“Little Learning is a Dangerous Thing” is an extract from our example Alexander Pope’s Essays in Criticism which is a prime example of the Neoclassicist tradition of the 18th century and where he tried to talk about the principles of how poetry can be written, and how perfection can be achieved through constant practice.
This extract, being a satire on those people who read a little but try to confute on series and grave issues without sufficient knowledge of the subject matter, tries to show how knowledge is unlimited and people, however hard they try to get it, every time knowledge is beyond their reach. They can know a chunk of or a portion of knowledge, but they cannot get it in its infinity. The ending line of the poem rightly depicts that if someone has attained the highest level of knowledge that person believes that he/she still needs to know a lot because that person knows very little or nothing. It is to be made clear that “Little Learning is a Dangerous Thing” does not mean that all learned people, who have seriously read widely about things and issues, feel that they know little. It is not such people who are under criticism in this poem. In this poem, those people are under criticism whose knowledge is very limited and they have never tried to know a lot more things as the beginning line suggests.
The Pierian Spring which is a mythical spring in Macedonia that was sacred to Muses symbolizes the complete ocean of knowledge or spring of knowledge. If somebody has taken the complete spring of knowledge, only then that person is qualified for serious discussion.
Otherwise, people try to misuse their little knowledge or try to confute on serious topics without any background knowledge, logic and reason. The poem is a fine example of the Age of Reason that was the 18th century. It focuses more on scientific methods of reading and learning. It shows that art and science are two different disciplines and art is so impressive but science is so wide and difficult. Science is endless.
Alexander Pope has tried to make it clear how even writing poetry is not for everyone. It is for those people who have good knowledge of the classical authors, their techniques and principles, use of poetic diction, mastery over the use of couplets,s and sound knowledge of the tradition of writing poetry.
It also tries to suggest how most people attained knowledge in the 18th century. Many people got to know about certain things only through dialogues, discussions, and speeches in coffee houses when some philosophers, intellectuals, politicians, or businessmen were engaged in their discussions. And if such listeners wanted to make an argument for adding something to any serious discussion, these people made their arguments on the basis of their little learning. These people are the victims of little learning which is a dangerous thing.
© Dr. Sanjeev Vishwakarma
Literary Latitude 