Analyze The Efficacy of Language In The Rape Of Lock

Isaac Atayero

Sir. John Campion

AP English Language

03/30/12

Efficacy of Language in The Rape Of Lock

    Every writer knows how important the type of language that is used in a writing piece is . Using the appropriate language can be the difference between a masterpiece and a terrible piece of literature . Alexander Pope, a satirist, mastered the craft of satirical writing and his satire, The Rape Of Lock, is testimony to this. Pope’s use of  humorous language contributes to the effectiveness of the satire. One of many examples of Pope’s use of language in The Rape of Lock is the card battle. Pope language diligently fuses different themes together to create a silly and very hilarious scenario. When reading any part of Pope’s work, one should keep in mind that the poem is silly because the language is silly. The silly, yet brilliant , use of language allows the poem to be truly amusing for both the reader and the writer. The efficacy of the language in The Rape of Lock is what makes it such an ingenious piece.

      In the comedic piece, The Rape of Lock , there are many instances of the effectiveness of witty language but the most outstanding example of this occurs during Canto 3. This is the scene in which Belinda plays, Ombre, a three - handed game of cards with two “Britain statesmen”(6) . Pope intensifies the card game by characterizing as a heroic battle. At different points in the poem, the poem possesses many of the characteristics of a mock-heroic. The card battle is definitely one of such scenes. Pope compares the cards to “each band the number of the sacred nine”(30) ; making the simple game of tricks and crafts sound much more aggressive than it actually is.

    Pope goes on to satirize epic combats when he writes that the cards “draw forth to combat on the velvet plain” (44). By doing this , Alexander Pope not only mocks heroic battles but he also devises a comical atmosphere because of his pompous description of the ordinary game. This is where the genius of the language that Pope uses in his poem comes to play. the entire poem becomes not only a brilliant example of Horatian Satire but a masterpiece that dives into the silliness and light humor that every piece of Horatian Satire should be. This type of satire should be able to provoke humor without offending ; It should also be solely used for entertaining purposes.

     Pope’s use of military language during the game of cards enhances the effectiveness of the satire which causes the poem to be silly. At the beginning of the games, Belinda is assissted by the “skillful nymphs”(45), who help her “review her forces with cares”(45). Under the guidance of the Sylphs., Belinda is able begin the battle with much favor. This causes Belinda to become very confident so she calls for the  “Spades be trumps...and trumps they were”(46) .This is significant because Belinda’s confidence causes her to play the game with her highest cards. She plays with her “sable Matadors...led off two captive trumps, and swept the board...”(47-50), all the while expecting nothing but triumph.

      However, much to Belinda’s chagrin , her luck takes a turn  for a “sad chance of war”(64). The games changes gears when :

    The Baron fate inclines the field.

    His warlike Amazon her host invades (86-87).

The Baron is able to capture Belinda’s “embroidered King”(76) with “his refulgent Queen”(78) . This turn of events causes the Baron to embark on “an easy conquest find...Diamonds, Hearts”(79-80). Again , the reader can see Pope use the language to highlight the silliness of the intensity of the scene. Belinda is now truly at the mercy of the Baron and at risk of losing the game of cards. Belinda is able to recover from her loss in the very last tricks “just in the jaws of ruins and codille”(92).

     As Belinda wins back just enough to barely win , the language used to describe the scene becomes even more grandiose. The ridiculous use of the language in this scene makes the idea of the scene even sillier than it actually is. In the following lines Pope’s audience can experience Pope use of unnecessarily yet accurately placed grand language.

   He springs to vengeance with an eager pace,

   And falls like thunder on the prostrate Ace...

   Sudden, these honors shall be snateched away

    And cursed forever this victorious day (99-104).

