The claim of the first epistle of Pope's "An Essay on Man" is that man is too narrow in perspective to truly understand God's plan, and its goal is to "claim the ways of God to man" (Pope 16). Man's ignorance befits his place in the order of creation, and his confusion hides the harmony of that order. individual lines of this epistle seem to present a fatalistic universe, devoid of free will, where all things are destined to happen. But when you consider the work as a whole, Pope's optimism shines through custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayPope begins by explaining that he can only comment on what can be known to man “For countless worlds, though the God is known,/It is up to us to track him down only in ours” (1.21-22). If the universe contains many worlds, only the Earth can be known to man. It is the only frame of reference that the Pope could write about and that his audience could understand. He advises his readers to put aside their arrogance and consider "The great chain, that brings all to agreement, / And the supports drawn, are they held by God or by you?" (1.33-34). Only after man has put aside his ego and contemplated “the great chain” will he be able to understand his place in God's plan. Saying: “Then do not say that man is imperfect, Heaven in guilt;/ Say rather, that man is as perfect as he.” should” (2.69-70), the Pope is trying to illustrate that perceived imperfection is also part of the plan. Human imperfection should not be seen as an affront from God, but as a necessity. The epistle also states, "He does not give you to know what blessedness is to come, / But he gives hope to be your blessing now" (3:93-94), showing that human happiness depends on both hope and ignorance of the future. Humanity should not spend all its time guessing what God has planned, but simply have faith that life will go as it should. The Pope shows his contempt for man's pride by stating: "Take the scales and the rod from his hands, / Judge his justice, be the God of God! / In pride, in reasoning pride lies our error" ( 4,121-123). It is foolish for man to think that his ability to reason puts him on the same level as God: "And whoever wants to reverse the laws of order sins against the Eternal Cause" (4.129-130). This arrogance is what leads to man's unhappiness, because "to reason rightly is to submit" (5.164). If God is a perfect being, then man should accept that perfection and not question the direction the universe is taking. to make his readers understand that humans are not all of creation, and that creation was not created all for them. There is an order in creation, in which each position is occupied by the correct form of life. Man is where he should be in the “great range” and should not envy the beasts below him or question God above. “Man's bliss […]/Is not to act or think beyond humanity'/No power of body or soul to share,/But what his nature and state can bear” ( 6,189-192). This acceptance of creation is the key to man's happiness, and that happiness is threatened by man's ability to think and reason. , break the chain in the same way” (8.244-246). So if one rises above or falls below one's position in God's order, it will destroy the entire plan. It then becomes clear that wanting to subvert God's plan, even for the benefit of humanity, is madness. Instead man should come to understand “All are but parts.
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