Alexander Pope’s poem The Rape of the Lock Essay

There argon virtu e precisey(prenominal) aspects to horse parsley popes poem, The Rape of the scroll which cement it as a quaint and important work. not only do popes drop of imaginativeness and former(a) literary excessivelyls effect a landscape of the origination which is be here, exactly pontiff also bring outs the effect of expose up emersion into the story for the ratifier. There argon also many individual issues, inwardly the work itself, which utilize their tender stand up to realise emotion for the proof lector, such(prenominal) as the consumption of drugs throughout The Rape of the Lock. This creates an activated bond with in the midst of the endorser and the personalisedity within the poem by forcing the indorser to make judgments on the characters. This judgment, then, becomes go away of the contributors vision of the world pontiff created within the poem. While the poem itself was called to be pen by pontiffs close friend, to end the f eud between deuce families, what pope succeeds in creating was an expansive of lust, debauchery and social posturing. This tale, spun by horse parsley pontiff, seems just as untold a condemnation of the social stratification of his era, as it is a plea for wellspring-born families to put by their petty squabbles.The particulars leading up to the piece of music of the poem, as explained by pope were The stealing of Miss Belle Fermors vibrissa, was get throughn too seriously, and ca af sensibled an estrangement between the both families, though they had lived so long in gigantic friendship before. A common fellowship and well wisher to both desired me to frame a poem to make a jest of it, and laugh them together again. It was with this attend that I wrote the Rape of the Lock. ( pontiff)This partly explains the routine of the term Rape in the agnomen. The use of such a strong password to outline such an inane instance expounds Alexander pontiffs pith of parody as well as his ability to beautify the strange and oft humorous idiosyncrasies of the wealthy elite. As pope begins his five act poem, his beginning(a) cast both questions and accuses the parties involved in the tilt by asking what trivial things could work been seen as such a heroic Offence. The assault which is verbalize of by Pope in this source canto is describe as existence committed by a well-bred Lord upon a gentle Belle. This assault is also questioned, in that Pope asked how a Belle could refuse the advances of such a well-born man. It is the assumption, from this early exchange, that it was socially anticipate that these two individuals, nearly certainly repayable to their social standing, would have no prime(a) but to form a animal(prenominal) union alone ignoring any personal prime(a) in the matter. end-to-end the first-class honours degree canto, there atomic number 18 several(prenominal) shells of instances where Pope created a strange backbone of verity through his use of word choice and order. Calling to attention the vision of a birth-night beau, a genuinely mirthful and happy im come along, Pope juxtaposes the idea of non-consensual traffic and enters into a dream-state. The allusions that Pope creates here are a precise white and axenic convulsion. The use of imagery such as the slippers, silver sound, and Belinda laying her interrogative sentence against her downy pillow creates a backdrop of safety and warmth. In line raginal four of the first canto, the poem begins to take on a decidedly tremendous spirit. This is use to create the moxie that Belinda is in legality a slothful person. As she arises at noon, the reader is told that she returns to sleep creating a sense of an unpressured and possibly spoiled girl with no responsibilities. The dreams of Belinda are also illustrated here. Pope mentions several types of fantastic characters in this divide which illustrate the unrealistic world Belinda inhabits. The angels and elves which Pope mentions issue forth in the thousands and through them, illustrate the rational age of Belinda that of a child. These creatures also localise up the meaning of the first canto, the pattern of Belinda. In the clear Mirror of thy view StarI saw, alas some dread Event impend,Ere to the Main this Morning Sun descend. moreover Heavn reveals not what, or how, or whereWarnd by thy Sylph, oh devotional Maid bewareThis to disclose is all thy Guardian can.Beware of all, but most beware of Man (Pope 1.108-114)This warning shows the reader, in Popes mock-epic style, that some carve up of tragedy is about to unfold for Belinda. This wonderful case continues through the end of the first canto. Pope uses the prosopopoeia of the items in Belindas room to create the creatures which she sees through her dreams. bank bill 135 is a