Not That Bad

This was my first time reading Paradise Lost and I have to say that I enjoyed the experience. It was such dense material that I was drawn into it from the beginning. It was interesting to see the perspective of Satan after his fall rather than that of God's, an angel's, or human's. The image painted of hell was so much of an opposite picture of  what it is commonly portrayed as. Milton's portrayal made me think so much differently of how hell could really be when I was raised to think it was only a deep dark hole of fire with an eternal burning lake. I think Milton's technique of utilizing Lucifer's perspective to emphasize God's grace and mercy was the most unique and creative way to do so and it caught my attention. I also enjoyed destructing the sentences and diction to get to the meat of what Milton was saying. Overall, I think my fist interaction with this novel was one that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I would like to read the rest of it...maybe.

3 out of  2

Paradise Done?

We got the chance to be done with class a little bit early this week, because Professor Mitchell-Buck wanted us to just be able to bask in the warm glow of appreciating Milton. (A noble cause if ever there was one.) I will admit however that I’m not yet finished reading Paradise Lost. Sure, I’ve read the first two ‘books’, but I have every intention of reading the whole thing in the near future, and I’d be interested to know if anyone else is planning to do the same. Or perhaps there’s another work that we’ve started in class that’s grabbed your attention and demands to be read. If so, which one? --- 2 of 5

Insightful Class Discussions

I thought the group discussions we had during our class on Wednesday regarding the first book of Paradise Lost were quite informative. Usually when you are grouped in a class the majority of the group either hasn't read or doesn't care enough about the class to contribute to the conversation. With our class, I found it to be refreshingly quite the opposite. Everyone was really involved with their respective topic. I was in the group that got to focus on the loveliness that is Satan. Each group really got into the assigned topic and it showed when we had to share our findings with the class. Which, I found to be really helpful when I continued my reading of Paradise Lost on Monday.

I’m not even going to lie, the minute the group I was in got assigned Satan, I sort of figured the conversation was going to end with the group being divided based on how we felt towards Satan as a whole and not necessarily the character that Milton presents. Man was I wrong! The entire group agreed on our opinion of Satan and the choices he makes. We all felt that he didn't care where it ended up as long as two things remained the same, he wasn't in Heaven being forced to follow God's way and that he was the ruler of where ever he was. 

Rather than focusing on every passage that we were assigned, we focused on one line, line 263 "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven!". Dr. Mitchell-Buck came around she asked a question that I found quite interesting. She asked whether or not the line would be taken the same way if it was not said by Satan. If this line was said by anyone other than Satan, it would be absolutely be taken in a different manner! I mean lets face it, most of what (if not everything) we are taught growing up shows Satan in a light that is anything but positive. If this line were to be said by any other character in Paradise Lost, the meaning would change drastically. I find it quite interesting that Milton put in a character as complex as Satan. He not only gives us great detail about who is he was in Heaven, but also what his intentions are in hell. But the back story alone is a book in and of itself. It is packed with information that without the reader would be completely lost.Perhaps the reason for the back story is to put a picture, like the one below, into the readers mind. You have the Jesus arm wrestling with the Satan for control. I think we all know how that ended. 

http://onlyhdwallpapers.com/high-definition-wallpaper/god-devil-jesus-christ-satan-good-vs-evil-lucifer-statan-arm-wrestle-desktop-hd-wallpaper-258224/

How Milton composed Satan's back story by only speaking it is beyond me!

Belial: The Patron Demon of Introverted College Students

So in class today we discussed a few of the demons who were introduced in Paradise Lost. In my group, we were assigned the demon known as Belial ("worthless" in Hebrew). Through his description, I somehow managed to make the crazy connection that Belial could very well be the demon of introverted college students.

Now, before you click away or immediately think I'm stupid, crazy, or both, allow me to explain myself.

