Greetings,
We have recently completed Alexander Pope's mock heroic poem "The Rape of the Lock", and this blog task is based on our interpretation of the poem.
Here, are some questions on which we have to think upon.
1) According to you, who is the protagonist of the poem Clarissa or Belinda? Why? Give your answer with logical reasons.
Ans
The actual main character of the poem is Belinda, upon whom the whole story of the poem constructed. She is portrayed as a typically beautiful upper-class woman of the Pope's time, with all its charms and leisure. Belinda has nothing to do the whole day except get ready and do make-up for parties, and the most important thing is that she does not have the thinking ability or intellect to take care of herself, considering this Arial-named supernatural character is there to protect her virtue and think on her behalf. Which shows upper-class women's inability to think for themselves. In the poem, we find that Belinda's pride is her beauty and her lock of hair, and she was upset after Baron cut her lock of hair.
"Restore the lock!" she cries; and all around
"Restore the lock!" the vaulted roofs rebound.
Whole poem is molded upon this trivial and silly incident. Through Belinda's character here pope satirize the social upper class of his time, women in particular.
I would consider Clarissa a protagonist since she tried to convince Belinda in her speech that cutting a lock of hair is a trivial matter not to be concerned with. She conveyed her thought that women should have not only beauty but virtues as well.
"Beauties in vain their pretty eyes may roll;
Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul."
2) What is beauty? Write your views about it.
Ans
Beauty is something that is real not fake. Beauty comes from innerself but nowadays people have wrong idea about beauty, everyone sees outer beauty which is something that will not remain entire life.
But in todays' time How do you Look is the only definition of beauty!!
3) Find out a research paper on "The Rape of the Lock". Give the details of the paper and write down in brief what it says about the Poem by Alexander Pope.
Ans
" The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope Review Research Paper
This paper would discuss and evaluate the traces and proofs regarding Pope’s demonstration of disapproval about British Mannerism and exaggerated decency in his world renowned mock epic “The Rape of the Lock”.
In this poem Pope clearly shows his disapproval of aristocratic and civilized mannerism of British high class society with the help of satire. Pope explore out the hollowness and exaggerated politeness of the society. Through this Pope ridicules the society and its shallow politeness. At, the beginning of the poem Pope makes a question that what should be the subject matter of the poem, as a epic poem it should have a heroic subject but here the subject matter of poem is as trivial as cutting the lock of hair.
Pope is satirizing his society which is self contained and enjoys exaggerated decency and redundant mannerism by implying that they have no great subject or plight about which to write a traditional epic. Instead of, focusing on the other pressing matters his society indulge it self in most trivial thing, a quarrel between belle and a lord. Here, Pope uses a word "Assult" Many times in poem in context of violent act that The Baron had did by cutting the hair of Belinda. With this word he mocks the trivial subject of poem.
Further, Pope satirizes the trivialities of fashionable life, as a commentary on the distorted moral values of polite society and as a criticism of human pride. This attention to the material and tendency to give in to worldly temptations indicates a frivolous aristocracy, who lack virtue and morality. The Rape of the Lock is an elegantly witty and balanced parody which shows Pope’s literary virtuosity which invokes an ironic contrast between the epics structure and its content.
Work Cited
""The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope Review." IvyPanda, 30 Apr. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-rape-of-the-lock-by-alexander-pope-review/.
4) Write your views about the significance of hair. Is it symbolic?
Ans
Throughout the poem, Belinda's lock of hair holds immense attention, and the subject matter of the poem is cutting Belinda's lock of hair. This way, Belinda's hair is the most significant thing in this poem. It is a symbol of the absurd importance afforded to female beauty in society. After Baron cuts the lock of hair in Canto 3, Belinda becomes so sad, and she feels like she has lost her reputation in society. Belinda's hair is the main key for Pope to ridicule the British upper-class society of his time.
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