ESSAY ON MAN ( Epistle I, Section II ) ******************** Alexander Pope

20.              Alexander Pope      **********                             Essay on Man (Epistle I, Section II )

Write an essay on the following

1.       How does the poem ‘vindicate the ways of God to man?”

2.       The poem is a reflection on the reigning scientific thought of the day. Discuss

3.       Discuss Alexander Pope as a Neoclassical poet.

 “Essay on Man” is a neoclassical poem written by Alexander Pope one of the greatest of the Neoclassical poets in English literature. Neoclassical period began from 1660 and ended in 1798 and Romantic period began with the publication of “Lyrical Ballads” by William Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge. Neoclassical period is also known as the Augustan period because the poets of this period tried to imitate the style of the ancient Greek and Roman writers like Homer and Virgil and others. The distinguished writers of Neoclassical period are Alexander Pope, John Dryden, Jonathan Swift, Oliver Goldsmith, Dr. Johnson, Daniel Defoe and others. This was also the period of the Enlightenment which gave importance to logic and reason.

“Essay on Man” is a philosophical poem. The theme of the poem is the justification of God’s ways to man. Neoclassical Age is marked by a spirit of rationalism and scientific temper. Isaac Newton was the greatest scientist of the period. Alexander Pope had great respect and admiration for  the great scientist. God has created every creature in perfect condition, giving them all the qualities they need. Man in his pride questions the ways of God. The universe is infinite and man’s knowledge is very limited. Many things we call wrong must be right because right and wrong depends on the way we look at things.

The proud horse does not know why man controls him from taking its own freedom or drives him over the plains. Similarly, the dull ox does not know why he is used to plough the land. Sometimes a creature becomes a victim and in another time he becomes a ruler. In the Bible we see the story of Joseph who was sold as a slave by his wicked brothers, but the same Joseph became the ruler of Egypt and his own brothers became beggars before Joseph. Man can understand these things only if he uses his reasoning power. We have no right to say man is imperfect or God is at fault. But we should understand that man is as perfect as God wanted him to be. Man is given limited knowledge to suit his place and position. He is given a particular place to live just as the fish is given a particular place to live.

The poem is written in the form of heroic couplet in which two lines written in iambic pentameter, ending with perfect rhymes. The defect of Neoclassical poetry is that too much logic and reason is applied by the poet leading to artificiality and worn out bombastic phrases and lifeless personifications which destroy the beauty and spontaneity of the poem. This is why William Wordsworth and S.T. Coleridge introduced “Lyrical Ballads” which opened a new era called Romanticism.                                                 Kjt/- 20-03-2020