Rape of the Lock

ay, why are Beauties prais'd and honour'd most, / The wise Man's Passion, and the vain Man's Toast?" Clarissa's speech in Canto Five of Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" touches on one of the main themes of the poem: vanity. For instance, she states, "How vain are all these Glories, all our Pains, / Unless good Sense preserve what Beauty gains." Clarissa notes that looks mean nothing without a keen mind, and that "Locks will turn to gray," but "good Humour," on the other hand, "can prevail." Because of Pope's clever use of poetic devises, Clarissa's speech also points to Pope's critique of high society's overall vanity and shallowness. Clarissa's moralizing therefore addresses universal human issues that Pope deftly examines throughout "The Rape of the Lock." Pope's compellingly rhythmic heroic couplets underscore the satirical bent of Clarissa's speech, through such elements as repetition, parallelism,...
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