|
Papers > English > Popes the Rape of the Lock
Featured Papers from Direct Essays |
|||
1. Death of a Salesman
|
|||
This is a preview of a paper to view the full text you need to signup and login.
Popes the Rape of the Lock |
|||
|
Alexander Pope on gender by Shelley Landmark Alexander Popes The Rape of the Lock is perhaps one of the most well known poems of the mock epic genre, satirizing eighteenth century culture, values, and relations. In its depiction of an event in which a young womans hair is cut off, The Rape of the Lock can be read as a mock-heroic criticism of the ostentation inherent within Popes culture of the time. ... The major direction of the Rape of the Lock can certainly be seen as an attack upon the vanity and character of women: Think not, when Womans transient Breath is fled, That all her Vanities at once are dead Succeeding Vanities she still regards, And tho she plays no more, oerlooks the Cards. (I, 52-55) It becomes evident that Popes reasons for choosing gender as the object of ridicule stems from more than simple observation and reflection. ... Here, Popes own personal experience and diffidence could clearly have led him to satirize gender and women in such a manner. ... Indeed Popes negative view of gender relations and women can be viewed in his later work Epistle to a Lady with its famous opening couplet: Nothing so true as what you once let fall, Most Women have no Characters at all. ... This juxtaposition adds to the satirical nature of the poem and heightens the element of humour through Popes use of the absurd: Puffs, Powders, Patches, Bibles, Billet-doux. ... Here, the contrasting of the petty (the makeup) and the grand (the bible) help to amplify Popes satirical attack on Belindas misguided values and her ignorant failure to recognise issues of genuine importance. ... Popes patronizing tone towards women is evident even before the poem begins in his letter to Arabella Fermor when he apologises to her by stating: Yet you may bear me witness, it was intended only to divert a few young Ladies, who have good Sense and good Humour enough, to laugh not only at their Sexs little unguarded Follies, but at their own. |
|||
To link to this page, copy the following code to your site:
Paper Information |
|||||
Title: Popes the Rape of the Lock
|
|||||
Signup & Login |
|||||
If you don't currently have a login then Signup here |
|||||
| Pre-Written Papers | |||||
|
|||||
| Custom Papers | |||||
|
|||||
Copyright 2003-2008 doingmyhomework.com. All rights reserved.