Analysis of Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Man"

Introduction

In the early 1730s, Alexander Pope's essay on man presented one among the most optimistic philosophy throughout Europe during his day. In the rational effort to justify the role of Divinity in man, Pope makes a representative contribution to the neoclassical enlightenment movement. This poet work among other preceding literature showed considerable contribution in neoclassicism on the abstract and imperfection of human beings and the supremacy of divinity, as well as the purpose of all things in the harmonious order of the universe. The three centuries old text presents an expansive scope of discerning knowledge emphasizing of the contribution of science in the up-to-date society. The work blended borrowed schools of thought from Pope's intellectual peers creating a poem on the same theme. The philosophical encouragement of the essay made considerable efforts to present a coherent justification on theodicy or the divine plan.

The first epistle of the essay describes the place of man in the universal system justifying the way of God. In this text, Pope portrays his ambitious effort to prove man's moral duty considering his abstract nature to enforce morality, a reflection of the perfection of imperfection, and the consideration of the purpose of the mortal beings. In this message, Pope dramatizes man's shortfall on the intelligence of God's order and design. The poem, Pope perceives himself as an existing example of a mare component of God's design, thus, a member of the hierarchical positioning within the logic state of God's order. The text makes expansive use of heroic rhyme to demonstrate in the incoherence of the philosophical aspirations and ambitions in the epistle showing Pope's arguments depicting the fatalistic element of man and the entire world. Demonstration of divinity supremacy shows the purpose and God's intention in every element of creation making everything in the universe fated.

The effort of embodying the "Essay on Man" Pope applies his mastery in poetry to portray the central figure of speech in perfectly rhymed stanzas of satiric and philosophical achievements. The articulation of the central tenets to show the aesthetic philosophy of morality Pope is a prominent literary neoclassicist characterized by his level of intellect, the order and logic of reasoning, emphasis of form, and acceptance of the imperfection of man's nature in the ancient Greek and Roman context. Among the distinct elements of neoclassicism presented in Pope's "Essay on Man" is the display of emphasizes on the level of knowledge and philosophical argument of man's imperfection. The poem lays direct demonstration of mankind efforts to rank the natural world and lack of particular knowledge on the relationship of nature's components.

The application of prudence evokes the philosophical argument on the order of the universe in the essence of morality and divinity enhancing the wisdom of the present and future submission of man to the universe entity. In the neoclassical perspectives, Pope advocated for complete submission of man into God's order. Compounding themes and cultural ideas on "An Essay on Man" illustrates the mastery of heroic stanzas used to produce argumentative perspective of life on moral stands and godliness. The four sections of the essay present artistically engineered arguments in philosophy denoting the existence of man in the harmony with the world. Pope contends that the world has unified order because God created it and advocate for the order of integrating inferiors and superiors being to strive for unity. This literal text gives Pope commendable merit of the successful achievement gained as an advocate of neoclassicism as the proceedings of emotional and sincerity of human beings. The principle argument that everything exists has an active role to contribute to divine plan meaning that God has specific intentions when creating every element in the world. Pope brings in the spiritual perspective of creation and genesis of life and existence of man. The major distress in the enticing understanding of the divine connection of creation and existence Pope laments of the existence of fatalism.

The laid-back description on reconciling the universe gives the school of thought perceived by Pope to yield unrealistic phenomena of the existence of man. In the initial epistle, Pope utilizes the slogan "Of the Nature and State of Man, with respect to the Universe" shows the realistic position of man in the cosmos. Therefore, the justification of God's ways or purpose for man equates to the importance of all other minute things that enhance the totality of cosmic connection without favoritism for any species. The philosophical perspective of the 19th century Pope contributes considerably on the relationship of humanity and the entity of universal happening. To symbolize the effectiveness of human-universe relationship Pope states that: "...for me health gushes from a thousand springs.....my footstool earth my canopy the skies..." (p.330). in this argument, the poet makes an impression that the earth is created for human being's pleasure. The interaction of man with all the things in the universe helps fulfill man's immediate and subsidiary needs for survival. Human conformity to coexisting order shows the finest arrangement of humanity explaining that the challenges experienced by man attribute to circumstantial interdependence.

