Dehumanizing Women Women are portrayed as commodities in both Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock- and in William Congreve's "The Way of the World-. However in Congreve's "Rape of the Lock- women play a more active and cognizant role wrangling a suitable marriage than in Pope's poem. In both texts elite society is portrayed as a group that have complex social interactions. The stakes are quite high: marriage. Marriage in those days was not simply a matter ... of the heart, but it is an institution that defined people's class status ... ...

• Word Count: 1903
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School