The author:

Alexander Pope:

Alexander Pope was born in England to a father who was a linen draper. In a Protestant world, Pope who was a Roman Catholic was banned to live in London , and was refused citizenship and an education. Because of this, Pope was mostly educated at home. Due to tuberculosis, Pope suffered from physical deformity damage to his health. Pope´s skill in writing was shown in public at a very young age when he published Pastorals in 1709. Two years later, Pope published An Essay on Criticism which was the foundation to his fame. Other works included The Rape of Lock (1714), Windsor Forest (1713), An Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady and Epistle from Eloisa to Abelard (1717). Apart from writing his own works, Pope also translated Homer´s The Iliad (1715-1720) and The Odyssey (1725-1726). Later in his life, Pope created more famous works like An Essay on Man (1733-1734) .Another great achievement that Pope reached was his evolvement in the Scriblerus Club with John Gay and Jonathan Swift, a club devoted to the Tories. At the age of 56, Alexander Pope passed away.

Alexander Pope's Works

*Early Works

Alexander Pope's literary career began in 1704 and he first attracted public attention in 1709 with his Pastorals ("Alexander Pope"). *Translations of HomerPope's translations of Homer (c. 700 B.C.E. ) were his greatest achievements as a translator (Jokinen). * Editorial work Pope also undertook several editorial projects. One of which was Parnell's Poems (Jokinen).

The Age:

18th century classicism

The 18th century is sometimes called the Augustan age, and contemporary admiration for the classical world extended to the poetry of the time. Not only did the poets aim for a polished high style in emulation of the Roman ideal, they also translated and imitated Greek and Latin verse resulting in measured rationalized elegant verse. Dryden translated all the known works of Virgil, and Pope produced versions of the two Homeric epics. Horace and Juvenal were also widely translated and imitated, Horace most famously by John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester and Juvenal by Samuel Johnson's Vanity of Human Wishes.

A Satirical Elegy

*The poem is written in iambic tetrameter. In English, heroic verse, a form traditionally used in epic and dramatic poetry, is iambic pentameter. The missing iamb, then, signifies a lack and reflects the satirical content in form. The rhyme is masculine end rhyme in couplets (aabbccdd...)

*The elegy as a poetic composition usually laments and pays tribute to someone who has died. However, Swift does the opposite, making this the second formal reflection of satirical content. For my post on the mock-epic.

Satire

It is hardly surprising that the world of fashion and scepticism that emerged encouraged the art of satire. All the major poets of the period, Samuel Butler, John Dryden, Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnson, and the Irish poet Jonathan Swift, wrote satirical verse. What is perhaps more surprising is that their satire was often written in defence of public order and the established church and government. However, writers such as Pope used their gift for satire to create scathing works responding to their detractors or to criticise what they saw as social atrocities perpetrated by the government.

The poem

A Satirical Elegy on the Death of a Late Famous GeneralBy Jonathan Swift

His Grace! impossible! what dead!

Of old age too, and in his bed!

And could that mighty warrior fall?

And so inglorious, after all!

Well, since he's gone, no matter how, 5

The last loud trump must wake him now:

And, trust me, as the noise grows stronger,

He'd wish to sleep a little longer.

And could he be indeed so old

As by the newspapers we're told? 10

The poem

Threescore, I think, is pretty high;

'Twas time in conscience he should die.

This world he cumbered long enough;

He burnt his candle to the snuff;

And that's the reason, some folks think, 15

He left behind so great a stink.

Behold his funeral appears,

Nor widow's sighs, nor orphan's tears,

Wont at such times each heart to pierce,

Attend the progress of his hearse. 20

But what of that, his friends may say,

He had those honors in his day.

True to his profit and his pride,

He made them weep before he died.

Come hither, all ye empty things, 25

The poem

Ye bubbles raised by breath of kings;

Who float upon the tide of state,

Come hither, and behold your fate.

Let pride be taught by this rebuke,

How very mean a thing's a Duke; 30

From all his ill-got honors flung,

Turned to that dirt from whence he sprung.

A few notes..

This poem is about the General who has overstayed his life on earth, he cares little for others and the soldiers that have died under his command. Yet, he seems to be more concern about his earnings and pride. And that's why no orphans or widows cry.

A few explanatory notes:• Swift takes a scornful view of the life and achievements of Marlborough which

is shown amongst other things in the lines mentioned below.• Line 6-8: This refers to the final judgement. According to Swift, Marlborough

will not do well at the last trump.

The last loud trump must wake him now:And, trust me, as the noise grows stronger,He'd wish to sleep a little longer.

A few notes..

• Line 16: Swift emphasises the physical and unpleasant for satirical effect. This he commonly did, perhaps most notably in The Lady's Dressing Room.

• Line 17-22: Nobody grieves for him because he caused enough grief "in his day".

He left behind so great a stink.

Behold his funeral appears,Nor widow's sighs, nor orphan's tears,Wont at such times each heart to pierce,Attend the progress of his hearse. 20

But what of that, his friends may say,He had those honors in his day.

A few notes..

• Line 26: The praise of the general is like a bubble; seems substantial , but is hollow and easily undone.

• Line 32: This line refers to Genesis 2.7 albeit with a twist. While Genesis states that "[...]God formed man of the dust of the ground [...]", Swift claims that Marlborough sprung from dirt, which has slightly different connotations.

Ye bubbles raised by breath of kings;

Turned to that dirt from whence he sprung.

Notes you may find useful

• An elegy is a farewell to the dead, however Swift's poem is certainly short of sympathy and 'A satricial elegy on the death of a late famous General' is not your traditional 'lament'.

• Swift uses sarcasm and a mocking tone at the General's late but much awaited death describing him with an ironic epithet - 'mighty warrior'.

• The speaker thinks it was inappropriate for the General to live so long and their is an undertone of critism that he died in bed, not battle, unlike all the poor soldiers that he probably sent to their deaths.

• At the start of the poem, the exclamatories in the first couplet give an element of mock horror which is both sarcastic and humerous.

Notes you may find useful

Swift uses interesting metaphors -

'He burnt his candle to the snuff;...He left behind so great a stink.' which describes the General as living a full and self-centred life - living right to the end, just like the light from the candle burning right through. The 'stink' could represent the unpleasant atmosphere which was left behind once he had died, just like the smoke from the candle.

Another metaphor which Swift uses is -

'Ye bubbles rais'd by breath of kings!

Who float upon the tide of state;'

This metaphor compares the General to a bubble, insubstantial and ephemeral created by the king . The General does nothing for his title and instead cares about little else other than his earnings.

Thank you

Sources

•:// . . /17500/ / / .http library thinkquest org data bio rest html

•:// . . / / _https en wikipedia org wiki English poetry

•:// . . /2011/08/ - -http thetaleofsirbob blogspot com two satirical poem- - - .s about one man html

•:// . . / . ?101671- - - -http vb dboor com showthread php A Satirical Elegy A- -nalysis Jonathan Swift