Belial is described as being extremely lazy, "timorous", and having quite a way with words. He is one of the more "humane" demons you will encounter in Hell. It seems as if all he wants to do is sit on his demon booty until such a time when God decides that they have gone through enough suffering and to let them back in heaven. Well, sit on his booty and make cookies that taste like sulfur no matter how many chocolate chips are added.

Now, as an introverted college student, I can personally say that this demon shares many of the qualities I think qualifies someone as being an introverted college student.

For one, there are only a select few college students who will not admit to being lazy. Those who deny being lazy are either lying or are somehow inherently lazy in some way. I mean, c'mon, how many times have you finished your classes and the primary thing you do is sit in your room and watch Maury, play videogames, check Facebook, etc? Or, even better, how many times have you been assigned a reading that is just not something you wanna do or had revising a paper as your only assignment and just blew it off because you were too busy watching dubstep cat on the internet? I mean, if lazy college students were the minority, I highly doubt there would be so many memes and other references to it as there are now.

Ok, so now that we got that out of the way, let's move on to timorous. For those of you who don't know what that word means, Google defines it as "showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of self confidence". Now, I don't think this really needs much of a description, but I'll provide a little tid bit.

The definition of an introvert, also according to Google, is "a shy, reticent, and typically self-centered person". Now, that does not necessarily make such a person nervous, fearful, or lacking self confidence. It just means that an introvert prefers more relaxed and somewhat more solo based activities than extroverted people. That means group projects, speaking in front of a group, etc. would be a quite uncomfortable experience for an introvert. An experience that could possibly make some feel as if they are "suffering from a nervousness, fear, or a lack of self confidence", perhaps? I think you get the picture.

Personally, I think that if the fate of his current living situation wasn't being threatened with the possible war against heaven, Belial would be perfectly happy to avoid meetings like these and stay by the shores of the burning lake while baking chocolate chip sulfur cookies.

Ah, finally we have reached the last part of Belial's description: his way with words.

Now, as we discussed in class, Belial's words really hold no meaning. He may make some points, but they're really just his main point of "Aw, c'mon guys, do we really have to go do stuff? Can't we just stay in hell and wait this all out?". Belial's whole speech is pretty much what college students tell their teachers, parents, or whoever just to get their way. Say for instance it is a beautiful day outside and you really don't want to spend it in your tiny, stuffy, windowless classroom. You're probably going to try and persuade the teacher, as well as your fellow students, to go outside you might say:

 "But Dr. Mitchell-Buck, I think we could get a better idea of exactly the paradise Satan lost if we read Paradise Lost outside. I mean, the semester is already basically over and I'm sure nobody would mind. It really would be better than sitting inside all day because right after this class I have to write a 1,000 page research essay about mitochondria for my biology course. If we don't go outside, I may never see the light of day until the end of the year."

Was that a bit overdramatic? Yes, but hopefully you see my point.

So, I hope you see what I see now: Belial is the patron demon of introverted college students. Even if you don't agree with all of my points, I hope you can at least find a similarity with one, two, or 1.5 of them!

Things Could Be Worse

Even though Belial is clearly a lazy, but also clever, demon, I actually kind of agree with what he says. On line 109, it says that he is both graceful and humane before his speech. This isn't something I would think of a demon even potentially being called. It then continues to say that afraid and slothful. Throughout his speech, he is referred as slothful multiple times.

He says that the demons of Hell should not siege war on Heaven for multiple reasons: Heaven is way too fortified for even an attempt to infiltrate. Belial knows the power of God and that is should not be tested, especially so quickly after their recent failure. He continues to say "what is the point?". We are in Hell with some potential opportunities, why go risk angering God so that it can all be taken away. His go to phrase would be "things could be worse". The demons could still be chained to the fiery lake with no where to go or nothing to do. Why go out of their way to take over Heaven when they all know that there is no chance of winning. 

Things could be worse

Ultimately, Belial thinks they should stay put. Wait it out. He wants to stay slothful and try to make the best out of the shitty situation that they've all been put in. Even though his words are only wrapped in garments of reason and don't hold any actual meaning, he has a point. If I would be down there with them, his idea would have gotten my vote. I would actually be more comfortable with Belial's and Mammon's ideas combined. The labor/attempt for redemption and keeping to myself sounds like a way better idea than pissing off the most powerful being in the universe. 

