Pope and Johnson's Maze of Life
             In both "An Essay on Man", by Pope, and "Vanity of Human Wishes", by Johnson, they compare our purpose on this world. They survey human nature, society and morals. They both compare life to a maze but have a different way to get through it. They both have god looking at us and he has a plan but they are both different. What are the differences between Pope's view of man and Johnson's view of man?
             In Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Man" Epistle one the speaker begins by observing the world and addressing important things. The given circumstance is that God does exist and is the best. In line six he tells us that life is a "mighty maze" but there is a purpose. The reason why man stumbles through the maze is so he can determine the nature of the world in which he lives. He can find out how everything ties together. "What can we reason, but from what we know?" (l 18) Pope is asking, how can there be a loving God? And in line 22 he says that we can't know everything, we are limited.
             In the second stanza Pope brings focus to the presumptuous man. What makes this man presumptuous is that he shouldn't be disturbed that he cannot figure out all of life's mysteries immediately. He asks the question how are humans so imperfect if god it perfect, "Why formed no weaker, blinder and no less" (l 38). He then goes on to discuss the purpose of humanity and that humans are just a leg in a machine. In lines 60-70 he says that we will never know our purpose and it's ridiculous to think we will. It can't be expected that one part of existence can understand all the other parts.
             In the third part Pope reflects God's love and believes in a kind God, "Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate" (l 77). He then goes on to say that what we know we know because of God's kindnes...