ntended goal of revealing how worthless he believes these duties to be.It is also necessary to discuss the fact that Pope seems to realize that the extreme vanity is caused by his own gender. If Belinda's preparations are not for her male acquaintances, then why? Speaking through Clarissa, Pope allows the reader to take a step away from satire with a taste of sensibility, "How vain are the Glories, all our Pains, / Unless good sense preserve what beauty gains." (N. 1) Here the author seems to be pushing for a lack of shallowness in the opposite sex.Using The Rape of the Lock, Pope has criticized and attempted to explain the problem he himself sees in society's view of women and women's view of themselves. It is also apparent that he has attempted to understand the situation. Pope reveals a hint of sensitivity within the maze of critical satire:Nature to your undoing arms mankindWith strength of body, artifice of mind;But gives your feeble sex, made up of fears,No guard but virtue, no redress but tears.Yet custom (Seldom to your favour gain'd)Absolves the virgin when by force constrain'd.(N. 1)Is the author searching for female readers to appreciate his sensitivity, or more likely, looking for some realization from his male peers?The Rape of the Lock can be, and has been, examined on many levels. To put it simply, it is a satirical look at a miniscule event that was blown out of proportion. Through expanding vastly upon the small details of the incident, Pope has poked fun at many societal regularities, most of all, women. This essay includes quoted lines of Pope's work, but to fully understand the writer's themes and views of feminism, one must look at his work in its entirety. In doing that, readers realize that in many instances he refers to women's concerns as worthless and their behavior as ridiculous. At the same time, The Rape of the Lock is littered with fragments of understanding and sensitivity towards the opposite sex...
