Essay on Criticism

After flattening out Essay on Criticism the other day, I sat down to work through steps two and three, bringing the poem back to life.

The first task I felt needed to be addressed were the italicized words. At first glanced, they seemed random and out of place, and almost made reading the poem awkward. I felt like some sort of verbal emphasis was meant to be placed on these particular words, as they were set apart from the author. Although I do not know for a fact the reason these words are italicized, one thought did cross my mind. Keeping in mind the poem's length and more flowery, Romantic language, it seems to me that the Author may have been attempting to keep the message of the poem intact. Look at the first words that are set apart (in the portion for memorization:

Writing/Judging

Patience/Sense

That/This

The words represent both sides of the scenario Pope is presenting to the reader. This separation is vague at some points, but I think it could be a factor in Pope's decision to italicize these particular words.

As far as the author's tone, it seems as if the subject of the poem is very personal. It almost seems as if the author's work was at some point wrongly critiqued. Also, although there is wit and humor scattered throughout the work, the tone is generally harsh. I found it interesting that although the language is very romantic in its nature, it somehow feels blunt when read.

The key message of the poem then - the warning to critics and detailed comparison - is contained in a tightly organized package. Somehow, though, Pope manages to retain a tension between the beauty of the poem and the sincere warning it represents - a tension that could easily be lost in such a formally structured and lengthy work.