1. Pope describes the purpose of his poem as “to vindicate the ways of God to man.” What do you think he means by this?
2. Choose one metaphor that Pope uses to describe the universe and explain its significance.
3. What would it mean to believe that “whatever is, is right?” How would that affect one’s outlook or behavior?
4. According to Pope, what place do human beings have in the universe in relation to other creatures?
I think that “whatever is, is right”, is almost the same with what we say today “everything happens for a reason”. Meaning that we should not be complaining and/or blaming Got about what we got. Pope said: Is Heaven unkind to Man, and Man alone ?(186) and I think that it explains a little bit more what he is trying to say.
In saying that “whatever is, is right” is basically another way or saying that “everything happens for a reason.” The saying that everything happens for a reason is a widely common thing that people use in different situations, and I believe this can even be used as a coping mechanism. If you didn’t get something you wanted and you instead say, it wasn’t meant to be because everything happens for a reason it might make it easier to mask being upset or any type of feeling you may be having. Also, a person who thinks in this way is accepting and it makes their outlook on life less fearful because they know that no matter what happens, good or bad, it happened for a reason and it is also part of the master plan. Pope uses this argument to let people know that he is a believer that God is the ultimate master and if he wants something to happen, it will. If he doesn’t, it won’t. Pope is telling us to not worry so much, because everything will work out in the end. If you live with this mindset, it may be easier to go through life because you believe you have no control over what happens or what doesn’t happen.
In the last line of the poem, Pope states “whatever is, is right.” I believe this phrase is similar to the saying “everything happens for a reason.” Throughout the poem, he portrays how God and nature coexist in this world. He explains how we should allow God and nature take charge and lead our lives. He explains this when he says “What if the foot, ordained the dust to tread, or hand, to toil, aspired to be the head?” Through this, he is explaining how we as humans should allow things it happen on it’s own and not take matters into our own hands. We should let nature and God direct and lead the way to reach our destination.
The phrase “Whatever is, is right” is very similar to “Everything has a purpose” in its meaning. Pope’s argument throughout this essay/poem/letter/epistle is one driven by optimism, asserting that the original order of things on earth is God’s work and should be accepted the way it is. Questioning the state of nature and tampering with it, by this line of argumentation would be interfering with creation. This way of thinking is considered antiquated, as this would imply that the practice of modern medicine is unethical, along with other scientific breakthroughs such as space travel and pacemakers. However, in the past few years this line of thinking was brought up over the controversy of “designer babies”. Being able to alter the genes of your child to be more favorable was widely received by the public as ungodly and interfering with human nature.
According to Pope, what place do human beings have in the universe in relation to other creatures?
Pope argues that “a subordination of creature to creature, and of all creatures to man” because the gradation of reason. Reason is deemed to be the most important faculty that distinguish man from all other creatures and enable man to be one of the most powerful creature in the universe. Also, although man is not perfect to some extent, his imperfection is somewhat a kind of perfection in a certain sphere. “Then say not Man’s imperfect, Heaven in fault; Say rather, Man’s as perfect as he ought”. We are pride, not down to earth on the one hand, but our reasonableness still makes us superior to other creatures in the universe. (This is just my own opinion, and I am not sure whether my understanding is right)
In his introduction, Alexander Pope writes,
“Laugh where we must, be candid where we can;
But vindicate the ways of God to man.”
In light of the context of his time, wherein scientific discoveries were arising and people such Nicolaus Copernicus were becoming popular for giving a new perspective on old discoveries, I think that in saying “to vindicate the ways of God to man” Alexander Pope means that even though humanity is evolving with all the science things that are happening around him, he wants to keep people grounded with the idea of religion and God. The people of his time were probably doubting if there really is a God since the science discoveries that were made point to the direction of the Heaven they know turns out to be just a vast space filled with planets. Through his work entitled “Essay on Man,” I think that he wants to relay the message that we are all still humans and that there is still a God who is responsible for all the celestial objects, such as the Solar System, and is all-seeing (I) and all-encompassing (IX).
Choose one metaphor that Pope uses to describe the universe and explain its significance.
