Thinking task : The Rape of the Lock

 " Thinking Activity "

 Hello readers! Here I am going to write down a blog on Alexander pope's mock heroic poem - " The Rape of the Lock. "

 This blog is inspired by vaidehi Ma'am as a part of thinking activity. In this blog,  I am answering to some alloted questions on the basis of my learning of this poem.

   ' THE RAPE OF THE LOCK'

    Alexander pope's - " The Rape of the lock"

Is a mock - heroic narrative poem. The first version of this poem published in the year 1712 and it consisted of two cantos. and when it again published in the year 1714. At that time It was expanded to five cantos. 

  " The Rape of the lock " based on true and real incident and written to reconcile the two families that had been estranged by it. This poem recounts the story of a young woman who has a lock of hair and it was stolen by an ardent young man. When we heard the word rape we connect it with sexual or physical rape. But, In this poem - pope used this word rape in a different way. Here the word Rape has not any kind of connection to our sexuality. But Alexander pope In his poem - The Rape of the lock. and here rape means - " To stole or " To snatch " Something. 

 Here I am placing one video. So, that it will  help you to understand my answers based on this poem. 

   

  Alexander pope :- Alexander pope ( 21st May 1688 - 30th May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the Early 18th century. 

     Alexander pope is best known for his great works. It includes satirical poetry including - " The Rape of the lock " ," An essay on criticism" and for his translation of 'Homer '.  He inspired by the classical Greek writers. He started writing at the age of 12. Pope also translated many Greek works. 

      Now let's understand this mock - heroic epic poem " The rape of the lock " by answering some important questions. 

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

     In this answer of the question first we have to define the character sketch of Belinda or clarissa. After that we can come to on conclusion that who is the protagonist of this poem. 

  Character sketch of Belinda :-

       Belinda is one of the main and major character of this poem. In this poem - Alexander pope has presented Belinda as a complex character. He has presented her character in different roles and under different shades. The character of Belinda has created much controversy since the publication of the poem. 

        Firstly, we can say that Belinda is the heroine of this poem. It is only her character around whom the story of the eni poem is woven. Pope talked about Belinda's beauty in the poem. 

    " Bright as the sun, her eyes the gazer strike. And, like the sun, the shines on all alike. " 

   So, In this way we can observed that Belinda 's beauty compared with all this  things especially with the sun. 

  Secondly, Belinda is very mixed and complicated. She portrays the time of aristocratic means upper class and fashionable ladies. She is also equally very beautiful and charming. The poet invest her almost with divine beauty. Besides all this admiration related to her beauty. She has many denunciating qualities in her character. 

   From this picture we can understand that she is looking herself into the mirror. and we can get the idea about how much beauty was important to Belinda's character. 

  Character sketch of Clarissa :- 

    The character of clarissa playa an important role in this poem. She is a lady at court who lends the Baron her scissors to chop off Belinda's lock of hair. So, we can say that it is her character who gave scissors to Baron. 

    Alexander pope very well presented the character of clarissa in his poem - The Rape of the lock. But, As we can see that clarissa's name means - " Clarity " hints that the reader might do well to take her wise advice. 

      In canto 5 clarissa gave one speech. Her sorry obvious makes good sense. In her speech , she declared that :

     " Virtue is most attractive to the soul. "

          

     " Beauties in vain their pretty eyes may roll; charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul. "

    Clarissa conclude her speech by telling this lines to Belinda that all of her airs, fights & scolding will probably fail and if she keeps thing in perspective and rises above the whole issue, she will win in the end. 

    With this reference, she added that beauty and charms may strike our site for a  very small period of time. But, when it comes to merit, it can win someone's soul forever rather than the beauty. 

     This is the moral of the speech delivered by clarissa in last canto of this poem. 

     We can say that " Belinda " Is the protagonist of the poem. She is a wealthy and beautiful young woman who travels to Hampton Court for a day of socializing. Her remarkable beauty attracts the attention of the baron, who snips  off a lock of her hair in his " Infatuation. "

      We can compare these two characters. Both the characters are different in a way of their thinking. 

   Belinda                   Clarissa

 Conditioning of the society -   Clarity

Beauty is important  - virtue is important

Always Fearful     -   Always fearless

  Voice of the author - Trival rules of society

   Earlier we have seen that It is the character of Belinda whom the story of the entire poem is woven around. Clarissa believed that beauty is not everything rather than virtue. But, for Belinda beauty is everything. It matters to her. 

