The Poem in Context

'Hope springs eternal in the human breast' (I.95) writes Alexander Pope in his famous
poem An Essay on Man. There's a good chance you've heard this quote before, which
illustrates just how influential this work is. In addition to its impressive breadth and
innovative use of poetic forms, An Essay on Man is known for its insightful wisdom. In
fact, Pope has become one of the most quoted English poets, not only because of the
beauty of his work, but also because of the wise insight that pervades much of his poetry.
To understand the poem and the impulse behind it, it's important to look at the ideas that
were popular when Pope was writing. Pope lived from 1688 to 1744 and was considered
one of the most definitive and influential voices of the first half of the 18th century. His
work was part of the Neoclassical movement that reflected the ideals of the Enlightenment
era. The Enlightenment began in the middle of the 17th century and lasted until the end of
the 18th century. The Enlightenment emphasized the glory of reason and science and
reflected the ideal that man could understand the world around him. This hope for
understanding and outlining the human condition is at the heart of An Essay on Man.
In the poem, Pope attempts to 'vindicate' God's ways to man, a task that clearly echoes
John Milton's famous claim in the epic poem Paradise Lost, which was first published in
1667 and told the story of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. However, unlike
Milton's Paradise Lost, An Essay on Man is not specifically Christian and instead attempts
to identify an ethical system that applies to humanity in a general sense. When Pope
began the poem, he originally intended to make it much longer than the final version
became, which further demonstrates just how idealistic he was. The poem was dedicated
to Lord Bolingbroke, a political figure with whom Pope had many philosophical
conversations and who likely helped Pope come to believe in many of the ideas he
presents in An Essay on Man.

Overview of the Poem

An Essay on Man consists of four epistles, which is a term that is historically used to
describe formal letters directed to a specific person. The first epistle looks at man's
relation to the universe in order to present the concept of harmony that is referred to
throughout the rest of the poem. Pope explains that human beings cannot come to fully
understand their purpose in life by using only their mental faculties. Although humanity is
at the top of the fixed hierarchy of the natural world, there are many things we cannot
know, and so we must not attempt to become godlike. Rather, human beings must accept
that their existence is the result of a perfect creator who created everything as perfectly
as it can possibly be.
The second epistle uses the harmony described between humanity and the cosmos in the
previous epistle to illustrate how humans can achieve harmony within themselves.
Whereas the first epistle explores the inherently complex relationship man has with his
material existence, the second describes the relationship that man has with his own
desires, mental faculties, and spiritual aspirations. Pope again reinforces the idea that

humans cannot fully understand God, but he also claims that self-love and reason can
help man understand himself.