Self & Society: British Lit @Hood College

For Hot, Cold, Moist, and Dry, four champions fierce Strive here for mast'ry and to battle bring Their embryon atoms. (line 897-900)

"So he with difficulty, and labour hard Moved on; with difficulty and labour he: But he once pass'd, soon after, when man fell, Strange alteration; Sin, and Death, amain, Following his tract (such was the will of heaven) Pav'd after him a broad and beaten way Over the dark abyss, whose boiling gulf Tamely endur'd a bridge of wondrous length, From hell contained, reaching th'utmost orb Of this frail world; by which the spirits perverse With easy intercourse pass to and fro, To tempt or punish mortals, except whom God and good angels guard by special grace." (Lines 1021-1033)

"...Out of thy head I sprung! Amazement seized All th' host of Heav'n. Back they recoiled afraid At first and called me "Sin" and for a sign Portentous held me. But familiar grown I pleased and with attractive graces won The most averse (thee chiefly) who full oft Thyself in me thy perfect image viewing Becam'st enamoured and such joy thou took'st With me in secret that my womb conceived A growing burden." (Book 2, Lines 758-767) "...and swifter far Me overtook, his mother, all dismayed, And embraces forcible and foul Engend'ring with me of that rape begot These yelling monsters that with ceaseless cry Surround me as thou saw'st, hourly conceived And hourly born as sorrow infinite To me." (Book 2, Lines 791-798) And then these hell-hound children of hers crawl back into her womb and chew on her insides? What the fucking shit, Milton? (Image from Meme Generator - https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/400x/2...

Book 2 opens up with Satan debating on whether he and his demons should try and fight God again to overthrow his power. I don't understand why they are still trying because they failed once already. Do they not understand that they cannot be greater than God? This section gives the arguments of the four demons on what they think they should do. Satan asks his demons what they think their best option would be: go to war or give it up. Why doesn't Satan just come up with the plan himself? Beelzebub says, "...seduce them to our party that their God may prove their foe and with repenting hand abolish His own works" (2.368-370). He believes that he can get God's people to follow them and leave their ruler. What are they thinking? https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwjK7Pf2o7_XAhXH7BQKHUxhBfMQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvriley.edublogs.org%2Ftag%2Fparadise-lost%2F&psig=AOvVaw0iWeZ9N6g5F9DfRA-h2JeN...

“On th’ other side Incensed with indignation Satan stood Unterrified and like a comet burned That fires the length of Ophiucus huge In th’ arctic sky and from his horrid hair Shakes pestilence and war.” 706-711 Notes for understanding: Ophiucus is a large constillation of a man holding a snake. Also comets were frequently thought to be the cause of war or other bad events. On the other side Feeling really angry and frustrated about the unfairness of things satan stood there He was unafraid and like a big firey disaster causing comet With enough power to go very far and cause a lot of bad-ness.

In the beginning of book two, Satan debates whether or not another battle would be hazardous for the recovery of heaven.I question Satan and his motives. Does he really care about searching the truth about the prophecy? It seems to appear that in this situation as it is weighted so much, Satan is a "hero".I find it interesting when he is considered as their “chief” if he thinks that he is on the same level as God? Before book two we see Satan questioning God’s power and how he possibly does not understand it. Does Satan really have the people's best interest at heart or is he doing this for his own personal reasons?I am a little confused as to what he is trying to do.

The demons argue about what their next move should be and I thought that Mammon's idea to build up Hell to be as beautiful and industrious as Heaven was pretty cute. I didn't think that any of the other demons would be on board with that plan, given that it seems like the easiest way to impress God and be rewarded with his forgiveness. Also, it doesn't seem very realistic... How are you going to put out a fire that consumes an entire lake? Hell is described as a huge bummer and to say that they can just clean it up and have it looking like Heaven seems like a stretch. However, the idea of corrupting an entire race that God loves the most, is definitely more of a plan to humiliate God. I had it in my head that humans already existed (because I thought angels were dead humans) so this part made a lot more sense to me when I realized that God hadn't yet created mortals. Are the original angels by God's side just spirits? Sorry for being ignorant :/  https://upload...

It's weird reading about demons who are trying to figure out how to deal with their situation. When I usually think of demons I think of beings who enjoy the flames and torment. In Paradise Lost he makes them out to be suffering. Yet this suffering doesn't affect their ability to have a council and decide what to do with their current situation. These fallen angels are very human-like. I guess that explains why the fallen angels say that humans are "created like... us though less in pow'r and excellence" (349-350). I am enjoying the 'fresh' perspective on demons and angels. http://thepinoycatholic.blogspot.com/2014/01/council-of-trent-happened-450-years-ago.html

"He above the rest/In shape and gesture proudly eminent/Stood like a tower.His form had yet not lost/All her original brightness nor appeared/Less than archangel ruined and th' excess/Of glory obscured"(589-595).