   So, from all these we can conclude that Belinda is the main protagonist of the poem. 

  Question 2 : what is beauty? Write your views about it. 

   Answer : Here In this particular answer of the question we have to define our views on beauty. 

    As we know that we all have different mindsets from each other. We all think very differently. Suppose, my views on beauty is different from others. Everyone thinks on their own way and according to that they will define. 

    In our present poem - " The Rape of the lock. " We have seen that Belinda and Clarissa also had different views on the word - beauty. 

      According to Google ; 

  Beauty means - " A combination of qualities, such as shape, colour or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. "

    One more definition ; 

      Beauty means - " The quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to mind. "

      If we compare these things with our present time we can get idea that we have given so much importance to beauty which is only and only related to the appearance of someone. We also know that people are easily get judge by their looks. We have words like - ' Body shaming and all. ' people only judges someone by their looks. But, As per my thinking that is totally wrong. 

  Beauty is something which is not in hands. We all are creation of Gods. I believe that beauty is important. But not that much that we forget about other aspects of life. 

   We all have 1 Inner beauty & 2. Outer beauty.  One way or the other way Outer beauty is related with appearance. While, Inner beauty reflects someone 's way of thinking and his nature. According to me :-

     " Inner beauty is much more important rather than outer appearance  Or beauty. "

   I am not saying that outer beauty or look & appearance doesn't matter. But, for example when we meet someone without knowing anything about him or her we starts judging by only seeing their looks and this is not right. In gujarati language we generally used to say that :- 

   " દેખાવને શું ધોઈ પીવો છે?. "

     This line suggests us that No one should give so much importance to appearance. Because In last someone's inner beauty always wins our heart. 

      In canto 5 , clarissa wants to give the same message that Beauty is temporary. It vanishes with the age. What is more important is someone's soul and that is going to win in the last. 

   Question 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. 

   Answer : While I was searching for a research paper on Alexander pope's " The Rape of the lock. " I found one. So, Here I am placing one link here and by clicking on that you can get it. 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310832052_DEPICTION_OF_CONTEMPORARY_LIFE_IN_THE_RAPE_OF_THE_LOCK

   This Research done by Dr. George Kolanchery. and he talked about " Depiction of contemporary life in Rape of the lock. 

  In this particular research he talked about how our present or contemporary life was presented on pope's representative poem. This poem captures perfectly the ethos of the aristocratic means upper class people or we can say society of that time. 

  " No writer reflects so clearly and completely the spirit of his own day as Alexander pope does. " 

                                         - Lesile Stephen. 

    In his poem - " The Rape of the lock " be reflects the life of the fashionable aristocratic society of his time completely. The tone of the age  , the frivolous aspect of feminist nowhere exquisitely pictures than in this poem. 

      It is the epic of trifling ; a torn from the pretty, pleasure - seeking life of fashionable beauty. We can understand that how pope satires the society of upper class people through his poem. 

     So, we can conclude by saying that from this research we can get idea about what it says about the poem - The Rape of the lock written by Alexander pope. 

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

  Answer : In pope 's poem - The Rape of the lock the title of the poem is very important. Pope Symbolizes   " Hair "   In this poem as a youth, beauty and social status of woman. All this things used in the poem through the symbol of " Belinda 's hair " Which is cut by baron. 

      As we know that women's long hair has always been a symbol of beauty. When Baron cut off Belinda's lock of hair she behaved like now she lost everything in her life. 

  We can also understand that hair is not only a superficial symbol of beauty, youth and wealth, but also a reflection of deeper problems that rooting in our society. So, In this poem - pope also suggest that;

      " Hair is a symbol. "

  Through this symbol he wants to convey a message. 

   We can understand that " Lock of hair " Symbolizes three main things : -

   1.The absurdity of the importance afforded to female beauty in society. 

  2. The loss of the lock as the symboic loss of Belinda 's reputation on society. 

 3. Hair emphasizes the ridiculous amount of emphasis placed on female beauty in society. 

 So, we can say that hair is important and it also Symbolizes many things in our present narrative poem - " The Rape of the lock " Written by ' Alexander pope. '

  Conclusion :-

       In conclusion we can say that through this pope analysed  many things which are prevailing in our society and he presented this things very well which we all can understand through his great poem. 

    Thank you for visiting...