Beginning of Essay
The destruction of the grand style of the epic is just what Pope was after in his mock epic, "The Rape of the Lock." Pope had no such universal goal, or moral pronouncements to make as did Milton. His purpose was merely to expose the life of the nobility of his ....

Middle of Essay
.... He places significant life factors (i.e., survival, death, etc.) side by side with the trivial (although not to Belinda and her friends: love letters, accessories). Although Pope is definitely pointing to the "lightness" of the social life of the privileged, he also recognizes their sincerity in attempting to be polite and well-mannered and pretend to recognize where the true values lie. Pope satirizes female vanity. He wrote the poem at the request of his friend, John Caryll, in an effort to make peace between real-life lovers. The incident of the lock of hair was factual; Pope's intention was to dilute with humor the ill feelings ....