ‘fate urg’d the shears, and cut the sylph in twain’, perhaps acting as a metaphor for Belinda’s own chastity- it is broken. This battle mirrors the sixth book of Paradise Lost in which the archangels battle Satan in which he is stabbed, but is only wounded temporarily like the sylphs ‘but airy substance soon unites again’. Arguably, Pope may be connecting Satan to the sylphs, as promiscuous women did not deserve to be protected which is embodied by Ariel as he ‘resign’d to fate, and with a sigh retir’d’, implying that the sylphs, like Satan, were acting wrongfully. This humorous contrast of Milton’s intense battle with Pope’s trivial one further highlights the ludicrously of attempting to control a female’s sexuality. Additionally, Ariel’s failure to protect Belinda is extremely significant as he observes ‘as on the nosegay in her breast reclin’d, He watch’d th’ Ideas rising in her mind, Sudden he view’d, in spite of all her art, An earthly Lover lurking at her heart’. The sexual undertones accompanied by the adjective ‘lurking’ supports the ideology that it is wrong for a woman to possess such sexual desire. However, Ariel’s actions in themselves are poignant as Belinda is punished due to her own private thoughts. Although an unrealistic exaggeration, this assists Pope in forming a metaphor of what contemporary society was attempting to do to women- control the private aspects of their lives alongside the public ones. This metaphor creates an unsettling effect as pathos is evoked for Belinda, but Pope compels one to realise that these actions resonate with the attitudes and actions of real society.

Fundamentally, Pope’s social satire The Rape of the Lock uses satirical techniques to express his opinion on the aristocracy. Pope satirises the structure of the epic, forming a mock-heroic which humorously highlights the sheer exaggeration place upon such idle and nugatory societal matters. In addition, raillery is used within Pope’s language to delicately express the serious issues regarding the governing of female sexuality. This interpretative pluralism illustrates how powerful the symbol of ‘the Lock’ is as it functions as a symbol for both the trivialities of society and female sexual oppression.

Alexander Pope was an 18th century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. Famous for his use of the heroic couplet, he is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson.

It was in 1819 that a controversy arose over the question. Was Pope a poet? To have asked that in 1719 would have indicated that the questioner was ignorant; to have asked it a half century later might have raised a doubt as to his sanity, for by that time Pope was acclaimed as a master by the great majority of poets in England and America. We judge now, looking at him in perspective and comparing him with Chaucer or Burns, that he was not a great poet but simply the kind of poet that the age demanded. He belongs to eighteenth-century London exclusively, and herein he differs from the master poets who are at home in all places and expressive of all time.

Pope is an interesting but not a lovable figure. Against the petty details of his life we should place, as a background, these amazing achievements: that this poor cripple, weak of body and spiteful of mind, was the supreme literary figure of his age; that he demonstrated how an English poet could Iive by his pen, instead of depending on patrons; that he won greater fame and fortune than Shakespeare or Milton received from their contemporaries; that he dominated the fashion of English poetry during his lifetime, and for many years a after his death.

Such are the important facts of Pope’s career. For the rest: he was born in London in the year of the Revolution (1688). Soon after that date his father, having gained a modest fortune in the linen business returned to Binfield, on the fringe of Windsor Forest.

There Pope passed his boyhood, studying a little under private tutors, forming a pleasurable acquaintance with Latin and Greek poets. From fourteen to twenty, he tells us, he read for amusement; but from twenty to twenty-seven he read for ‘improvement and instruction. The most significant traits of these early years were his determination to be a poet and his talent for imitating any writer who pleased him. Dryden was his first master, from whom he inherited the couplet, then he imitated the French critic Boileau and the Roman poet Horace. By the time he was twenty four the publication of his Essay on Criticism and The Rape of the Lock had made him the foremost poet of England. By his translation of Homer he made a fortune, with which he bought a villa at Twickenham. There he lived in the pale sunshine of literary success, and there he quarreled with every writer who failed to appreciate his verses, his jealousy overflowing at last in The Dunciad (Iliad of Dunces), a witty but venomous lampoon, in which he took revenge on all who had angered him.

Next to his desire for glory and revenge, Pope loved to be considered a man of high character, a teacher of moral philosophy. His ethical teaching appears in his Moral Epistles, his desire for a good reputation is written large in his Letters, which he secretly printed, and then alleged that they had been made public against his wish. These Letters might impress us as the utterances of a man of noble ideals, magnanimous with nis friends, patient with his enemies, until we reflect that they were published by the author for the purpose of giving precisely that impression.

