The Rape Of The Lock Summary

‘The two basic modes of satire are good-humoured teasing and savage attack. ‘ Discuss The Rape of the Lock and A Modest Proposal in the light of this statement. The Rape of the Lock and A Modest Proposal were both published for the first time early in the 18th century (1712 and 1729 respectively). In addition, Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift were close friends. Given these facts, one could easily assume that there would be numerous similarities in style and arguments. This, though, is not necessarily the case.

Satire is largely defined as a genre that attempts to highlight and criticise the flaws and failings of society through mockery and ridicule. It is often intended to inspire self-evaluation or, in more extreme cases, reform. However, the styles of these satirical pieces can be greatly contrasted. The Rape of the Lock is distinctly light-hearted, and very few, if any, instances of severity can be found. This type of satire is commonly known as Horatian satire, named after the Roman satirist, Horace, who claimed that “every play should either instruct or delight – better if it does both.

” The poem is written using the heroic couplet, for which Pope is widely recognised to have mastered and made his own. The heroic couplet consists of rhymed pairs of iambic pentameter lines. The natural balance of the couplet form is well suited to this Horatian style of satire, as it encourages comparisons and contrasts. The form provides a means for two ideas or situations to be compared or contrasted against one another.

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It is therefore perfect for the evaluative, moralising foundation of the poem, but does not attack the subject matter too viciously.

Types Of Satire In A Modest Proposal

This also complements the mock-epic style in which the poem is written, by building up something in one line to have it swiftly put down in the next. This approach to satire is expressed extremely well in an excellent example in what is largely known as the ‘toilet scene’, near the end of canto 1. Here Pope comments on the misplaced priorities of modern society through the description of Belinda’s dressing table, at which she prepares herself for ‘battle’: The tortoise here and elephant unite, Transformed to combs, the speckled and the white.

Here files of pins extend their shining rows, Puffs, powders, patches, Bibles, billet-doux. Here we have two examples of Pope’s use of the heroic couplet to comment on what he considers to be faults in society. Having the tortoise and elephant “unite” creates a pleasant atmosphere of harmony, most notably, though, in the animal kingdom as opposed to the human world. However, this image of harmony is quickly destroyed in the next line where Pope tells us that this union is at the expense of human consumerism, as the elephant and tortoise have been “transformed to combs”.

We then are shown what can be found on Belinda’s dressing table. The order of items as described in the verse is the most significant feature here. By including the bible amongst the other more trivial items suggests that religion has become secondary to more frivolous issues, this case being cosmetics and romance. By having Belinda ‘arm herself’ at the dressing table is typical of the mock-epic approach, which pokes mild ridicule at society, and the situation in general. It can be argues that the cutting, or ‘raping’, of someone’s hair is by no means a trivial matter.

This may indeed be the case, but Pope has used the mock-epic style to trivialise it by blowing the whole situation out of proportion by presenting it in an epic fashion. This is made apparent at the very beginning of the poem, with Pope asking, “What mighty contests rise from trivial things? ” This conforms with the Horatian ideals, as it very much appears as if Pope is attempting to reason with his target audience rather than attack their morals or beliefs. Typical features of an epic are seen throughout the poem.

The appearance of the sylphs and other supernatural entities, for example, liken the situation to a struggle between the natural and supernatural. The depiction of Belinda as a pure and virtuous figure as opposed to the mysterious and somewhat nefarious baron also suggests a battle between good and evil, which is also common in classical epics. This style allows Pope to steer clear from his own personal opinions, which is extremely important in maintaining the atmosphere of impartiality required to lower the seriousness and harshness of the poem.