Alexander Pope

1688-1744

     Alexander Pope was born and raised on London, England. Though he was taught at home byCatholic priests and attended Catholic schools, Pope was largely self-educated. Because of his Catholic region, Pope was not allowed to receive a formal English education. He taught himself to read Latin, Greek, French, and Italian and spent much of his time reading and writing. Pope was afflicted with a curved spine and a tubercular infection which caused him to grow to only four feet six inches. In addition, he suffered form frequent headaches.

     He started writing poetry at a young age, and some of his best early poems were written when he was 12 years old. He would often write poems that imitated the poets he read. In 1709, when he was 21, some of his poems were published in a book of poetry called Poetical Miscellanies. In 1711, he published a poem titled, "An Essay On Criticism," which included various proverbs and ethical sayings. He also wrote a variety of satirical stories which described the negative effects of money and wealth and criticized people held political power in England. Much of his satire focused on the corruption and immorality of public officials. In addition, Pope also translated classic works of Greek literature, including the Iliad, and the Odysseys.

     Pope often wrote his poems using a ten-syllable iambic pentameter rhyming couplet. He was the first English poet to become popular throughout Europe and during his lifetime, his poems were translated to into modern and ancient languages. After 1719, Pope and his mother rented a house along the Thames River in England,where he lived for the rest of his life.

                                                                                              Learning From His Character  

1. What difficulties did Poe have and how did he deal with them?

2. How did Pope deal with the social problems he saw in his society?

3. What can you learn from Pope's character and how he approached his life and the society around him?