Another side of Pope’s nature is revealed in this: that to some of his friends, to Swift and Bolingbroke for example, he owed gratitude, and that to his parents he was ever a dutiful son. He came perhaps as near as he could to a real rather than an artificial sentiment when he wrote of his old mother: Meletthetender office long engage, To rock the cradle of reposing age

Pope was born to Alexander Pope (1646-1717), a linen merchant of Plough Court, Lombard Street, London, and his wife Edith (née Turner) (1643-1733), who were both Catholics. Edith’s sister Christiana was the wife of the famous miniature painter Samuel Cooper. Pope’s education was affected by the recently enacted Test Acts, which upheld the status of theestablished Church of England and banned Catholics from teaching, attending a university, voting, or holding public office on pain of perpetual imprisonment. Pope was taught to read by his aunt, and went to Twyford School in about 1698/99.

He then went to two Catholic schools in London. Such schools, while illegal, were tolerated in some areas. In 1700, his family moved to a small estate at Popeswood in Binfield, Berkshire, close to the royal Windsor Forest. This was due to strong anti-Catholic sentiment and a statute preventing Catholics from living within 10 miles (16 km) of either London or Westminster.

Pope would later describe the countryside around the house in his poem Windsor Forest. Pope’s formal education ended at this time, and from then on he mostly educated himself by readirng the works of classical writers such as the satirists Horace and Juvenal, the epic poets Homer and Virgil, as well as English authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare and John Dryden. He also studied many languages and read works by English, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek poets. After five years of study, Pope came into contact with figures from the London literary society such as William Wycherley, William Congreve, Samuel Garth, William Trumbull, and William Walsh.

At Binfield, he also began to make many important friends. One of them, John Cary II (the future dedicatee of The Rape the Lock), was twenty years older than the poet and had made many acquaintances in the London literary world. introduced the young Pope to the ageing playwright William Wycherley and to William Walsh, a minor poet, who helped Pope revise his first major work, The Pastorals. He also met the Blount sisters, Wycrise his first major work, The Pastorals. He also met Teresa and (his alleged future lover) Martha, both whom would remain lifelong friends. From the age of 12 he suffered numerous health problems, such as Pott’s cease (a form of tuberculosis that affects the bone), which deformed his body and stunted his growth, leaving him with a severe hunchback. His tuberculosis infection caused other health problems including respiratory difficulties, high fevers, inflamed eyes, and abdominal pain.

He grew to a height of only 1.37 m (4 ft 6 in) tall. Pope was already removed from society because he was Catholic; his poor health only alienated him further. Although he never married, he had many female friends to whom he wrote witty letters. Allegedly, his lifelong friend, Martha Blount, was his lover.

In May, 1709, Pope’s Pastorals was published in the sixth part of Tonson’s Poetical Miscellanies. This brought Pope instant fame, and was followed by An Essay on Criticism, published in May 1711, which was equally well received. Around 1711, Pope made friends with Tory writers John Gay, Jonathan Swift, Thomas Parnell and John Arbuthnot, who together formed the satirical Scriblerus Club. The aim of the club was to satirise ignorance and pedantry in the form of the fictional scholar Martinus Scriblerus.

He also made friends with Whig writers Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. In March 1713, Windsor Forest was published to great acclaim. During Pope’s friendship with Joseph Addison, he contributed to Addison’s play Cato, as well as writing for The Guardian and The Spectator. Around this time he began the work of translating the Iliad, which was a painstaking process – publication began in 1715 and did not end until 1720. In 1714, the political situation worsened with the death of Queen Anne and the disputed succession between the Hanoverians and the Jacobites, leading to the attempted Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. Though Pope as a Catholic might have been expected to have supported the Jacobites becouse of his religious and political affiliations, according to Maynard Mack, ‘where Pope himself stood on these matters can probably never be confidently known’. These events led to an immediate downturn in the fortunes of the Tories, and Pope’s friend, Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, fled to France. Pope lived in his parents’ house in Mawson Row, Chiswict between 1716 and 1719; the red brick building is now the Mawson Arms, commemorating him with a blue plaque.

The money made from his translation of Homer allowed Pope to move to a villa at Twickenham in 1719, where he created his now famous grotto and gardens. Pope decorated the grotto with alabaster, marbles, and ores such as mundic and crystals.

He also used Cornish diamonds, stalactites, spars, snakestones and spongestone. Here and there in the grotto he placed mirrors, expensive embellishments for the time. A camera obscura was installed to delight his visitors, of whom there were many.

The serendipitous discovery of a spring during the subterranean retreat’s excavations enabled it to be filled with the relaxing sound of trickling water, which would quietly echo around the chambers. Pope was said to have remarked that: ‘Were it to have nymphs as well – it would be complete in everything.’ Although the house and gardens have long since been demolished, much of this grotto still survives. The grotto now lies beneath Radnor House Independent Co-ed School, and is occasionally opened to the public.

The Imitations of Horace followed (1733-1738). These were written in the popular Augustan form of the ‘imitation’ of a classical poet, not so much a translation of his works as an updating with contemporary references.

