Alexander Pope's. Essay on Man. The work that more than any other popularized the optimistic philosophy, not only in England but throughout Europe, was Alexander Pope's Essay on Man (), a rationalistic effort to justify the ways of God to man philosophically. As has been stated in the introduction, Voltaire had become well acquainted with the English poet · Analysis of Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man By Nasrullah Mambrol on July 8, • (0) By the time Alexander Pope chose to publish his An Essay on Man (), he had received thorough and undeserved criticism from the poetasters, or “dunces,” whose activities he so often correctly lambasted, most notably in The Dunciad ().Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins · Pope’s principle for understanding man is the Great Chain of Being, which orders all creation according to God’s will. The disorders which man sees in the universe are actually parts of some larger
Alexander Pope's Essay on Man
Awake, alexander pope essay on man summary, my St. leave all meaner things To low ambition, and the pride of kings. Say first, of God above, or man below, What can we reason, but from what we know? Of man what see we, but his station here, From which to reason, or to which refer?
or can a part contain the whole? Presumptuous man! Ask of thy mother earth, why oaks are made Taller or stronger than the weeds they shade? Respecting man, whatever wrong we call, May, must be right, as relative to all.
If to be perfect in a certain sphere, What matter, soon or late, or here or there? The blest today is as completely so, As who began a thousand alexander pope essay on man summary ago. The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed today, Had he thy reason, would he skip and play? Oh blindness to the future! Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar; Wait the great teacher Death; and God adore! What future bliss, he gives not thee to know, But gives that hope to be thy blessing now.
Go, wiser thou! Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes, Men would be angels, angels would be gods. But errs not Nature from this gracious end, From burning suns when livid deaths descend, When earthquakes swallow, or when tempests sweep Towns to one grave, whole nations to the deep? If the great end be human happiness, Then Nature deviates; and can man do less? In both, to reason right is to submit. But ALL subsists by elemental strife; And passions are the elements of life. What would this man?
Why has not man a microscopic eye? For this plain reason, man is not a fly. Or quick effluvia darting through the brain, Die of a rose in aromatic pain?
Who finds not Providence all good and wise, Alike in what it gives, and what denies? Without this just gradation, could they be Subjected, these to those, or all to thee?
See, through this air, this ocean, and this earth, All matter quick, and bursting into birth. Above, how high, progressive life may go! Around, how wide! how deep extend below! Vast chain of being, which from God began, Natures ethereal, alexander pope essay on man summary, angel, man, Beast, bird, fish, insect!
what no eye can see, No glass can reach! from infinite to thee, From thee to nothing! All this dread order break—for whom? for thee? Vile worm! Cease then, nor order imperfection name: Our proper bliss depends on what we blame.
However,it would be wrong to suggest that it is just a poem. It is in fact a combination of an essay and a poem. It is a poem as far as its form and style is concerned however,when we focus on the gravity of thought and the depth of philosophical ideas, it looks much like a literary essay which is more universal in appeal and approach. That is why it is rightly termed as an essay in poetic form. This unique blending of essay and form is actually expressed in four poetical epistles.
This epistle addressed to Henry St. The poem starts abruptly. It is obvious that all of us feel alexander pope essay on man summary we are the chosen creatures of God. We also assume that we have been formed after God and know fully well what He is and what He wants from us. The poet however, does not believe in any such assumptions. He feels that it is beyond man to understand the ways of God, alexander pope essay on man summary.
Therefore, it is more appropriate for him to concentrate on himself, that is, Pope wants man to observe his own complexities, confusions and contradictions rather than talking about God and His ways. He finds man to be wise and great.
That is why though man may be wise; his wisdom is of no use because of his inner darkness. Moreover,a great man can never be rude and since Pope calls man great and rude together, he suggests that man cannot be great because he is by nature rude. He finds him full of knowledge which does not help him.
Moreover, he also finds him too weak to be successful as a stoic. Pope then concentrates on the dilemma that man experiences as because of his complex and contradictory drives, alexander pope essay on man summary, man lives in doubt for ever. He does not know whether to act or rest. He also is always in doubt whether to see himself as a God or a beast, because he is a combination of the both. It is in this sense that Pope finds man to be dangling in between God and beast, alexander pope essay on man summary.
Caught between these two extremes, man cannot decide what to prefer — his body or his mind. Hence though man applies reason before taking action, alexander pope essay on man summary, he fails and errs because his reasoning also his faulty and awkward. He finds man to be ignorant even if he thinks too much or too little. Obviously,Pope does not believe that those who think too much can reach a level of understanding as to what they are and what they are supposed to be doing in life.
Pope finds man to be created with such complexities that he can rise but only to fall. Because of his inner contradictions man becomes a curious combination of weakness and strengths. Due alexander pope essay on man summary his strengths, he aspires to rise above his nature. But because of his weakness, he fails to do so. Therefore, man appears to be a lord of all things,but still he is a victim.
Thus, alexander pope essay on man summary spite of all his greatness, he is only a riddle for he is a curious blending of difference traits, virtues and shortcomings.
Because of all the confusion mixture, man is both the glory as well as the joker of the world. Your email address will not be published. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Skip to content To Henry St. John, Lord Bolingbroke. Related Posts: The Rape of Lock by Alexander Pope - Summary Two Friends by Alexander Kielland The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin The Shot by Alexander Pushkin The Undertaker by Alexander Pushkin The Blizzard by Alexander Pushkin.
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AN ESSAY ON MAN by Alexander Pope - EPISTLE 1- INTRODUCTION - lines 1-16-
, time: 12:17Pope’s Poems and Prose An Essay on Man: Epistle I Summary and Analysis | GradeSaver
· Analysis of Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man By Nasrullah Mambrol on July 8, • (0) By the time Alexander Pope chose to publish his An Essay on Man (), he had received thorough and undeserved criticism from the poetasters, or “dunces,” whose activities he so often correctly lambasted, most notably in The Dunciad ().Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins · An Essay on Man - a poem by Alexander Pope that was published in The Enlightenment - emphasized reason and science and reflected the belief that man could understand his world · Pope’s principle for understanding man is the Great Chain of Being, which orders all creation according to God’s will. The disorders which man sees in the universe are actually parts of some larger
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