Literary Analysis of "The Rape of the Lock"

1931 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rape of the lock canto lll by Alexander pope

Author and his times: Alexander Pope was born in London in 1688. Because he was a Roman Catholic living in a predominately Protestant society, he was largely excluded from the university system and therefore was self-taught, for the most part. At the age of twelve, he contracted tuberculosis, a disease that left him stunted and misshapen. Consequently, he suffered a great deal of emotional trauma and social anxiety. His only tool for interaction was his incredible wit and talent for writing. He soon formed a number of lifelong friendships in London's prestigious literary circles, and found his happiness there. Pope is probably the most famous writer from the Age of Reason, and his works are the most widely studied form this time period today. The Rape of the Lock, his most notable publication, was actually inspired by the real world event when a Lord Petre cut of a lock of Arabella Fermor's hair.

Form, structure, and plot: The poem is a mock epic divided into 5 short cantos, very similar in form to Shakespeare's acts. The first act is a kind of exposition, giving background information about Belinda. Canto 2 introduces the conflict--the Baron's desire to cut off and steal Belinda's locks; canto 3 encompasses the climax, when he actually succeeds; canto 4 notes the falling action, and lastly, canto 5 discusses the resolution where Belinda's stolen lock becomes a constellation. The simple plot occurs in chronological order.

Point of View: The story is told almost entirely in third person (omniscient) narrative. The only exception is the first 12 lines, in which Pope speaks in first person while invoking the aid of the muse, Caryl. Although it appears that there is little subjective commentary by the author, t...

... middle of paper ...

...ou, Cruel! been content to seize Hairs less in sight, or any Hairs but these!" (IV, 175-176)

Additional Comments and Analysis: I actually really liked the poem and would like to study it further in the future. It's absolutely packed with double meanings and satire--my favorites! I could see, however, where misunderstandings could arise in a few rare cases. Like Swift's "A Modest Proposal," The Rape of the Lock never overtly states its satirical purpose.

Before closing, though, I wanted to ask some questions about the text. First, Why All The Random Capitalization?? It drives me Nuts and makes Typing the Quotes very difficult. Also, regarding plot--If the Baron was so intent upon cutting off Belinda's lock that day, why wouldn't he have had his own pair of scissors?

Other than that, my group and I understood everything beautifully. Yay for us!

Show More
Related

  • Secrets Found in Gimli by Diane Alexander

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    The narrators of the story are the author Diana Alexander, and sometimes the characters, which narrates while dialogue. Alexander narrates the entire first paragraph, and her point of view in that piece is trusted, because she narrates the historical fact. The second paragraph though is from the point of view of the members of council, who is a character of the story and is also trusted. The member expressed his feelings, which should...

    Read More

  • Death as a Major Player in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under your arm.” (III, I, 103-105)

    Read More

  • Goblin Market Vs Rape

    118 Words  | 1 Pages

    Goblin Market” was considered to be a fairy tale however the poem had various erotic exploration of sexual fantasy, commentary on capitalism and the Victorian market economy. It is also interpreted about temptation, yearnings and atonement. On the other hand, “The Rape of the Lock” commented on human vanity and the custom of romance as Pope inspected the abused position of women. He’d pointed out that society recognized the upper class in a serious manner however they are in a frivolous manner. He’d used the poem to mock the noble and their lifestyles. “Goblin Market” and “The Rape of the Lock” related to each other as both poems have a significance of victimhood and hair being cut off.

    Read More

  • Transformation: Augustine's Journey to Christianity

    2032 Words  | 5 Pages

    Born in the year 354 on African soil, Augustine spent his earlier years in the care of his Christian mother, Monnica. He spent his time blissfully living the life of any normal child; doing mischievous deeds and remaining apathetic to life’s worries. He despised Greek education, and by extension, those who attempted to mandate a need to obtain one. But not for superficial reasons, rather, Augustine’s animosity towards his instructors was related to irrelevant subjects taught in the schools. According to him, Greek instructors failed to adequately expound on topics that hold honest meaning. One was fiction, which Augustine found to be quite contradictory to one who hoped to escape the sin of lying. However, Augustine did give positive feedback on Greek scholar’s inst...

    Read More

  • Tell-Tale Heart essay

    1792 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...tion and possible justification of the narrator’s crime, the dramatic impact of the short story is intensified. As the story unfold the narrator makes several attempts to change the point of view from “I - the criminal” to “I – the nervous storyteller” and detach himself from the events of the story inviting the readers to become witnesses and accomplices. In the story close connection between the choice of language, tone, symbolism and the mental state of the narrator is traced. Vivid descriptions of visual and aural perception of the narrator, which are reflected in the story’ symbolism, amplify the dramatic effect. In the circumstances the pulsation of the heart becomes the only tangible component of the narrative giving the pulsation to the whole text and leading to the revelation. The story ends abruptly intensifying the impression of the account of a madman.

    Read More

  • The Folly of Bergeron

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    2. The first reason for this thesis stems from the point of view used in the story. The point of view exemplified is one of third person, more specifically one who is omniscient. The story’s message could not be conveyed from the first person, due to the fact that virtually everyone in the writing at hand is not only unable, but unwilling to figure out the true nature of their surroundings.

