Thinking activity on " The Rape of the Lock "

 

                        

               ' The Rape of the Lock '

                   

                                      ( Alexander Pope :-  1688 - 1744 )

           " The Rape of the Lock " is a mock-heroic narrative poem which is written by Alexander Pope. Alexander Pope is a great satirist of the 18th century along with John Dryden. He is great satirist who has got the excellent skill of using the heroic couplet in his poems. He was a great follower of the great ancient masters of Greek and Rome. He translated several works of the ancient masters into English language.

                                          

The  Rape of the Lock - Alexander Pope

                              The Rape of the Lock is a long narrative poem of neo-classical period. It was first published in 1712 and then reworked and published again in 1714. The final form of the poem appeared in 1717 with the addition of Clarissa's speech on good humour. The poem is a mock-epic that satirizes the upper class in London at the time. It is divided into five cantos. It is based on real incidents. Here I present thinking activity on " The Rape of the Lock " as my task.

         1】 Did this poem has characteristics of mock - heroic poem?

                            " The Rape of the Lock " is a universally recognised mock - heroic poem, composed by a very talented poet and translator of the Neo - classical Age's Alexander Pope.

        Here some characteristics of mock - heroic poem :-

             A mock - heroic or mock - epic poem is a kind of narrative poem which deals with a very trivial theme in a lofty, sublime and grand style with a purpose to satirising , ridiculing and reformation. It is considered to be a parody of the epic.

            "  The Rape of the Lock " as the mock - heroic poem :-

 

The present poem is a satire on the contemporary society of upper          class, it is also a satire on the fashionable and artificial decoration of those upper class people who think themselves superior to others in terms of their artificial beauty.

The mock heroic quality of  " The Rape of the Lock " lies in the very beginning of the poem which parodies the conventional epic invocation that we find in Homer's Illiad, Virgil's Aenied and Milton's Paradise Lost. The statement of the central problem of the poem is presented in an epic manner. Belinda's dream reminds us of the Eve's dream in paradise lost. It Eve dreams of Satan's instigation, Belinda dreams of Ariel's advice and suggestion.

Second important point which makes the poem a mock - epic is its title. We know that rape is a very serious and alarming crime in which the chastity of a woman is violated by force. But Pope has used term in an amusing manner. The title evokes nothin but fosters mock - heroic sensation. In so far as the action of the poem is concerned, it opens in a mock - heroic manner with the awakening of Belinda.

Pope uses mock heroic aspects in handling the ' machinery ' or supernatural elements in ' The Rape of the Lock '. In this poem Pope has used spirit s such as Sylphs and Gnomes. They play various functions and even take part in the battle of the mortals. In fact his futile function of the spirit cannot but make us laugh.

There is also a mock epic quality in presentation, description and allusions of combat and battle that takes place between male and female sexes. The heroic bombast of the Baron must parody Hectorian orations. Then the battle between the Beaux and the Belles is a right royal Homeric battle, even the game of Ombre is a delicate parody of epical fights. Holden observes this mock epic manner.

At the last , it can be said that without any doubt that ' The Rape of the Lock ' is one of the finest piece of mock - epic. It is mock heroic not only in content but also in its style.

 

            2】 Do you think that Clarissa's speech is waste of time?

Pope illustrates Clarissa's importance in   ' The Rape of  the Lock ' by giving her a big role in canto 5. Clarissa delivers a speech in which she questions why a society that so adores beauty in women does not also place a value on "good sense " ad " good humour " women are frequently called angels, she argues, but without reference to the moral qualities of these creatures.

Clarissa stresses that it is important to have moral values such as merit and good humor in order to have something to fall back upon since beauty does not last forever. Good humor and merit symbolize a form of power, and this is made clear when clarissa points out that regardless of what is lost, good humour and merit will continue to succeed.

Not only does Clarissa describe good humor as powerful, she emphasizes its importance by stating it will prevail even " when airs, and flights, and screams and scolding fail." This line portrays good humor as a precious quality, and it is a key reason why Clarissa makes her speech. She wonders why the world prioritizes beauty and other moral values.

Clarissa's speech then maybe taken as conveying the moral of the poem. The glorious of social position and privilege are achieved in vain unless there is no good sense. The best course for a women is there for to make good use of there power, maintaining good humour. Human beauty is vain and the real beauty lies in once inner soul or merit.

