Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 3

1

An Essay on Man: Epistle I


The subtitle of the first epistle is Of the Nature and State of Man, with Respect
to the Universe, and this section deals with mans place in the cosmos. Pope
argues that to justify Gods ways to man must necessarily be to justify His ways
in relation to all other things. God rules over the whole universe and has no
special favorites, not man nor any other creature. By nature, the universe is an
order of strong connexions, nice dependencies, / Gradations just (30-1). This
order is, more specifically, a hierarchy of the Vast chain of being in which all of
Gods creations have a place (237). Mans place in the chain is below the angels
but above birds and beasts. Any deviation from this order would result in cosmic
destruction. Because the universe is so highly ordered, chance, as man
understands it, does not exist. Chance is rather direction, which thou canst not
see (290). Those things that man sees as disparate or unrelated are all but
parts of one stupendous whole, / Whose body nature is, and God the soul (2678). Thus every element of the universe has complete perfection according to
Gods purpose. Pope concludes the first epistle with the statement Whatever is,
is right, meaning that all is for the best and that everything happens according
to Gods plan, even though man may not be able to comprehend it (294).

Introduction (1-16): The introduction begins with an address to Henry St. John, Lord
Bolingbroke, a friend of the poet from whose fragmentary philosophical writings Pope likely
drew inspiration for An Essay on Man. Pope urges his friend to leave all meaner things and
rather embark with Pope on his quest to vindicate the ways of God to man (1, 16).
Section I (17-34): Section I argues that man can only understand the universe with regard to
human systems and constructions because he is ignorant of the greater relationships between
Gods creations.
Section II (35-76): Section II states that man is imperfect but perfectly suited to his place
within the hierarchy of creation according to the general order of things.
Section III (77-112): Section III demonstrates that man's happiness depends on both his
ignorance of future events and on his hope for the future.
Section IV (113-30): Section IV claims that mans sin of pridethe attempt to gain more
knowledge and pretend to greater perfectionis the root of mans error and misery. By
putting himself in the place of God, judging perfection and justice, man acts impiously.
Section V (131-72): Section V depicts the absurdity of mans belief that he is the sole cause
of the creation as well as his ridiculous expectation of perfection in the moral world that does
not exist in the natural world.
Section VI (173-206): Section VI decries the unreasonableness of mans complaints against
Providence; God is good, giving and taking equally. If man had the omniscience of God, he
would be miserable: The bliss of man [...] / Is, not to act of think beyond mankind (18990).

Section VII (207-32): Section VII shows that throughout the visible world, a universal order
and gradation can be observed. This is particularly apparent in the hierarchy of earthly
creatures and their subordination to man. Pope refers specifically to the gradations of sense,
instinct, thought, reflection, and reason. Reason is superior to all.
Section VIII (233-58): Section VIII indicates that if Gods rules of order and subordination
are broken, the whole of creation must be destroyed.
Section IX (259-80): Section IX illustrates the madness of the desire to subvert Gods order.
Section X (281-94): Section X calls on man to submit to Gods power. Absolute submission
to God will ensure that man remains Safe in the hand of one disposing Powr (287). After
all, Whatever is, is right (294).

Analysis
Popes first epistle seems to endorse a sort of fatalism, in which all things are fated.
Everything happens for the best, and man should not presume to question Gods greater
design, which he necessarily cannot understand because he is a part of it. He further does not
possess the intellectual capability to comprehend Gods order outside of his own experience.
These arguments certainly support a fatalistic world view. According to Popes thesis,
everything that exists plays a role in the divine plan. God thus has a specific intention for
every element of His creation, which suggests that all things are fated. Pope, however, was
always greatly distressed by charges of fatalism. As a proponent of the doctrine of free will,
Popes personal opinions seem at odds with his philosophical conclusions in the first epistle.
Reconciling Popes own views with his fatalistic description of the universe represents an
impossible task.
The first epistle of An Essay on Man is its most ambitious. Pope states that his task is to
describe mans place in the universal system and to vindicate the ways of God to man
(16). In the poems prefatory address, Pope more specifically describes his intention to
consider man in the abstract, his Nature and his State, since, to prove any moral duty, to
enforce any moral precept, or to examine the perfection of imperfection of any creature
whatsoever, it is necessary first to know what condition and relation it is placed in, and what
is the proper end and purpose of its being. Popes stated purpose of the poem further
problematizes any critical reading of the first epistle. According to Popes own conclusions,
mans limited intellect can comprehend only a small portion of Gods order and likewise can
have knowledge of only half-truths. It therefore seems the height of hubris to presume to
justify Gods ways to man. His own philosophical conclusions make this impossible. As a
mere component part of Gods design and a member of the hierarchical middle state, Pope
exists within Gods design and therefore cannot perceive the greater logic of Gods order. To
do so would bring only misery: The bliss of man [...] / Is, not to act of think beyond
mankind (189-90).
Though Popes philosophical ambitions result in a rather incoherent epistle, the poem
demonstrates a masterful use of the heroic couplet. Some of the most quoted lines from
Popes works actually appear in this poem. For example, the quotation Hope springs eternal
in the human breast: / Man never is, but always to be blest appears in the problematic first
epistle (95-6). Popes skill with verse thus far outweighs his philosophical aspirations, and it

is fortunate that he chose to write in verse rather than prose. Indeed, eighteenth-century critics
saw An Essay on Man as a primarily poetic work despite its philosophical themes.

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi