The Rape Of Lock By Alexander Pope - 1448 Words

A mock epic is an extended narrative poem in an elevated or dignified language that celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero. In Alexander Pope’s, The Rape of Lock, his poem is a mock epic, not only because it is a long narrative poem; but his work consists in a series of events and revolves around beauty over brains. This mock epic satirizes not only sylphs, but also satirizes a woman’s ability to think logically than emotionally. The Rape of Lock is considered to be a mock epic, because the length is not only long enough, but has a series of events which includes introducing a young girl sleeping till noon, to Belinda favoring her beauty and possessions over her identity, and from meeting the highly ranked Lord Petre,†¦show more content†¦Here, affairs of love may cause serious offense; likewise, insignificant events may lead to great conflicts. Like every mock epic, there is always an appeal to the Goddess of Poetry, Muse, which helps him to compose the poem. The poet asks the Muse to let him understand the reason why a â€Å"well-bred lord† will attack a â€Å"gentle belle† and how a â€Å"gentle bell† will refuse the suit of a Lord. The poet integrates sylphs and spirits (machinery) under whose influence Belinda prolongs her sleep. Also, Ariel is Belinda’s guardian sylph. The spirits guard her and accompany her wherever she goes, â€Å"Her guardian Sylph prolong the balmy rest. Twas he had summoned to her silent bed† (Pope 2688). Usually, the sylphs or spirits are gods who usually have human like creatures report to them. However, in this satirical poem, the spirits report to the humans, which demonstrates the mockery of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. At this point, Pope displays how much every day beauty takes over mere intelligence with women. The beauty characteristic continues to be the main talking point, as Ariel describes the spirits being once gorgeous, â€Å"And once enclosed in woman’s beauteous mold† (Pope 2668). Usually, when beautiful women die at their pride, they return to the elements which they most resemble. Ariel continues to tell Belinda that sylphs and spirits protect the beautiful woman who rejects a human lover,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Rape Of The Lock By Alexander Pope1134 Words   |  5 PagesWords can wound, words can heal, but most importantly, words have purpose. To Alexander Pope, writing critical satire was worth being called a â€Å"hump-backed toad† (Cody). Even though Alexander Pope was only four and a half feet tall due to his medical problems, his words made him a giant that left his footprint in the writing world (â€Å"Alexander Pope†). 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