Simplify, simplify, the great thinker Thoreau once deliberated. Much like Thoreau himself, in An Ode on Solitude, the prolific poet Alexander Pope eloquently professes his desire to live in bucolic simplicity rather than bask in the stresses of fame, as he believes this is the ideal way of living; he accomplishes this purpose through three primary means: short stanzas, examples of "easy" living, and beautiful imagery. As this analysis progresses, we'll look at these distinct features and how they truly identify the purpose of their creator--simplicity is beauty.
To start, we will discuss how Pope ingeniously organizes his lines in such a way that he visually demonstrates his love for simplicity. Each stanza follows a simple syllable structure, a pattern that involves 3 lines of 8 syllables, followed by one line of 4. Why would Pope use this as a tool to emphasize easy living? He does this because the structure actually allows the reader to not only take in his words of a relaxed existence, but they can also see the stress-free narrative in the way the words are organized. The poem is short, as we have established; a poem that is easy to read and remember falls directly into Pope's desire to reduce the complexity of life. You might be able to more easily see this tendency with the poem itself, noticing the emboldening of the last line of each stanza:
Happy the man, whose wish and care A few paternal acres bound, Content to breathe his native air, In his own ground. Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread, Whose flocks supply him with attire, Whose trees in summer yield him shade, In winter fire. Blest, who can unconcernedly find Hours, days, and years slide soft away, In health of body, peace of mind, Quiet by day, Sound sleep by night; study and ease, Together mixed; sweet recreation; And innocence, which most does please, With meditation. Thus let me live, unseen, unknown; Thus unlamented let me die; Steal from the world, and not a stone Tell where I lie.
(Pope,1-20).
As you can see here, the poem contains few words, but elegantly produces thoughts of the "good life" in only 20 lines.
Following this literary choice, let's study a related component of poetry Pope uses to achieve his purpose: simple examples. Simplify, simplify, we have said, and Pope certainly does that with the actual content of his work. Refusing to complicate matters with profuse explanations of an already paradoxical concept, Pope prefers to use nothing else but a common, down-to-Earth man to explain his desires; this is someone quite remote to himself. Notice that Pope immediately begins with the phrase "Happy the man...". He is actually mentioning someone here. The man is described as gathering his own firewood, making his own clothes, and dying, unknown and unheard (Pope,1). Simple enough, right? Again, the beauty of Pope's writing is shown here. Pope doesn't ramble on and on seeking to describe what he thinks a life of ease and non-celebrity would be---he just gives us a clear, relatable example that no one would struggle to understand. Remember that Pope's reasons for writing this were to primarily convey the paradox that a life away from famous glamor is more preferable. Naturally, it makes sense that Pope show us directly what this would practically look like, rather than seeking to describe the extremely subjective nature of the emotions and spiritual effects this method of living might entail.
Finally, we move to the main arguably more artistic facet of Pope's work that demonstrates his theme of the glories of the easy life. Throughout this piece, Pope employs gorgeous---yet simple---imagery that allows the reader to easily envision the surroundings of the "happy" man. Take for example this excerpt: "Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,/whose flocks provide him with attire,/whose trees in summer yield him shade,/In winter fire" (Pope, 5-8) . In these lines, we can clearly imagine the farmer sheering the sheep or harvesting wheat. Pope's reasons for including this literary device in a way connect to the example of the farmer himself; imagery is the method in which Pope describes the man, while it simultaneously exalts the inherent beauty of his way of living. Any time imagery is enclosed in a poem, it adds to its warm effects of eloquent prose that transports the reader to the island of literary bliss. Perhaps Pope seeks to do the same to the reader, that they may experience a small portion of living simply and notice its pleasures. Sharing his emotions directly to the reader in this way allows Pope to more directly explain his deep desires without even having to list them explicitly. This form of indirect communication forms a profound connection between poet and reader that not only displays the beauty of easy living, but convinces the reader of its true superiority on a more intimate level.
Therefore, through imagery, straightforward organization, and lucid examples, Alexander Pope blesses the reader with an optimistic and visionary interpretation of a tranquil existence, free of worry, that is clearly more desirable than all other versions of life man may experience. Pope communicates to the reader that the life away from the busyness of fame and social interaction is truly the more enlightened approach to humanity---much like Thoreau would over a hundred years later.
Works Cited:
Cdn.britannica.com, Encyclopedia Britannica, cdn.britannica.com/85/19585-004-2DB5B4AE.jpg.
Pope, Alexander. “Ode on Solitude by Alexander Pope.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation,
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46561/ode-on-solitude.
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