Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer; Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike

 

MASTER’S DEGREE IN ENGLISH (MEG-1)

BRITISH POETRY 

ASSIGNMENT 

(Based on Blocks (1 - 10)

Course Code: MEG-01 

Assignment Code: MEG-01/TMA/2022-23 

Max. Marks: 100

Note: Attempt any five questions.

1. Explain any two of the excerpts of poems given below with reference to their context: 

(iv) Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, 

And without sneering, teach the rest to sneer; 

Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike

Ans: 

These lines are taken from Alexander Pope's 'Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot'. ‘Damned by faint praise’ means to be given such little praise that it is actually a criticism. This comes in the poem's fourth section and it explains why Pope uses satire to criticise other writers. 

Pope claims that he doesn't care about those who criticise him. He refers to them as idiots and donkeys. Pope asserts that he would gladly welcome their criticism if it were accurate. Pope continues by attacking Addison. According to Pope, Addison is brilliant. He's a talented writer. His flaw is ..............

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