The second dispatch of the essay presents the interpretive challenges preceded by the initial epistle. This philosophical argument dictated in this point of view urged man to understand his position and role in the phrase "know thyself". The classical meaning of the primary phrase driving this idea shows that Pope denoted man's achievement of neoclassicism is typically an inward truth more than the external forces. In the continuity of the first epistle that described man's relationship with divinity and other creatures, this epistle introduces the role of science in nature. In this conviction, man is echoed to the presumptuous understanding of God through scientific tools. The abrupt change of focus in this stanza shows an advocate for self-love, self-maintenance and general self-fulfillment of man's life. The neoclassicism philosophy signifies that man's cause of action and conduct derives from the passion of self-actualization. The ruling of passion is characterized by Pope's doctrine to explain the difference in human conduct governed by individualized desires. In this perspective, human conduct is explainable to clear understanding why certain people behave in certain ways to fulfill their inner or self-desires. The passion drive manifests individualism that characterizes the personality elements constituent of humanity. Pope is successful in his demonstration of the unimposing elements of self-love and reasoning driven by passion. He makes a philosophical argument that reasoning regulates human conduct while self-love originates from concrete reasoning for short and long-term effects.

In the third stanza, Pope demonstrates man as a social being. He shows the family religion and political obligations that bond humanity. In precedent to the second epistle that denotes that man's conduct is governed by self-love, the element of love forms a building block that attacks man to each other. In this rational thinking, Pope applies the in-depth meaning of the phrase "Relate to the whole" that signified the interdependence of man with other social systems to form completeness of coexistence. In this principle of human conduct, man uses instinct and reasoning to relate to God's creation. In Pope's effort to make a philosophical representation of instinct and reasoning, he demonstrates the distinctness of nature to help man to use reasoning due to his brain power and beasts use instincts to execute their functionalism. In this contrast of conduct gives the man the upper hand in ruling the universe. Man is able to make calculated behavior as the principal elements of reasoning while other creatures use instinctive features to discern conduct. In this epistle, Pope applied the "government and laws" (272) understanding to show the probe of humanity. Thus in the interest of achieving divinity man integrates the understanding of God's supremacy, self-love, and governance to prevent public conflict for universal wellness.

In the fourth Epistle, Pope gives an effective conclusion to the essay by demonstrating closure on the relationship between man and the purpose of the universe. In this precedent Pope advocates for happiness as the untimely goal attainable by the principals of virtue and behavior. The adoption of the phrase "soul's calm sunshine" describes the inner peace and happiness that enhances serenity in the coexisting of man and the universe. Giving a successful conclusion to his neoclassical contribution to the ancient literature of quality and effectiveness of creating construction, Pope raised concerns about the reward and punishment systems of the universe. The conduct of man earns him rewards of happiness and peaceful coexistence with the universe and divinity. In this discussion, Pope states that God acts in the general order of existence rather than the specifications of law and principals drawn by man applicable in the holistic characterization of order and divine plan. The philosophical perspective of this epistle shows that God is just in his treatment of man in all situations without contradictions and oppression. The experience of God's hierarchical order comes into numerous contradictions with man order to show the difference in sense and conduct of human perspective and divine rational.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Alexander Pope's Essay on Man gives a philosophical understanding of the neoclassical representation of the 19th-century understanding of divinity and man. the application of four perspectives portrayed in the four stanzas of the poem, Pope demonstrated the supremacy of God's way for man. Man forms the lead instigator of chance in the universe to defect from God's plan. Pope makes a considerable contribution to advocating for rational understanding on the reasoning and instinct difference between man and other living creatures in the universe. The constitution of man's understanding and conduct gives the inner understanding of the sources of arising conflict between man and the purpose of divinity. Therefore, Pope makes a contemporary contribution to the philosophical understanding of the relationship between man and divinity; and the place of God in man's dwelling.

Works Cited

Pope, Alexander, and Tom Jones. An Essay on Man. Princeton University Press, 2016.

Pope, Alexander, et al. The Enduring Legacy: Alexander Pope Tercentenary Essays. Cambridge University Press, 1988. Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/alexander-popes-an-essay-on-man-summary-analysis-quiz.html.