"The Rape of the Lock"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the comic and pseudo-heroic poem, "The Rape of the Lock" composed by Alexander Pope, a poet noted for concise poetic writing and carefully crafted language. The paper describes the poet's use of of linguistic and poetic devices to elevate the language. The paper examines the rhyme scheme of the poem, explaining that any change in the rhyme scheme indicates that special emphasis must be placed on those lines.

From the Paper:

"The most evident poetic feature in this work, and the one that links it most closely to Homer and the epic tradition, is the meter of iambic pentameter, with five beats per line in the form of a hort followed by a long. When Pope differs from this metric scheme, special meaning should be attached, given that the poet is trying to emphasize a word or idea by this shift in metric form, as in line 138 when the first syllable is accepted for "Thrice she looked back, and thrice the foe drew near," where the change in rhythm at the opening of the sentence slows the action down and so agrees with the meaning of the action taken, looking back with some trepidation and perhaps second thoughts."

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