Pope uses the metaphor “A mighty maze! but not without a plan” to describe the universe. The phrase “a mighty maze” is used in comparison to the complex structure of the universe. This metaphor is significant because it speaks on the struggle, and inevitable mistakes that is made on this universe. The following phrase “but not without a plan”, in conclusion explains that although it might seem as if some of these struggles are coincidental, they are actually planned by the creator who sees and controlled everything on this universe, God.
Choose one metaphor that Pope uses to describe the universe and explain its significance.
One metaphor that Pope uses to describe the universe is that:
“nature is but art, unknown to thee.”
This is significant because nature influences art, meaning lets say painter, imitate or is influenced by what he/she sees in nature or the universe and express it through their art.
Now unknown to thee could be that it could be very difficult at times to understand what the artist tried to convey through their paintings, and when one asked people what do you think this piece of art means? You cant exactly describe it. It’s like trying to describe the taste of water to someone who has never tasted it, it impossible that person has to experience it themselves the taste. In very much the same way art, nature, & the whole universe has to be experienced, it has to be felt not to be intellectually discussed in details trying to find the meaning. The Pope argues that it’s dangerous for one to know nature, and should be left alone, we shouldn’t try to mess the order of things and understand it any further than what it is. For example, We can physically see water, but if we were to study it closer, what will it reveal? We don’t have microscopic eyes like flies, so what do we do? Invent the microscope! It is indeed powerful to know physical and chemical properties that’s in water, each of its molecules contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms; forming what we know as H20.
What would it mean to believe that “whatever is, is right?” How would that affect one’s outlook or behavior?
Pope claims that “whatever is, is right?” By saying this Pope is trying to show that everything happens for a reason. He feels that we shouldn’t be doing anything out of this world. God has put us here as humans and every experience and the way we live our lives go about there way for a reason. This could maybe be a relation to the scientific revolution and a time of scientific advancement. Pope may not be acceptant of any slander or going against God. With scientific advancements, new knowledge is kind of going against everything the church may claim and Pope may not like that. Pope is showing that we must not need to question life or think too much. We should just go about our lives and face every challenge and live our days as we are supposed to.
What would it mean to believe that “whatever is, is right?” How would that affect one’s outlook or behavior?
What is, is right basically mean believing in fatalism where a person must not question any misconceptions that occur and all things that happen in our life is predetermined so it’s unavoidable. Therefore, everything happens for the right reason even though it might seem that everything is going against you and that’s where believing In fatalism comes in. This affect one’s outlook or behavior in many ways where ones you believe that what is, is right, you as person desperate to god will hand or leave the matter to god. For example, a women has 5 children and one of them dies. In this case, she should not question why did this happen and why my son/daughter died. Just because she believes In fatalism, she knows that god has giving her 5 children and he is just taking what’s his. Also, by her being every patient and hoping for best, god will reward her.
Choose one metaphor that Pope uses to describe the universe and explain its significance
Lines 267- 270 , “All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body Nature is and God the soul; That, changed through all, and yet in all the same; Great in the earth, as in the ethereal frame;
Pope describes the connection of the universe and how it connects to how God is its created. Everything is intertwined that God is the creator and God is expressed through everything we do since he is in the soul and well as everything we have such as land, feelings, the human body, day to day life. God is our main reason we life , since he created humans. God is responsible for the solar system, earth , animals anything in our universe. He is the creator of humanity and other life which is was pope is referring to/
Pope describes the universe as a maze, which I personally think is very clever. When one encounters a maze, he/she tries to figure out the way out, but always end up making mistakes for many times. It symbolizes one’s life as every one always to look for the right paths for his/her life, though he/she will never know where the paths take him/her. Additionally, a maze always has a creator, and in this case is the God. Pope tries to convince us that the God is indeed the one who planned all of what we have for us. “Whatever is right, is right” tells us that no matter what happens in our lives, there’s an appropriate reason for it. Thus, we ought to have faiths in him and rely on that.
According to Pope, all living creatures are ranked on a scale based on intelligence and instinct. The more brain power a living species has, and the better its instincts and survival skills and abilities, the higher it ranks on the scale, with us humans at the top. Pope argues that these instinctual abilities of sense, thought, and reason are most important and countervail everything else.