"Darkened so, yet shone Above them all th' archangel, but his face Deep scars of thunder had entrenched and care Sat on his faded cheek, but under brows Of dauntless courage and consid'rate pride Waiting revenge." (599-604)

"Thus they relate,/Erring. For he with his rebellious rout/ fell long before..." (746-748).

In the reading I found this short paragraph interesting. "But He who reigns Monarch in Heav'n til then as one secure Sat on His throne upheld by old repute, Consent or custom, and His regal state Put forth at full but still His strength concealed, Which tempted our attempt and wrought our fall. Henceforth His might we know, and know our own, So as not either to provoke or dread New war provoked." (637-345) Who are they to blame God for their failed attempt in trying to take over his kingship? They believed that they were smarter than God and knew his strength, but God didn't reveal how powerful he was to them. Since God's full power wasn't revealed, they believed that they were powerful enough to overthrow him. Why would they think that they could power over someone who they used to worship, and most importantly someone who created them? How disloyal and selfish.

Though the wording and writing of this piece makes it challenging to read and understand, it gives it a beautiful twist and allows the reader to enjoy something other than modern English. I like the use of the biblical story. I am not particularly religious though I was able to understand and recognize the story of Adam and Eve. The idea that Satan and God are opposites goes along with how I've always viewed the two subjects. The way Satan was portrayed was clever and interesting. It seems like he may be the main character or person of the story. Generally in stories the main person is the good guy, Satan being the good guy would be very strange. Given that Satan is more commonly known as the bad guy, literally the Devil.

There were two major things that caught me off guard while reading this text. The first is that I was pleasantly surprised to find Milton's use of calling on the Muses to help write this ("Sing Heav'nly Muse"). It's very reminiscent of Ancient Greek epic poetry, and to me, it signified that there would be trials and tribulations waiting for these characters. The second is that Satan is apparently the size of Classical Greek Titans and Giants??? I had always imagined him as being a bit bigger than the average sized human (maybe like 9 foot tall, max), but I suppose now I know where the whole depiction of Satan being a terrifyingly ginormous guy came from. I think that the most confusing thing about this is the setting? It sounds like Satan and Beezebub are floating in a fiery lake, but then all the other fallen are in a fiery lake as well? Did I read that right? Is it the same lake or are there a bunch of fiery lakes in Hell? Also, are the rest of the fallen as big...

When I was reading this section of Paradise Lost , the lines that immediately struck me were "One, who brings/ A mind not to be chang'd by place or time./ The mind is its own place, and in itself/ Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven" (252-255) and "Better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven" (263). I'm not incredibly well-versed in biblical stories, but what I had gathered was that Hell was a place that Lucifer was banished to. However, Milton is writing as if Hell is Lucifer's safe haven from God, a place where he can finally be free. It also seems that Lucifer swears to perform evil deeds not because he specifically desires to, but because it is the exact opposite of what God is supposed to do. Even within these first 375 lines, Milton is creating a character that is much more layered than what is commonly believed, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out later on. 

"Adam and Eve with the Serpent, (Genesis IIIA, verse 6" engraving by Francesco Villamena https://art.famsf.org/francesco-villamena/adam-and-eve-serpent-genesis-iii-verse-6-19633036286     The opening lines of Paradise Lost contain the traditional invocation of the Muses, as the poet calls upon the Divine to inspire his tale. The rest of this section describes the insurrection of angels in Heaven, their punishment, and the continuing plot to subvert the creations of God. Is it just me, or is the difference between some of these demons/fallen angels really unclear? It feels like no two stories can agree. Some versions have Beelzebub, Lucifer, Asmodeus, et cetera presented as seperate entities, while others claim these are all names for the same being known to different cultures. Is this the result of Christianity absorbing so many other religious traditions during its history? 

What makes certain lines from a text jump off the page and fill you with interest and curiosity? Why do some passages carry more meaning and significance than others? For example, Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost tells us: Here at least We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n. (Book I, ll. 258-263) This phrase, "better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven," has caught on - it's almost a proverb. And it's come to represent Satan's character more so than any other line from this massive and miraculous poem. Plus, it just sounds awesome. In short: there's a lot to discuss about this passage, isn't there? Book and tablet photo by Engin_Akyurt on Pixabay.com On days that we don't have paragraphs due, we'll have what I call Quotes and Questions. Yo...

A paragraph is an elusive thing: it seems like something really obvious, something we have known how to write since elementary school. But how do you define a paragraph? How can you tell a good paragraph from a lackluster one? And how do you write the kind of paragraphs that make it easier to communicate your ideas to your reader? Simply put, a paragraph is a group of sentences that develop a single idea. That’s it. The correct length for a paragraph is however many sentences are required to introduce the idea of the paragraph, explain that idea, provide any necessary examples or evidence, explain that evidence, wrap up your idea, and (sometimes) transition into your next idea. However, you have to stick to a single idea! If you can’t write a clear, well-developed paragraph, you can’t write a good paper, a clear memo, a convincing email, or an enticing cover letter. Those who master the paragraph are ready to take on the world! Home Office photo by Free-Photos on Pixabay.com...