Groups and Liking It!

The in-class group projects this past week are obviously the topic of conversation, and my blog will be no exception!

I used to hate in-class group discussions. They never really helped me to wrap my mind around the topic for the day. Mostly, they would just force me to look at the clock more frequently, hoping time would somehow start moving faster. But alas, I have found myself enjoying group discussions more and more. After a horrific and maybe even traumatizing (okay, I may be exaggerating) experience with Paradise Lost, I came out of Thursday's class feeling much more confident. I realized it was okay for me to feel sympathy for Satan. As a matter-of-fact, Milton was purposefully trying to bring those emotions out from the reader!

Our group focused mostly on line 263. Yup, just one line from the poem! As short as it is, this line speaks volumes about Satan's outlook on his situation. I am starting to think that Satan is just trying to be positive. Okay, so he is Satan and has the desire to take over all of Hell, but at least he isn't just crying about his mistakes. I would actually consider him to be a realistic guy. Sulking about bad decisions has never gotten anyone anywhere, in my experience. I think Satan knows he is stuck and can't go back. I think he knows he could repent but is much too proud for that. Plus, he doesn't want to serve. He wants to reign! His desires may not be morally correct or sane, but at least he is committing to what he wants!


http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-dinosaur-Satan.jpg

The Fallen Angels

During our group projects today Adelae brought up a great point about archangels and the question of whether they can still repent and be saved or if that is a salvation only possible for humans in Milton’s Paradise Lost. I wanted to know, from a perspective of someone who is not as informed on religion as most, if you guys think Satan could be saved if he had ever decided to repent? There are two different sides the way I see it. The first would be that there has to be a line somewhere that defines the savable from the un-savable. I feel as though Satan has crossed that line multiple times so he does not deserve to be saved should he so choose. But then again, God is the almighty and powerful. So does that mean Satan can be saved since God has the capability to forgive those that do wrong? And then, do all the other fallen angels like Beelzebub and Mammon have a chance for redemption when none of them seem particularly interested in bowing down to God’s grace? I am having a hard time distinguishing from the strength of God’s capability to forgive, and the certainty of how I feel they should be forever condemned.

The Art of Temptation

I wanted to start this blog by talking about the close reading we did in groups on Wednesday. I thought the activity was a great way to get different people’s perspective on Paradise Lost. While I have enjoyed the language of the poem, I have found “Book 1” to be rather hard to follow. The group activity was beneficial because it gave me a different and more thorough understanding of the text, than what I was able to do on my own.

catillest.com 

One of the discussion topics, we had as class, was about the description of Hell (lines 690-729). Hell is described in ways that almost make it sound beautiful, like the “golden architrave” (715) and the “organ” (708), as well as life in Hell like the army. These characteristics made Hell sound like a physically beautiful place that was organized, rather than ugly, depressing, and chaotic, which is what I expect when I think of Hell. From this discussion, the question of “why Hell come across the way Milton describes?” was presented.

Etsy.com

One possibility I thought about, in response to the question, was the idea of temptation, which is a theme that was presented in the beginning of “Book 1”, when describing Eve’s temptation in Eden (4) to the fall of Satan from Heaven  (31). The examples that Milton uses are of situations of temptation like knowledge or power. All of the ideas make me believe that the purpose of having Hell beautiful and structured is the temptation and attraction that these qualities have to people.

Most people do not want to make bad choices or follow the wrong path, but when they do, it is generally because there is some reward to that decision. That, to me, is the same reason to make Hell seem like a nice place. There would be no reward in going someplace that was miserable, but making Hell attractive causes people to not be as terrified of going there. This is another form of temptation that the Devil creates. He allows people to see goodness in Hell, and as a result they are able to make bad choices without seeing the true horrible consequences.

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