Alexander Pope's "Essay on Man": reason, virtue, and mankind's place in the universe

¶ … Man" the Design and Epistles I and II

Alexander Pope's "Essay on Man" explores the complicated nature of man and attempts to bring a sense of understanding to the problems we face. The approach is philosophical, yet Pope proves his points successfully by explaining mankind's place in the universe and by also focusing on the responsibilities of mankind.

The most interesting aspect of Alexander Pope's "Essay on Man" is the way in which Pope frames the poem, which is a "peculiarly modern way of enframing the familiar which shifts from the immediacy of the given world to the mediation of a theoretical map of nature" (Cutting-Gray). It is this perspective that allows us to view man's circumstances in a refreshing way. In "The Design," Pope introduces us to his initial thoughts regarding the poem and how it came to be. He tells us, " I thought it more satisfactory to begin with considering Man in the abstract" (Pope). It is this abstract view that adds to the poem's significance.

Mankind is viewed as a creature of the universe that The disputes come from "studying too much such finer nerves and vessels" (Pope). Pope says, "The disputes are all upon these last, and I will venture to say, they have less sharpened the wits than the hearts of men against each other, and have diminished the practice, more than advanced the theory of morality" (Pope).

Pope also explains his reason for writing his essay as a poem. He says, "This I might have done in prose; but I chose verse, and even rhyme, for two reasons. The one will appear obvious; that principles, maxims, or precepts so written, both strike the reader more strongly at first, and are more easily retained by him afterwards: the other may seem odd, but it is true; I found I could express them more shortly this way than that much of the force as well as grace of arguments or instructions depends on their conciseness" (Pope).

Pope also presents his intention in "The Design," which is to describe ethics in a different way. An important aspect of this work is Pope's approach to reason and virtue. His desire was to present us with a system that allowed both to have potential in the world instead of placing one as more important as the other. Pope also struggles with morality and mankind's fall from grace in Epistles I and II. As a result of the fall, man must find salvation. The poem considers the social, ethical, philosophical points-of-view to accomplish this task.

From this premise, he sets forth to work through a process that tests the ideas of man and calls into question their purity and value. According to M.H. Abrams, the essay gives "memorable expression to ideas about the nature of the universe and man's place in it, ideas upon which eighteenth-century optimism rested" (Abrams 2263). Additionally, he says that it is Pope's intention to "vindicate the ways of God to man" (2263). In addition, McLaverty explains, "Pope's aim was to restrict the role of reason while leaving persons free and capable of virtue. He was determined to avoid a system which made reason good and self-love bad; both had potential for good within a providential scheme" (McLaverty). These ideas help us understand Pope's frame of reference and his intentions with his essay.

In Epistle I, the poet acknowledges a definite plan for mankind in the universe. He is quick to point out that just because we are unable to comprehend the complexities of the entire universe, we should not doubt that things are happening as they should. For example, mankind is certainly aware that superior beings exist in the universe yet we cannot completely comprehend them. At this point in the poem, the poet says, "And all the question (wrangle e'er so long)/Is only this, if God has plac'd him wrong?" (I.49-50). This statement essentially tells us to have faith in God rather than rely on our own understanding when it comes to complex issues of the universe. We must simply move keeping in mind that:

So man, who here seems principal alone,

Perhaps acts second to some sphere unknown,

Touches some wheel, or verges to some goal;

Tis but a part we see, and not a whole. (I.57- 60)

The poet is not only asking us to accept our place in the universe but he is also asking us to realize that we are simply a part of everything that goes on in the universe.

The poet also suggests that we put a certain amount of faith in how the universe had been structured. He says, "The gen'ral order, since the whole began,/Is kept in nature, and is kept in man" (I.171-2). In fact, it is better that we not know certain things. For instance, the poet tells us, "The bliss of man (could pride that blessing find)/Is not to act or think beyond mankind" (I.189-90). This statement indicates that man's pride is the primary reason for believing that we could structure any universe that operates in a better way.

