Thursday

• Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Man"
• Continued discussion of Epistle 1, lines 17-76. Listen to the discussion here.
• HW due Wed. 4/4/18: On Wed. we will look at Epistle 2 of "An Essay on Man". In preparation, respond to the following questions on your own paper to turn in:
1. At the beginning of Epistle 2, Pope tells us: “Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is Man.” Pope means that studying God is presumptuous, that humans should study mankind more than we study God. Do you agree with this idea? Explain your opinion.
2. If humans were to study “Man”, what sort of things should they examine? What would this yield?
3.  In your time on this earth, what has your study of man revealed? What have you figured out about human behavior, belief, motivation, and characteristics? Think deeply and carefully and present at least three things you believe about humans and human nature.