The Rape Of the lock

This blog is based upon Thinking activity task assigned by Vaidehi Mam. 

 1.) According to you, who is the protagonist of the poem Clarissa or Belinda? Why? Give your answer with logical reasons.

In the poem "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope, the protagonist is Belinda (according to me aslo). This is because the poem primarily revolves around her and her experiences. The narrative focuses on Belinda's actions, her beauty, and the events surrounding her. Furthermore, the poem's title itself suggests her central role as it refers to her. Therefore, Belinda can be considered the protagonist of the poem based on her prominence and central role in the story.

2.) What is beauty? Write your views about it.

Beauty is thoughts and virtues. Beauty is defined also as behaviour and kindness. Someone can be beautiful when their inner soul is beautiful. 

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.

Satire is a type of writing that makes fun of the flaws and problems in society to encourage improvement. Two famous writers, Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, used satire effectively during the Augustan Age to criticize their society. This study focuses on their works, "The Rape of the Lock" by Pope and "Gulliver's Travels" by Swift, to explore how they used satire.

In "The Rape of the Lock," Pope satirized the upper-class society of his time, including aristocratic women and men, judges, and politicians. Swift, on the other hand, used "Gulliver's Travels" to satirize the pride of 18th-century English people and humanity as a whole.

The study's objectives are to show how Pope and Swift used satire, highlight their similarities and differences in using satire, and demonstrate how satire helps us understand society.

Many scholars have studied Pope and Swift's use of satire. Stephen Holliday praised Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" for effectively ridiculing the trivial dispute over a lock of hair and the people involved. Jonathan emphasized that both Pope and Swift used satire to criticize the moral corruption of their society and inspire change.

Swift's satire in "Gulliver's Travels" reflects his dissatisfaction with society, highlighting its shortcomings. Swift believed that satire could push society toward improvement.

The methodology of this study is descriptive analysis, using primary sources like Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" and Swift's "Gulliver's Travels," along with secondary sources such as comments and reviews.

Satire comes in two types: Horatian, which uses gentle humor to criticize, and Juvenalian, which employs harsh, bitter criticism. Pope used Horatian satire, while Swift used Juvenalian. Pope's satire is known for its wit and intellect, while Swift's is more contemptuous.

In "The Rape of the Lock," Pope satirizes the fashionable and trivial world of 18th-century England, where people prioritize beauty and fashion over everything else. He mocks how people can act foolishly in the pursuit of beauty.

Overall, Pope and Swift used satire differently, but both aimed to shed light on the flaws of their society and encourage positive change. Pope targeted the upper class, while Swift criticized human nature itself. Satire served as a tool for them to critique and reform their society.

4.) Write your views about the significance of hair. Is it symbolic?

There is lots of things connected with hair. From the ancient time people are fond of hair. In the past even male are putting hair. Indian has culture of doing #cur (hair cut ceremony) for children. Moreover, Bramhin family has rituals to put long hair choti. hair continues to be a symbol of beauty, femininity, and cultural identity. According to me, hair are just a part of body and it's matter only with curtain level.

Work Cited : 

August 14, 2022, et al. The Rape of the Lock - Alexander Pope, vaidehi09.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-rape-of-lock-alexander-pope.html?m=1. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023. 

USE OF SATIRE IN THE RAPE OF THE LOCK AND GULLIVER’S TRAVELS: A ..., miurs.manarat.ac.bd/download/Issue-05/14.pdf. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.