Evil is also an important aspect of the order of the universe. Evil is blamed on God but in the poet's estimation, the are the result of man's pride. Man has a tendency to misunderstand what he cannot comprehend. The poet tells us, "Each beast, each insect, happy in its own/Is Heav'n unkind to man, and man alone?" (I.185-6). This statement implies that we should accept the fact that we will not always understand everything. More importantly, this is not a bad thing. We should live and "Let earth unbalanc'd from her orbit fly/Planets and suns run lawless thro' the sky" (I.250-1). The poet admonishes man for thinking that order be broken just for him. In short, for man to return to his natural state in the universe, he must accept his place in that universe. The poet urges us to Cease then, nor order imperfection name:

Our proper bliss depends on what we blame.

Know thy own point: this kind, this due degree

Of blindness, weakness, Heav'n bestows on thee.

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;

All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;

All discord, harmony not understood;

All partial evil, universal good.

And, spite of pride, in erring reason's spite,

Each works its end, to move or govern all. (II.51-55)

What man should realize is that "both are important. Both loathe pain and love pleasure" (Infotrac). this notion is at the heart of Pope's Epistle. Simply put, self-love and reason in any extreme can be dangerous for man. The key is to find a balance between the two. When we discover a balance, we discover virtue. We are told:

Self-love, still stronger, as its object's nigh;

Reason's at distance, and in prospect lie:

That sees immediate good by present sense;

Reason, the future and the consequence.

Thicker than arguments, temptations throng,

At best more watchful this, but that more strong. (II.70-5)

In other words, reason helps man make correct decisions but it is not always easy to reach that decision. Additionally, we are told, Attention habit and experience gains;/Each strengthens reason, and self-love restrains" (II.78-9). In short, man is effected by our emotions. He puts it very succinctly when he says, "Pleasure, or wrong rightly understood,/Our greatest evil, or our greatest good" (II.90-1). Again, we are faced with the complexity if human nature. And again, we are reminded that it is not always easy to make correct decisions. The poet tells us, "strength of mind is exercise, not rest" (II.103). It is man's responsibility to recognize selfish impulses and restrain from acting on them. This is a result of balancing them with reason, which leads us to a life of virtue. We are told:

Love, hope, and joy, fair pleasure's smiling train,

Hate, fear, and grief, the family of pain,

These mixt with art, and to due bounds confin'd,

Make and maintain the balance of the mind:

The lights and shades, whose well-accorded strife

Gives all the strength and colour of our life. (II.116-21)

We should look beyond ourselves to reach virtue. The poet reminds us, "The God within the mind./Extremes in nature equal ends produce,/In man they join to some mysterious use" (II.201-3). If we do not pursue virtue, we fall prey to vice. The poet warns us by saying, "Where ends the virtue or begins the vice./Fools! who from hence into the notion fall,/That vice or virtue there is none at all" (II. 208-11). When we make a mistake we can be sure that we will encounter suffering and pain. Man must seek virtue to overcome these difficulties. In this way, man can see himself as he really is in the universe. Virtue is the foundation for mankind and because of this, virtue should be the goal of man.

Epistle II ends with the poet declaring:

Ev'n mean self-love becomes, by force divine,

The scale to measure others' wants by thine.

See! And confess one comfort still must rise;

Tis this, Tho' man's a fool, yet God is wise. (II.288-91)

This statement insists that man must believe in a higher order of the universe, which means relinquishing a certain amount of pride.

In conclusion, Pope's "Essay on Man" explores the depths of human nature, focusing on attributes that sometimes stand in our way for achieving true bliss. The balance of reason and self-love must be reached in order to attain virtue. In a universe that is difficult to comprehend, Pope illustrates how difficult this can be. However, virtue connects us to the truths of the universe, which is that whatever is, is right and that God is wise, despite what we may think.