THE RAPE OF THE LOCK BY ALEXANDER POPE

Oft, when the world imagine women stray,
The sylphs through mystic mazes guide their way,
Through all the giddy circle they pursue,
And old impertinence expel by new.

Oft, when the world .......... expel by new.

REFERENCE
(i) Poem: The Rape of the Lock
(ii) Poet: Alexander Pope
CONTEXT
(i) Occurrence: Canto I
(ii) Content: Belinda arises to prepare for the day's social activities. After an elaborate ritual of dressing and primping, she travels on the Thames River of Hampton Court Palace, where a group of wealthy young societies are gathering for a party. Among them is the Baron, who has already made up his mind to steal a lock of Belinda's hair. At party, the Baron takes up a pair of scissors and cuts off the coveted lock of Belinda's hair. Belinda is furious. She initiates a scuffle between the ladies and the gentlemen to recover the severed curl. The lock is lost in the confusion of this mock battle.
EXPLANATION
     In these lines the poet describes the main job of sylphs. Sylphs, the spirits of air, guard the good name of young women through all kinds of social situations, especially regarding those with the opposite sex. Upper-class women in Pope's day had to be very careful about their reputations when it came to dealing with men who were not their fathers or husbands. They have to preserve their honour at all costs; in these lines, Pope imagines that the sylphs are are on a specific mission to help girls do just that. When the behaviour of girls seems absolutely inexplicable; they drop a friend for no good reason, they don't show up where or when they are supposed to, they fall in and out of love often - it's really the sylphs who are masterminding the whole confusing deal. Young men's music softens the minds of young girls and dancing inflames their passion. However, the sylphs guide the young girls through the "mystic mazes" of allurement, and and save them from the "giddy circle" of love. In short, the young girls are forced by the sylphs to show insolence towards men. 

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