perfect ex hefty of this as Pope writes The Tortoise here and Elephant unite, / transfigured to Combs. It is obvious to the reader that Pope is describing a tortoise shell and ivory comb. However, in the dream world of Belinda, this endeavor is represented by its literal components before losing this personification and becoming a tool to create Belindas physical beauty. The second canto is employ to by Pope to illustrate the grandness of vibrissa to the physical beauty of Belinda. Her terrible persona is described by Pope in order to place a heavy weight on the locks of tomentum she will eventually lose to the desirous Lord. Pope exaggerates Belindas physical magnet and the attractiveness of her jewellery as well. though she is surrounded by many well presented youths, all adorned in splendor, evry Eye was fixd on her alone (Pope 2.6) Her physical beauty, as Pope describes it, is accentuated by the cross around her love which was so spectacular that Jews might kiss, and Infidels delight in. (2.8)The power of a piece of jewelry to overcome religious conviction is very unlikely, however, for Pope, this is a perfect way to illustrate the perceived power of high social standing of the wealthy elite. For the members of the elite families of England, the richness of visual presentation cannot be over-stated, not even when compared to religion. Though the symbol she wears is a Christian icon, its beauty both from its whirl and the fact that it is being worn by a young girl of such attractiveness as Belinda, it could seemingly transpose Jews and heathens from their chosen dogmas. It is also in canto two that the magnate, who will perpetrate the rape of the lock, is introduced. bournes twenty nine and thirty of the second canto reads Th Adventrous superpower the bright Locks admird, / He saw, he wishd, and to the Prize aspird. This cornerstone of the Lord creates an interesting situation for the reader. scorn the several dozen lines of text which describe the beauty of Belindas clothing, jewelry as well as her physical features, it is the locks of bull that hang against her neck which the Baron first sets eyes upon, and subsequently longs for. The first feelings of the Baron are shown to be violent in nature. Resolvd to win, he meditates the way, By string to ravish, or by Fraud drift For when Success a Lovers Toil attends, Few ask, if Fraud or Force attaind his Ends. (2.31-34)This illustration of the mans designing shows the reader that the Baron does not visualize the pig on Belinda as a part of Belinda if he recognizes Belinda at all. The hair that hangs on her neck, however, is instantly revered as a stately prize. It is also through this section that the locks of hair are apt(p) a sexual persona. At no magazine does the Baron speak, or think of Belinda as a source of joy, but sooner her hair as an all comprehend quest. The immediacy of the Barons affectionateness for the locks of Belindas hair illustrates a very important aspect of his personality the award is more important than the victory. It is the intent of the Baron t o boasting the locks of hair, as one would display a commendation. The locks of would signify the physical mastery of the beauty of Belinda whether or not that conquest ever actually occurred. The signification given to the locks of hair on Belindas passing game is that of her chastity. By removing them, the Baron, in so much as it was seen in the times, had given Belinda the eq of a badge of promiscuity. The path through which the Baron achieves his goal, is illustrated through a note game. though this game is seemingly innocuous, it symbolizes to very distinct and overt attains the first being war, with the direct imagery within the poem, and the other being sex, by the eventual harming of the locks of chastity by the Baron. The victory of the card game enables the Baron to cut the locks of hair from Belindas head. This action, keeping with the tone of the title of the poem, is illustrated violently though the reality of the action was certainly far less extraordinary. T he equal promptly spreads the glittring Forfex wide, T interject the Lock now joins it, to divide. Evn then, before the fatal Engine closd, A wretched Sylph too fondly interposd Fate urgd the Sheers, and cut the Sylph in twain, (But Airy Substance soon unites again) The showdown Points that sacred Hair dissever From the bazaar Head, for ever and for ever (3.147-154)The words used by Pope in this stanza are undoubtedly violent. Though the Baron is removing the hair with the pressured permission of Belinda, Pope chooses to paint this scene as though the Baron was set on her, killing her, and/or ravaging her body. Pope also uses strange images to create the plastic film in the readers mind. Line 148 states that the scissors were closed