Personable Poems

 Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady by Alexander Pope stuck me to be one full of emotion in an aspect most of us do not assume while reading. To start the poem with discussion of a ghost is an immediate hook and one that seems to spiral. In later parts of the poem, Pope reveals that what is being written about is nothing other than a person no longer alive. But also, the person is not properly being mourned over. The extensive honor we act upon when a loved one dies is being mocked or critiqued throughout the poem when Pope mentions friends and family not honoring the person who has passed. When we think of honoring a person who is no longer with us, our minds may go to flowers, obituaries, ceremonies, funerals, celebration of life, or things of this nature to remember the person and the life they once lived. For Pope, the poem continues and our normal thoughts of honor are bolstered when flowers will decorate the grave. This is a form of figurative language or imagery to elicit the thought of celebration or memory even if not actually shown in reality. I find this to be a great usage of words and a great way to allow the reader to deeper understand and dive into the meaning of the poem. The last couple of sentences seems like a calling or reality check written by Pope. Overall, the poem explains how everyone will once be faced with death, even poets. But all that comes with this is a lingering thought of being forgotten. Death has it's effects but it will run out, essentially. I find these lines to be quite bold to leave the reader with. I found myself wondering at the end of the poem and in a state of reflection, which could have been what Pope had hoped would happen at the end of the poem. 


https://www.bl.uk/people/alexander-pope


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