Pope used the model of Horace to satirise life under George II, especially what he regarded as the widespread corruption tainting the country under Walpole’s influence and the poor quality of the court’s artistic taste. Pope also added a wholly original poem, An Epistle to Doctor Arbuthnot, as an introduction to the ‘Imitations’. It reviews his own literary career and includes the famous portraits of Lord Hervey (‘Sporus’) and Addison (‘Atticus’). In 1738 he wrote the Universal Prayer. After 1738, Pope wrote little. He toyed with the idea of Composing a patriotic epic in blank verse called Brutus, but only the opening lines survive. His major work in these years was revising and expanding his masterpiece The Dunciad. Book Four appeared in 1742, and a complete revision of the whole poem in the following year. In this version, Pope replaced the ‘hero’, Lewis Theobald, with the poet laureate Colley Cibber as ‘king of dunces’. By now Pope’s health, which had never been good, was failing toward the end game.

Posterity has remembered Alexander Pope for his satires. Undoubtedly, while shaping his growth in the direction demanded by classicism, the feeling for which he strengthened more and more within himself. Pope developed his talent for satire and argument in verse.

It is in this province of literature that he has written his strongest works. It is not pure, poetry which benefited, but the vigor of temperament that reveals itself produced its most characteristic fruits.

In fact Pope’s satire is inspired not by any large view of human its vices and weaknesses; no such dark misanthropy as glares at and horrifies us, and flashes of which are seen in Byron, no such moral sincerity as we find in Juvenal. His satires do not blend anger and pure fun the kind of which we find in Burns. ‘Personal animosity is the feather with which Pope’s satiric arrows are fledged.’ Thus to do full justice to The Dunciad, Moral Essays and Imitation of Horace the reader must be fully familiar with the social background of the age. As, for example, in 1725 he published an edition of Shakespeare which was vehemently criticized by Lewis Theobald in his Shakespeare Restored (1726). Theobald suggested many valuable restorations and emendations and exposed Pope’s inefficiency as a critic. As retaliation, Pope made him the hero of his Dunciad, a violent satire of which three books were published anonymously in 1728. For a poet of Pope’s stature the Dunciad is a movement of misapplied power.

The Rape of the Lock which is, a mock-heroic poem is, however, Pope’s greatest satiric poem. As such the characters are to a large extent, mocking versions of epic characters. The portraits are not realistic; they are not meant to mock at the follies and foibles of the aristocratic society of Pope’s times. The objective being to expose human follies, especially the feminine, characterization is naturally from the general rather than the individual point of view.

Exaggeration is one mode through which a portrait assumes ironic or satiric light. The excessive praise bestowed on Belinda’s charms, for Instance, Belinda shedding her gaiety on all and sundry like the sun sheds its light, suggests flippancy and inconstancy in character.

Another mode of satiric portraiture adopted by Pope is through describing these very ordinary human beings in epic terms, thus achieving the desired comic effect through ironic juxtaposition. Comparison of Belinda’s toilet ritual to ‘sacred rites’ does not elevate her to the position of a goddess, but satirizes her as a human being for the excessive vanity. The Baron is constantly spoken in terms of the knight-errant of the Middle Ages. All his actions, from his aspiration to ‘the prize’, his ritual prayer at the altar of love, to his ‘heroic’ gestures after cutting the lock and finally his defeat are a mockery of higher characters. In the process, his vacuity, superficiality, foppishness and vapidity are revealed—for the prize he aspires to is a lock of hair, his altar is made of ridiculous items, he is inspired by coffee, and is defeated by a pinch of snuff. The ‘heroism’ is superbly punctured to reveal the conceited fop of the eighteenth century. For the sake of variety, Pope does not have merely mock-heroic portraitures: Sir Plume is a minor figure, but he is a directly satiric portrait of an ineffectual, ridiculously vapid fop. Pope builds up his picture with the aid of a few traits typical of the dandy of that age—the snuff box, the cane, meaningless oaths. We are directly told of his ‘earnest eyes’ and ’round unthinking face.’ There is no subtlety here, but straightforward satire.

Pope does not indulge in satirizing particular individuals in The Rape of the Lock. Through the satiric portraits, he presents a satirical picture of the age. Belinda, Thalestris, the Baron and Sir Plume are typical of that society. The characteristics they are given are those common to the ‘high’ society of eighteenth century London.

To conclude, Pope’s method of satiric portraiture varies, not only from portrait to portrait, but within the characterization of a single person itself. He uses the mode most fitting to the situation concerned. He appears to praise, but the result is quite the opposite—one is all the more clearly aware of the essential smallness and ridiculousness of the character involved. This is Pope’s mastery of ironic portraiture.