Discussion/Study Questions for "An Essay on Man"

These are some general questions to consider as you are reading Pope (or after you have read Pope).  Tomorrow we will focus our discussion on Epistle I after we finish discussing "The Rape of the Lock."  (But you are responsible for the whole of "An Essay on Man." 
1.  As you read "An Essay On Man," are there any ideas, or even any phrases, that seem familiar to you?  If so, what are they and where do you think you have heard them before?

2.  Does Pope seem to agree or disagree with Milton about the nature of Man and the nature of the Fall?  Consider lines 16, 69-74 and 123-130.  Where does Pope seem to come out on the issue of freewill vs. predestination?

3.  What is Pope's stated reason for writing "An Essay on Man?"  What is he trying to accomplish?

4.  What are some of the different metaphors Pope uses to describe the natural world?  What do those metaphors reveal about the way that he understands the world?

5.  How does Pope seem to understand/define perfection?

6.  According to Pope, how does Man best serve God?  How do you know?

7.  What is your understanding of what Pope means when he talks about "The Great Chain of Being?"  If you had to describe this concept to someone else, based on Pope's discussion of it, what would you say?

8.  What are some of the animals that Pope compares Man to?  What seems to be the point of these comparisons?  Provide an example or two.

9.  In Epistle I, part iii, lines 99-102, Pope contrasts "civilized man" to an Indian.  What is the point of this contrast, and which party emerges favored?

10.  What does Pope say about Man's tendency to classify natural occurrences as "evil?"  How does this relate to his overall argument/purpose in "An Essay on Man."

11.  Think about the final statement of Epistle One ("What is, is right.")  What do you think about this assertion?  What are the benefits of buying into this philosophy?  What are its dangers or pitfalls?  We will discuss---

Please bring in any questions or concerns that you may have about Pope.  We will find time to discuss them.