The Scale of Values in Alexander Popes Poem The Rape of...

The Scale of Values in Alexander Popes Poem The Rape of the Lock I found Alexander Popes The Rape of the Lock a delightful, amusing poem. Throughout the poem, trivialities are compared with events and objects or consequence and the insignificant is treated with utmost importance. Its very title gives the reader an immediate clue; rape and all its connotations bring to mind a heinous crime of physical and spiritual violation. Perhaps this description could apply to the theft of a lock of hair, but only in a world where normal morals are perverted. This skewed scale of values is shown repeatedly throughout the poem, and supporting this alternate world are the sylphs. As the souls of former coquettes, the sylphs exist solely to†¦show more content†¦Here, the word militia brings to mind an imposing, well-regulated army, rather than a gossamer grouping of sprites bent on protecting beauty and virginity. It is sylph Ariel that foresees the dread event of the poems title. Ariel says to Belinda: Warned by the Sylph, O pious maid, beware! / This to disclose is all thy guardian can: / Beware of all, but most beware of man! (1.109, 112-14). Man, of course, is the coquettes eternal adversary. A lady must be very careful; men may be allured and teased, but as prey they can be unpredictable. Following this warning Belinda wakes and begins the transcendental toilet, one of my favorite scenes in the poem. Pope elevates Belindas morning preparations to the level of High Mass; a mystical, spiritual experience in which miraculous transformation takes place. In this ritual, however, cosmetic powers rather than cosmic powers are relied upon. (1.124). With the aid of the sylphs, Belinda begins her grooming: And now, unveiled, the toilet stands displayed, Each silver vase in mystic order laid. First, robed in white, the nymph intent adores, With head uncovered, the cosmetic powers. A heavenly image in the glass appears; To that she bends, to that her eyes she rears. The inferior priestess, at her altars side, Trembling begins the sacred rites of Pride. (1.121-28) Here we see an example of the utmost importance of the superficial in the absurdShow MoreRelatedAlexander Popes The Rape of the Lock Essay1296 Words   |  6 PagesAlexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock is a satirical poem that features a theme of gender roles. Throughout the poem, Pope uses his protagonist Belinda, to poke fun at the superficial nature of aristocratic women. He focuses on the ritual of womanhood and approaches it like a trivial matter, and her reaction to the offence is hysterical. Through this portrayal, he reveals that the Baron has a childish quality in his need for revenge for Belinda’s stab at his ego. The speaker’s view does come acrossRead MoreDiscuss Alexander Popes The Rape Of The Lock as a Mock Heroic Poem.2174 Words   |  9 Pageswas composed after John Caryll, a friend of Popes, informed the poet of an incident regarding two land owning, Catholic families, the Petres the Fermors. The young lord Petre had cut off a lock of hair from the fashionable society lady Arabella Fermor, and both she and her family had taken offence. Caryll suggested that Pope should write a poem to to make a jest of it, and laugh them together again. The result was the publication of The Rape of the Lock, in May 1712. However due to a favourableRead MoreAlexander Pope Essay6204 Words   |  25 PagesThe Rape of the Lock Context Alexander Pope was born in London in 1688. As a Roman Catholic living during a time of Protestant consolidation in England, he was largely excluded from the university system and from political life, and suffered certain social and economic disadvantages because of his religion as well. He was self-taught to a great extent, and was an assiduous scholar from a very early age. He learned several languages on his own, and his early verses were often imitations of poets