So, we can say that Clarissa's speech is not waste of time but it represent the moral of the poem.

      3】  Do you think that poem is narrated only for joy or is it a satire on contemporary society and time?

  " The Rape of the Lock " is a social document because it mirrors contemporary society and contains a social satire, too. Pope paints about England in 18th century. Pope satirizes the young girls and boys, aristocratic women and men , their free time activities, nature of husbands and wives, the professional judges and politicians of the day.

At the very outset of the poem, pope calls our attention to the idleness and late - rising aristocratic ladies of the time who possesses keen interest in domestic pets. The vanities of those ladies, such as their love of gilded Chariots and somber are also make known to us in the very beginning of the poem. Their ambition to get married to peers and dukes or other high officials is also ridiculed in the opening of the poem.

In order to make his satire sharper and all the more effective, Pope introduces the aerial machinery, which facilitates the satire. Pope also satirizes of the husbands and wives of the day. Through the medium of satire, Pope paints a picture of 18th century English society. The society he pictured is the aristocratic group of 18th century fashionable English society. But there are several allied subjects too, on which the inflicts his satire.

To sum up, the poem is a reflection of this artificial and hollow life, painted with a humorous and delicate satire. Pope's satire is intellectual and full of wit and epigram.

     4】 Can we say that Belinda is modern woman or foolish woman or fashionable woman or practical women?

                 "  The Rape of the Lock " is a mock epic poem which is written by Alexander Pope, the representation poet of the 18th century. Pope has pictured the character of Belinda as the model of the common fashionable ladies of contemporary society. Belinda is a central character of the play. Belinda is a complex character in Rape of the Lock. 

   

                             

  

 Belinda's character is an outstanding portrait by Pope in his mock epic ' The Rape of the Lock '. The way Pope pays attributes to Belinda's beauty with his pen ; it seems that he has been enamored with his own creation. Pope describes her paragon of beauty and wittiness: the goddess of beauty, the nymph, the fair, the rival of the sun's beams.

Belinda is a model arid more specifically represents the fashiinable, aristocratic ladies of Pope's age. Such social butterflies in eighteenth century were regarded as petty triflers, having no serious concern with life, and engrossed in dance and gaiety. Belinda's fall indicates the decadence of her class. She possesses keen interest for domestic pets. Her idleness is established when we see her sleeping into twelve. Belinda loves lap dogs more than her lover. Her dog knows when to wake up her.

Moreover, Belinda is the embodiment of the coquetry, the art, the artifice and the false pride. However, Ariel acquaints us with her flirtatious nature when exhorting his fellow spirits to remain vigilant. Ariel discovers surprisingly that in spite of all her pretence, she is amorously inclined towards a gallant.

Then, we get the picture of her shallow outlook about religious faiths and beliefs. She is a worshiper of beauty who prays to the goddess of beauty and offers all the items of cosmetics before her. She is a typical presentation of women's excessive attention to self decoration and embellishment. She gathers all the fashionable items from all over the world - Indian glowing gems, Arabian perfumes, files of pins, puffs, powders, patches etc. In a satirical passage, Pope describes Belinda in a confucius mood before her dressing table. Belinda of the Rape of the Lock represents the modern women.

So, we can say that Belinda is foolish, fashionable and practical women and she represents the modern women of time.

      5】 The Rape of the Lock- explain the title give your point of view.

 The Rape of the Lock - that title in the first time pull you up short before you began the poem. Rape did  have a sexual connotation, but in no way as strongly as it does now.  "Rape" is a serious word for a very serious crime: sexually violating a person, against their will, often using force or coercion.

In 18th century, in Pope's day,  "rape " also meant to carry away or take something from someone by force. The word " lock " here means the tress, curl, or ringlet of a woman's hair.

In the poem no woman is the victim of rape, but it is the lock of a woman named Belinda that is raped by a fashionable Baron. And the whole story of the poem is woven around this incident.

" The  Rape of the Lock " to which the poem, is the seizing, by force, of a lock of hair from a young lady named Belinda by her suitor, the dastardly Baron. So, the title brings out the triviality of the subject matter and it is hence appropriate.