In this mock epic Pope is able to both satirize and humanize the defects of bourgeois society by astutely observing and commenting on their rampant narcissism and obsession with public image. Pope's derisive comment questioning society's banal priorities is second to the nullification of the role of beauty seen in The Tempest. Throughout the poem, Pope illustrates his total obsession with shaping himself through the protagonist Belinda, a girl of extraordinary beauty but little substance. The value of beauty in the text is exposed in several ways, one of which is the hyperbolized treatment of beautification rituals. For example, in Belinda's toilet scene in Canto I the silver vessels are described as "arranged in mystical order" (Pope I, 123) and the Nymphs appear to pray to the "cosmetic powers" (Pope I, 124). . This use of grandiose and almost religious language to describe a young girl wearing makeup establishes the value of beauty in this society and mocks it at the same time by overemphasizing and thus exposing its ridiculousness. Furthermore, both the Nymphs and Belinda seem to regard this morning ritual as “sacred rites of pride” (Pope I, 128), which not only further highlights the importance of these pampering activities, but also illustrates that in this particular society woman's only privilege and source of pride seems to come from her outward beauty. Furthermore, another example of the incredibly important role that physical appearance has in this society is the high regard for hair, often described as “sacred hair” (Pope III, 153) – both the diction around “hair” and the capitalization of the word itself conveys its distorted importance to Belinda and those around her. Once Pope clearly establishes the values ​​of this society, he powerfully subverts them and reveals how superficial, vapid and devoid of intellect these characters truly are. In the song