Even though poetic literature has the tendency to frighten me, confuse me, and FREAK ME OUT, I so enjoyed reading how Rape of Lock flowed together and used such stunning imagery. I very quickly noticed a theme of emphasis drawn toward outer beauty of young ladies. “Now awful Beauty puts on all its arms; The fair each moment rises in her charms, Repairs her smiles, awakens every grace, And calls forth all the wonders of her face; Sees by degrees a purer blush arise, And keener lightnings quicken in her eyes” (140). The ability to blush is repeated towards the beginning of the poem. Blushing is typically known as something done by those inexperienced and innocent of the mind and heart, when they become embarrassed or ashamed. “These set the head, and those divide the hair, Some fold the sleeve, whilst others plait the gown: And Betty's prais'd for labours not her own” (145). These are two of many examples in The Rape of Lock where women are portrayed almost as delicate and the reader is given the impression that they are recognized for their characteristics of childlike innocence and beauty. These descriptive words of a beautiful and fragile woman contradicts Wollstonecraft’s stance in her Vindication of the Rights of Women that women should be identified by their ability to work and reason, rather than traits of elegance and delicacy. She encourages women to become experienced in reason and to avoid titles that would define them as weak or less than. From a biblical perspective, Proverbs constantly instructs a women to root their worth in their heart, rather than their beauty that is deemed “vain.” The women in this reading were superficially and primarily known for their appearance and valued by their beauty.
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