Question

25 POINTS!!

Which two phrases in this excerpt from Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" are oxymorons?

Such (shameless Bards) we have; and yet 'tis true,
There are as mad, (abandon'd Criticks) too.
The (Bookful Blockhead), ignorantly read,
With Loads of Learned Lumber in his Head,
With his own Tongue (still edifies) his Ears,
And always List'ning to Himself appears.
All Books he reads, and all he reads assails,
From (Dryden's Fables) down to Durfey's Tales.
With him, most (Authors steal) their Works, or buy;

(*) are the options

Answer 1

"The Bookful Blockhead, ignorantly read with Loads of Learned Lumber in his Head" is an example of an oxymoron. Especially the part when he says ignorantly read.

An oxymoron means that you are coupling two words or phrases that are so opposite it is absurd to pair them.

Answer 2

The correct answer is, the two phrases that are oxymorons in this excerpt from Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism” are:

The Bookful Blockhead, ignorantly read, / With loads of learned lumber in his head.

The term oxymoron means that there are contradictory terms in a phrase or that there are contradictory words. In this case, the oxymorons in the text are “The Bookful Blockhead, ignorantly read, / With loads of learned lumber in his head.” Bookful could be interpreted as intelligent, while Blockhead as a fool. “Ignorantly” means that he does not know or is not aware, and “red/learned,” meaning that he knows, he is aware. Those are the oxymorons.

“An Essay on Criticism” is one of the best poems written by the English writer Alexander Pope in 1711.