    The language is absolutely silly which is what  makes the poem one of the more striking examples of Horatian satire. This type of satire is meant only to amuse which is exactly what Alexander Pope manages to do. After the epic card battle is the ceremony of the serving of the coffee. During the serving of the coffee “the fuming liquor”(114) reminded the Baron of his mission to attempt a lock of Belinda’s precious hair. The Baron is successful with in carrying out his mission but he causes quite a chaotic scene in doing so. The scene in which the Baron uses “the two-edged weapon”(128) is truly one of the more humorous scenes in Pope’s great poem. Canto 3 is arguably the best part of Mr. Alexander Pope’s splendid masterwork.

     Language is a very crucial step in the process of executing the appropriate atmosphere of any piece of writing. Alexander Pope shows his mastery of this craft in Canto 3 of the brilliantly executed piece of Horatian Satire known as The Rape of Lock. In the Canto 3, the very ridiculous, yet very intense , game of cards takes place.Throughout this scene, pope repeatedly uses appropriate language to bring out the humor of the poem. Even in the scenes that follow, Pope carefully incorporates themes of a mock heroic in his work. Alexander Pope’s satire,The Rape of Lock,is a perfect example of the usefulness and efficacy of language in a piece of literature.

Explain how TWO of the following incidents or activities demonstrated American support for this statement. Stamp Act Congress Boston Tea Party

Isaac Atayero

Mrs. Mary Anne McElroy

Advanced Placement United States History

12/6/11

 “It is inseparably essential to the freedom of a People, and the undoubted Right of Englishmen, that no taxes be imposed on them, but with their own Consent, given personally,or by their representatives.”(Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress, 1765)

Explain how TWO of the following incidents or activities demonstrated American support for this statement.

Stamp Act Congress

Boston Tea Party

     The colonists in America in 1765 wanted to be viewed and treated as British citizens. It was a well known fact that “English citizens had the right to be taxed only by their elected representatives”(Tindall. 196).However,when the colonies came to the realization that this was not a reality for them, they begin to demand representatives from England. As they become aware of their rights the colonists begin to fight for their rights. The colonists show support the statement by participating in the Stamp Act Congress and the Boston Tea Party. These two events show the colonists demanding representation from their mother country.The protest against the Stamp Act of 1765 brought about the formation of the Stamp Act Congress. The Stamp Act Congress help bring the colonials to the conclusion that only their elected representatives had legal authority to approve their taxes.  By refusing to buy cheaper tea the colonists were denying Parliament the right to tax them. When the colonists finally realized that the British were not getting the message they begin to itch for a revolution.

   The Stamp Act Congress supports the above statement because it urges the colonials to fight for direct representation. The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting of representatives from nine colonies to discuss protesting the Stamp Act of 1765. The Stamp Act Congress supports the above statement because it urges the colonials to fight for direct representation. The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting of representatives from nine colonies to discuss protesting the Stamp Act of 1765. The Stamp Act of 1765 stated that stamps be placed on all legal documents, pamphlets, advertisements and most printed paper. The colonists especially opposed the Stamp Act because it was a direct tax. The Americans did not like the tax because it affected every area of their daily routines in one way or the other. Unlike the taxes before it, the Stamp Act was not a luxury tax. The Stamp Act Congress is in line with the statement because it decided that only representatives selected by the colonists could approve their taxes in Parliament.

   With the “ideological response”(Tindall,195) of the colonists, “The Stamp Act became the chief target of colonial outrage at British arrogance”(Tindall, 196). The colonists’ consistent and relentless series of protests and boycotts sent a strong message to Parliament about their stance on taxation without representation. Parliament’s forceful and violent response was seen as a sign of tyranny in the colonies. The Stamp Act proved that “Grenville excelled at doing the wrong thing”(Tindall,195). With the help of the Stamp Act Congress, people began to become aware that it was necessary for them to be represented in Parliament by someone of their choosing. The statement above concurs with this awareness. The colonists simply wanted taxes “given with their own consent”(Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress, 1765). The statement reflects the ideals of the Stamp Act Congress. The colonists’ protesting was a way of defending their right as Englishmen . They were telling Parliament that even though they were not landowners or wealthy merchants , they had the right not to have taxes forced upon them.

