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Alexander Pope

Epistle to Arbuthnot

Epistle to Arbuthnot written by Alexander Pope, is a poetic epistle written in 420 lines. The lines, written in heroic couples begins as an address all of the complaints that Pope has to offer. Pope also addresses a close friend John Arbuthnot who just died before the poem was published. Dr. Arbuthnot had fallen ill and as a last request, Pope continued to exploit his dramatic satire of the poem. While the poem is a polite letter written to a friend Dr. John Arbuthnot who was a physician, he was also a writer with a witty side. In this epistle, addressed to Pope’s friend Dr. John Arbuthnot, he defends his work and offers a satirical message throughout the poem. While the poem is meant to be a satirical epistle written to his dear friend, Pope, using literary terms to reinforce the satire in the poem, allows the reader to reinterpret what is happening while reading the poem. Satire is the main aspect of the poem. Pope reminds the reader that in order for the reader to understand his point of the epistle, the reader must know that the poem is strictly a satire.

Literary Themes in Arbuthnot

Using literary themes, Pope used an example of parallelism amongst other terms to portray his satirical message: “Happy my studies, when by these approved! Happier their author, when by these beloved”(143). This repetition shows the passages’ connection in the poem. The “happy” repetitive structure elevates the emphasis on the poem using parallelism to reinforce the satirical message. Looking at another moment of literary terms to reinforce satire, Pope uses an example of a paradox. This paradox contains two elements that contradict themselves but somehow have a connection “Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, and without sneering, teach the rest to sneer” (201). This instance can be seen from different angles. “Damn with faint praise” the idea of a praise being faint, carries an impact in the poem. Pope strengthens the poem by adding a few aspects of satire to make the reader remember the poem is pure fiction.