A small symbolism... Maybe? - Addison Zanda

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Okay, so I was confused while reading each Canto. Poetry has never been a problem for me, but I'm going to try and see and maybe point out some symbolism... I think. The quote, "For Spirits, freed from mortal laws, with ease; Assume what sexes and what shapes they please" (Lines 68-69).To me, "The Rape of Lock" is the whole story behind the rape of Belinda while the word "lock" is a direct symbol of the female organ. While reading, there was a strong pull towards the two subjects of religion and sex. The girls and boys within the mock-epic were tempted to have relationships and had been lured to find a strong favor in free sex, but religion did not allow it. To be satisfied, the had to be secret about these so-called relations? Belinda had built up much grief in her life, not from the loss of Chastity, but because of social conflict. Could that have been Belinda's "shock" within Pope's epic? The sad philosophy behind that reasoning during that age was a term of "natural instinct." They had not suppressed it, but the fear of religion had made this thought of "free sex" and relations be deemed as immoral. I have no clue if this is near accurate so please try not to kill me within the comments, if so, do it gently.

I commented on Clabo and Ezra's post

Comments

Ezra Kennedy said…
Hmm, I definitely hadn’t seen it that way. I think my brain turned off the search function for symbolism. It’s definitely plausible and applies. I feel like your on track with it, because with a name like “Rape of the Lock” that deals with the violation of what (in this case) a woman holds dear, one could definitely draw a line between the surface level reading the the symbolism you picked out! Thank you, for this post and the deeper level you’ve exposed me to!
November 11, 2019 at 9:45 PM
Cody Ercizer said…
I also saw a strong connection to social pressure and interest fueling the story and the people’s actions in the poem. It was very interesting to attempt to place myself in that situation with their social norms. It’s not an easy thing to do either, but interesting at least.
November 12, 2019 at 12:00 PM
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