Of the nature and state of man,?

Question

with respect to Himself, as an Individual. The business of Man not to pry into God, but to study himself.

Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;
The proper study of Mankind is Man.
Plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state,(28)
A being darkly wise, and rudely great:
With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side,
With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,
He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest,
In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beast;
In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer,
Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err;
Alike in ignorance, his reason such,
Whether he thinks too little, or too much:
Chaos of Thought and Passion, all confus'd;
Still by himself abus'd, or disabus'd;
Created half to rise, and half to fall;
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;
Sole judge of Truth, in endless Error hurl'd:
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!

Extract from Alexender popes "An essay on man".

How many like this peom...add ur comments..

Answer 1

I like this poem and believe Alexander Popes has provoked the minds of the thinkers, poets and theologians who came after him to think more deeply in the nature of man. All his lines are sparks, or seeds, of and for new ideas. However, the picture he drew of man is rather dim, gloomy and unimpressive compared to the results of the recent discoveries in science that his sparks had kindled. The most prominent impression the reader has after reading this poem is the "dual" nature of man. The contrasts. The contradictions and the opposites that reside in man's nature.

Answer 2

i have no comments about it i don't read it