Contrast between the satire in The Rape Of The Lock and A Modest Proposal Although "The Rape Of The Lock" by Alexander Pope and "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift are both witty satires, differing in style, intention and mood. To begin, in “The Rape Of The Lock,” Alexander Pope uses the satire of Oration to invoke a light, whimsical, and melancholic mood to illustrate the absurdity of arguing over cutting one's hair. Indeed, the Oration satire is defined by K. Lukes as a tool that is: "urbane, smiling, witty" and "seeks to correct human weaknesses". and is further reiterated in The Concise Oxford Dictionary Of Literary terms as: "Horation's satire, often contrasted with the bitterness of youthful satire, is a more indulgent and tolerant treatment of human inconsistencies and follies, ironically amused rather than indignant " (101). Therefore, Alexander Pope's intentions in writing "The Rape Of The Lock" were to transform a real incident in which: "A young Lord Petre, had sportingly cut off a lock of Miss Arabella Fermor's hair," (Poetry, 211) into "joking ... so that good relations (and possibly negotiations towards a marriage between the principals) can be resumed" (Poetry, 211). This type of satire is conveyed through Pope's use of the mock epic form. This satire first begins with Pope's invocation to the muses, a higher power, who point out that the tragedy about to occur is above simple worldly matters and a debate that belongs to the gods. Thus, Pope writes, "What terrible offense springs from amorous causes, / What mighty contentions spring from trivial things, I sing: this verse to Caryll, Muse! is due" (English, 1110). It is comical that the "terrible crime" is the cutting of Belinda's hair rather than a life-threatening... middle of paper... gh a twisted, absurd and fictitious proposal to condemn their actions, and therefore, hopes to " shock" those involved in social change. WORKS CITED Allison, Barrows, Blake, et al. eds. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Shorter 3rd edition. New York: Norton, 1983. 211. Baldick, Chris. The Concise Oxford Dictionary Of Literary Terms, New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Lukes, KBA (Hons.) (Alberta), MA (Brit. Col.), English. English 424 Section:3 Term 93/3 Classroom Lectures September 1993Pope, Alexander. "The Rape of the Lock". In the Norton anthology of English literature: the principal authors. Ed. MH Abrams et al. 5th edition. New York: Norton, 1987. 1108-1128Swift, Jonathan. "A modest proposal". In the Norton Anthology of English Literature: the principal authors. Ed. MH Abrams et al. 5th ed. New York: Norton, 1987. 1078-1085