The Use of Personification in An Essay on Criticism :: English Literature

The Use of Personification in An Essay on Criticism â€Å"An Essay on Criticism† was written by British writer Alexander Pope around 1709. This poem was written in heroic couplets and its purpose was to express Pope’s opinion on literature as a poet and critic. Pope is responding to the debate over whether or not poets should write â€Å"naturally† or base their work on a set of pre-determined rules as done by ancient poets. Pope’s poem can be broken down into three main points. The first section is used by Pope to give general principles of good criticism and poetry. The second section identifies the flaws a critic is prone to. The third section addresses the moral traits a good critic must have and gives examples of outstanding critics. Pope’s use of personification throughout the poem allows him to expand his ideas and secure his argument while creating a very memorable poem. His use of personification allows the poem to come to life with detail (Pope 2476). Pope begins the poem by stating it is less offensive to â€Å"tire our Patience, than mislead our Sense† (Pope 4) meaning it is much more harmful to be a bad critic than a bad poet. â€Å"‘Tis with our judgments as our watches, none/ Go just alike, yet each believes his own" (Pope 9). Here Pope uses a watch to personify judgments. Everyone may have their own opinion that they believe is right. â€Å"Most have seeds of judgment in their mind; Nature affords at least a glimm’ring light† (Pope 20). Men at one time do have â€Å"seeds† of good judgment, but Pope says that in the search wit they are defaced by false education and loose their common sense. â€Å"Some neither can for wits nor critics pass, as heavy mules are neither horse nor ass† (Pope 38). This line refers to those who never became intellectuals or good critics. They are somewhere in between, not worthy of a name. Instead they are referred to as â€Å"half-formed insects on the banks of Nile† (Pope 41). The bugs represent the critics who swarm every work of literature with their malicious criticisms. Pope recommends following nature as the first rule â€Å"By her just standard, which is still the same [†¦] One clear, unchanged, and universal light† (Pope 68). Pope here states that rules are necessary in order to criticize poetry. He compares theses rules to â€Å"unerring† nature which is believed to be the epitome of ideal order and harmony. The rules of the Ancients are useful guidelines for the true critic, for they are â€Å"Nature Methodized† (Pope 89). He believes that many recent critics have used the rules without understanding them.