    Read More

  • Comparison of Pope's The rape of the Lock and Swift's A Modest Proposal

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, in The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope uses satire to invoke a capricious, melancholy mood to illustrate the absurdity of fighting over the cutting of one's hair. Hidden inside this poem is a crafty criticism of the society that helps create the crisis over the stolen lock. A Society in which appearances ere more important to a person’s sense of identity, and treats the insignificant with utmost importance.

    Read More

  • The test

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story is told from the third-person limited point of view, which means that the reader sees the story through the eyes and perspective of a “viewpoint character”. In such cases, this character acts as a filter, and while we can see the internal thoughts and motivations of the viewpoint character, we can only see the behaviors of the other characters through his or her eyes.

    Read More

  • Victimition In The Male On Male Rape By Michael Scarce

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rape is an issue that usually occurs to females and is more likely executed by males than females. Nonetheless, a female’s position in rape can and does go further than being the victim. Considering that women can be the perpetrator in this sexual assault, who are their victims? Rape can occur to anyone by anyone. In the same way a female can be a victim of rape, so can a male. According to RAINN, an anti-sexual assault organization, “About 3% of American men have experienced attempted or completed rape as of 1998, an estimated 4.5 million as of 2010” (Who Are the Victims?). However, men are not necessarily the victims of solely female-on-male rape. In fact, the majority of males who are raped are the victims of male-on-male rape and

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the story was written in the third person objective, it is easier for the reader to remain objective while analyzing the story. If we one were to hear the story from on of the character’s point of view, the retelling of the story would be clouded with various em...

    Read More

  • The Sleeper Literary Analysis Essay

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first literary device that can be found throughout the poem is couplet, which is when two lines in a stanza rhyme successfully. For instance, lines 1-2 state, “At midnight, in the month of June / I stand beneath the mystic moon.” This is evidence that couplet is being used as both June and moon rhyme, which can suggest that these details are important, thus leading the reader to become aware of the speaker’s thoughts and actions. Another example of this device can be found in lines 16-17, “All Beauty sleeps!—and lo! where lies / (Her casement open to the skies).” These lines not only successfully rhyme, but they also describe a woman who

    Read More

  • The House on Mango Street Cisneros's Style

    466 Words  | 1 Pages

    The novel has confused many critics and readers because it reads like poetry, yet in actuality it is a narrative. Cisneros admits that many of the vignettes are "lazy poems." This means that they could be poems if she had taken the time to finish them (Olivares 145). At many times throughout the novel the words rhyme and can almost be put to a catchy tune. For example, the chapter "Geraldo No Last Name" reads like a poem with end rhyme and a structured pattern. "Pretty too, and young. Said he worked in a restaurant, but she can't remember which one" (Cisneros 65).

    Read More

  • The Yellow Wallpaper from the Point of View of a Doctor's Wife

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story, the narrator is forced to tell her story through a secret correspondence with the reader since her husband forbids her to write and would “meet [her] with heavy opposition” should he find her doing so (390). The woman’s secret correspondence with the reader is yet another example of the limited viewpoint, for no one else is ever around to comment or give their thoughts on what is occurring. The limited perspective the reader sees through her narration plays an essential role in helping the reader understand the theme by showing the woman’s place in the world. At ...

    Read More

  • Bright Star essay

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Bright Star, Keats utilises a mixture of the Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet forms to vividly portray his thoughts on the conflict between his longing to be immortal like the steadfast star, and his longing to be together with his love. The contrast between the loneliness of forever and the intenseness of the temporary is presented in the rich natural imagery and sensuous descriptions of his true wishes with Fanny Brawne. The structure of Bright Star is unique in that it breaks free of the limitations of the sonnet form, a form that is notorious for its strict and constrained nature. The rhyme scheme falls very close to the Shakespearean rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG, in which the last two lines represent the final heroic couplet. However, the rhyme of the ninth line (‘unchangeable’) is never continued, as the eleventh line (‘swell’), which the Shakespearean form dictates should rhyme with the ninth line, doesn’t rhyme fully.

    Read More

  • The Mock-Epic and Material Desire in Not All that Glisters Gold

    2007 Words  | 5 Pages

    In order to see how Gray’s Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat uses mirrors the style of the mock epic, we must pinpoint features and conventions of epic literature. One common feature of the epic is that there is commonly a huge amount of focus on an object of desire. In the case of a mock epic, the object in question is given a disproportionate amount of importance. In Alexander Pope’s mock epic The Rape of the Lock, the main object of desire is Belinda’s lock of hair. As the lock is an object that the Sylphs surrounding her are tasked to guard, is it treated is something sacred, and becomes a symbol of Belinda’s chastity. In the case of Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat, the goldfishes are treated as the object of desire. The fishes take on “angel forms” and don hues of purple and gold – regal colors that give the fishes a disparate sense of importance and entice the cat towards the fishbowl. This flattering...

    Read More

More about Literary Analysis of "The Rape of the Lock"

Open Document