Alexander Pope was born on 21 May 1688 in London to a Roman Catholic family. Afflicted at an early age by Pott's disease which caused him to have an abnormal height of four feet six inches. One would not expect Pope to be worth much, yet he was a fundamental attribute of literature. He was best known for his satirical verse and heroic couplet. Pope is also the third most cited writer in the Oxford Citation Dictionary, behind William Shakespeare and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Pope influenced literature through his poetry, identifying and refining his positions as critic and poet. In addition to Pope's importance to literature, his life was very complicated. He struggled with his health as his illness gave him a hump and many complications such as high fever, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain and inflamed eyes. With his abnormal height and all his various health problems he also caused social problems. For example, Pope was alienated for much of his childhood. Another problem was the Test Acts which supported the Church of England. This prevented Catholics from voting, teaching and attending universities. Despite these obstacles, Pope was taught to read by his aunt and attended Catholic schools that were illegal but permitted in some places. In 1700 his family were forced to move to Popeswood, Binfield, Berkshire, due to a statute preventing Catholics from living within 10 miles of London. This new countryside he was in was near Windsor Great Park. Pope later in his career created a poem entitled Windsor Forest in which he described the countryside of his area. “Slender trees arise that avoid each other's shadow. Here in full light the rust-colored plains extend." The Pope's formal education was therefore short-lived. With the awareness of having had b...... middle of paper...... artificial and empty life, painted with a humorous and delicate satire. Pope's satire is intellectual and full of wit and epigram. And it is quite true that no other poet or writer could represent the contemporary society as vastly and perfectly as Pope did and, therefore, it is considered to be the true representative poem of the 18th century English society. In any case, Pope's involvement in literature is more than important as he influenced literature in multiple ways through his satire. Pope influenced literature with his poetry, identifying and perfecting his positions as critic and poet. Although he was ill all his life, he found a way to become one of the greatest poets of the 18th century. He also helped shape a new way of thinking that began to expand the minds of his readers. Alexander Pope was a poetic genius and is one of the greatest writers in history.