   This activity inspired patriotism it basically said that any Englishman had the right to have a say in his government regardless of social status. This message was apparently foreign to the British government and caused multiple conflict with the mother country and her colonies. this activity therefore demonstrates American support for the above statement because it is an example of the colonials standing up for their right to be represented.

   The Boston Tea Party supports this statement because it aggressively demands representation in Parliament. The Boston Tea Party was an incident where a group of Bostonians disguised as Mohawk Indians dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor . The Boston Tea Party was in agreement with this statement because the tax for the tea was given to the colonists without their consent. Although the tax on the tea was cheaper than smuggled tea, it was imposed on the colonists by Parliament. The Americans chose to stick with their rights rather than the tempting and cheap tea. Patriots let the colonies know that the tea was England’s way of tricking the colonist’s to receiving taxes without any representation. The Committees of Correspondence said that the British  were “trying to purchase acquiescence with cheap tea”(Tindall, 206). The colonials saw the cheap tea tax as a clever trap by the British .

    By refusing to pay the cheap tea tax, the Americans told parliament that they were aware of cunning but failed its attempt to tax them without their consent. This incident shows that Americans were serious about wanting representatives for their taxes. Although many patriots had mixed feelings about the incident, it was one of many defining moments for colonial America. The patriots who strongly supported and believed in the Boston Tea Party supported it by saying it sent a firm message to the British about how they felt about being taxed by people who don’t know them . People that they did not know and did not care to. The Americans did not like the idea of being taxed by people that looked down on them and did not see themselves as equals with them. People who saw the colonists simply as means of revenue and items used to claim land. The amorous relationship between the colonists and their mother country was wanning quickly.The colonists were beginning to see England as a mother country who let her colonies govern themselves and refused to treat them as the Englishmen that they were.

   The many protests including the Boston Tea Party were the colonists’ way of rebelling against their mother country who continuously denied them of basic rights that they felt they were entitled to. The Boston Tea Party was controversial because it was violent and aggressive. It was one of many forceful and active colonists performed by the patriots. This demonstration took violating and disrespecting British law to another level. The Boston Tea party is also significant because it was able to push “British officials to the breaking point”(Tindall, 207). The aggressive demonstrations showed England how committed the colonials were about receiving their representative rights. The Boston Tea Party is also important because, like The Stamp Act Congress, it shows the Americans equating their right to be fairly taxed with their liberty. They saw this right as “essential to their freedom”(Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress, 1765).  Many think the Boston Tea Party was quite radical and uncalled for ; but it can be justified because of what it stands for. this incident demonstrates support for the statement above because because it highlights the colonists’ right not to have taxes without representation. Those who “recoiled at the wanton destruction of property”(Tindall, 207) did so because they thought it “undermined the radicals’ credibility”(Tindall, 207). The statement, like the act, demands the fulfillment of the right to be represented in Parliament.

     Due to the atmosphere of Enlightenment at the time of the Stamp Act and Boston Tea Party, colonists became increasingly aware of their rights. Thanks to the “ideas derived from ...John Locke’s ...Two Treatises on Government”(Tindall,195), colonials began to demand the preservation of “liberty...against royal tyranny”(Tindall, 195). The colonists felt that losing their right to be represented in their government  was the beginning of “monarchical power”(Tindall, 195).The statement  above reflects the feelings and reactions of the colonists at the time of the Stamp Act Congress and the Boston Tea Party. The Americans’ protest were mainly concerning their right to be represented by an elected official in Parliament. The Boston Tea Party and the Stamp Act Congress are two good examples of the colonists standing up for their right to be represented . These incidents demonstrate the colonists support for the above statement . These events are the people’s way of saying it is the “undoubted Right of Englishmen, that no taxes be imposed on them, but with only their own consent”(Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress, 1765).  These incidents “contributed  something to the collective grievances that rose to a climax in a gigantic failure of Britain statesmanship”(Tindall, 222).  Since the colonists felt that they “had always governed ourselves”(Tindall, 223), they were beginning to resent British rule over them.The colonists strongly protested Britain’s present stand and were ready to fight until the conditions they demanded were met.