The Rape of the Lock - Essay Example

The Rape of the Lock Every poem has its direct and also hidden meaning. I can be real entertaining at times to read a poem the first time and completely miss the meaning. It is not after the third or fourth time the poem is read, either by you or by someone else, does the interpreter really understand what it is trying to say. Any poem can be explicated. To explicate something, you find and spell out the meaning in a direct manner. Most poems however are analyzed by students, teachers, other poets and writers.

The idea of analyzing a poem is more of a “read between the lines” thing. It answer the “what is it trying to say” instead of the “what does it literally say?” questions. In The Rape of the Lock we see many lines of pros. Every line has its reason and purpose and can be explicated and analyzed for a better understanding of the text. In The Rape of the Lock, part 1 line 11, we see that a question is asked. It is prefaced by a Lord being refused by a young lady, Belinda. It reads: And dwells such Rage in softest Bosoms then?

To explicate this poem one must first look at the line word for word. When you explicate something, you basically spell out what it is saying. You do not use imagery or the senses. You flat out quote it literally. “And dwells such Rage in softest Bosoms then?” This line clearly means that rage takes up residence in Belinda’s chest. The Rape of the Lock, part 1 line 11 is beautifully prefaced with an unfolding story. This story is written in pros and has a rhyming scheme that is most commonly known as a couplet in iambic pentameter.

Using all the senses one has in their body, one tries to analyze this line of poetry. It may seem simple, because of the length, but unless you delve deep into the time period, the mind of the poet and the reason and background, it will be hard to understand each line, much less the entire poem. Analysis does not take the line in the literal form. It reach out beyond what is considered to be ‘home’ and makes assumptions based on their prior and knew found knowledge of the particular theme.

Looking into the line and using prior knowledge would lead me to believe that the Lord of the house did something wrong and Belinda is not happy with him. Belinda has a soft heart which can easily be broken and now she is outraged. She is so mad that the anger is not a passing issue, the anger and rage lives and exists within her heart that is considered soft. There is so much more understanding when people take time to think about pros and poetry. It is easy to translate things word for word.

But direct translation leads to explication. The problem with explicating things all the time is that you lose the essence and the feel the writer intends to bestow upon the reader. If you take everything word for word, you leave no creativity. When you analyze however, you are opening up your mind and answering the “what if it really means..” questions. To Analyze is to gather everything you think you know that is concrete and play the devil’s advocate. To analyze is to take apart and piece back together.

When analyzing text, especially pros, it is important to first understand the literal meaning and then to use higher order thinking skills in order to sprinkle emotions, and knew rejuvenated thoughts of your own into the text. Using both explication and analysis will create a more holistic understanding of text. Works Cited Eserver. The Rape of the Lock (All Heroic-Comical poem). 1990-2011. 25 April 2011 .