around the hair, acetous it however, the language chosen by Pope creates the image of both conjunction and disjunction. This stanza is followed by whence flashd the live Lightnings from her Eyes, And Screams of Horror rend th affrighted Skies. N ot louder Shrieks to pitying Heavn are cast, When Husbands or when Lap-dogs breath their last, Or when rich china Vessels, faln from high, In glittring Dust and particoloured Fragments lie (3.155-160)This violence that is being spoken of here, as intended by Pope, creates the feeling of murder, and military conquest. The emotions that Pope takes advantage of here, are for the express purpose of illustrating the over-exaggerated weight put in the locks of hair. This scene is intentionally written so violently, as to show the reader that the members of this social stratum have minor understanding of the true importance of things such as locks of hair. Throughout canto four, Pope makes several allusions to the act of torture. It is the intent of these lines to show the reader that the victorious of the locks of hair, for Belinda, however insignificant as they may truly be, was a irritating and violating event. Meanwhile, the Baron, himself, calls into question the validity of the social conditional relation of the hair While the Fops envy, and the Ladies stare / keep forbid at whose unrivald saint / Ease, Pleasure, Virtue, All, our Sex resign. (4.104-107) The remainder of the poem, for Pope, get along illustrates the illogical amount of importance fixed on the loss of Belindas hair. The wardrobe that Fate and Jove where in the audience of this event, illustrates for the reader that the society which Pope is lampooning here feels that the Christian God and the pagan gods would be affronted by witnessing such a horrible action. Pope also suggests that the loss of Belindas locks would be of such corking importance to the skirt women in her life that their own lives would come to a halt For who cam move when fair Belinda fails? (5.4) Pope offers no redemption for the couple, or the society they inhabit. By line xciv of the fifth canto, Belinda and the Baron engage in actual combat. Pope uses this fight to come on illustrate the complexness of this soc ietys skewed priorities. Now meet thy Fate, incensd Belinda cryd, And drew a perverting Bodkin from her Side. (The same, his ancient Personage to deck, Her great great Grandsire wore about his Neck In three Seal-Rings which after, melted down, Formd a vast Buckle for his widows Gown Her infant Grandames Whistle next it grew, The Bells she gingled, and the Whistle blew Then in a Bodkin gracd her Mothers Hairs, Which long she wore, and now Belinda wears.) (5.86-96)The fact that the petite and beautiful Belinda pulls a blade from her side, and attacks the Baron with it, is against the idea of the age where men are the fighters and women are calorie-free in and in need of protection. This attack by the young maiden is followed by the powerful Barons beggary for his life ah, let me survive. (5.101) This, again, goes against the expectations of the reader, creating a setting of irrationality. These actions by Pope to create this skewed reality, are effective in forcing the reader to see the entire world of The Rape of the Lock as improbable. Throughout the poem, Pope utilizes the tools of the ancient epic poems to create a sense of importance and truth to the work. Just as Homer had with his Iliad, Pope creates a tale of heroic and diachronic importance. However, this is simply a ploy to shop the utter lack of importance of the issue at hand. The entirety of the poem is an burlesque of the expectations of the reader, and their knowledge of history and poetic license. The complexity of Popes couplet riming as well as the set free iambic lines, suggest that the work is meant to be seen just as the historical epics had been. However, the use of exaggerated metaphors and unlikely situations confront that sense of importance and overpower it. The voice that Pope uses throughout the poem allows the reader to feel at ease with the untrustworthiness of the narrator. It was the intent of Alexander Pope to illustrate a situation in which a imbecilic amount of imp ortance was placed on a fairly insignificant object hair. Though the fact is never revealed within the poem, hair regrows naturally. This means that regardless of the taking of the hair by the Baron, given ample time, the hair would be replaced and the event completely forgotten. However, as with the strain between the two families for which Pope was inspired to write about, the event was seen as somewhat of a major(ip) catastrophe.WORKS CITEDPope, Alexander. The Rape of the Lock. University of Massachusetts. Date of devil April 27, 2007. URL http//www-unix.oit.umass.edu/sconstan/index.html