Paradise Lost
Light Association, Shaping Our Understanding
Altering an audience's opinion is a struggle that many writers face; it is always possible, however, to unite the reader with the speaker's position. In Paradise Lost by John Milton, the author attempted to persuade his readers into thinking that the theme of obedience to God will keep you in a blissful state and disobedience will keep you in a wretched state by the use of light in his books. God is associated with a radiant white light; while on the other hand, Satan is affiliated with a dark shady black. With this use of this contrast of symbolism of light and dark, there is a clear distinction that light is righteousness and more desired than the darkness, which is
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Notice how Milton uses the word "fair" to describe the light. His audience gets a tranquil feeling one in which any one would like to submit themselves to in order to achieve. Security is hard to get in the world people live in but in the heavenly light it makes you calm and peaceful. That is the message stated here. The luminescence beam of light is intoxicating and draws its reader towards this image of heaven. Milton knowing his audience is predominantly Christian, he can indulge their interest knowing very well of their desires for God. The divine light can be represented in the story of Moses when God spoke to him as a burning bush. Light is one of the greatest religious symbols a person can use because of its wide range of meanings, such as, truth, goodness, heaven, etc. For the quote above the reader can determine that light intensity can determine reverence towards God. Moreover, the light can be viewed as something spiritual which for his audience could have related more to. For example, Milton wrote, "Heav'n, this our delight; how wearisom Eternity so spent in worship paid" [2.245]. Heaven has a radiant shine and makes people feel comfortable yearning for this goal. This light is a healing and a craving for people to work for. Knowing this, Milton further trys to expand that God is the good guy by using the word "delight." This word choice has a deep impact on the reader by telling them what they think is good
Light: The light portrayed throughout the novel is representative of enlightenment. Walton, during his trip to the North Pole, is searching for the secrets of the universe, and refers to the location as “a country of eternal light” (140). Light is also apparent whenever Victor comes to a realization; when he first discovers natural philosophy, he calls it “a new light [that] seemed to dawn upon my mind” (25). Also, when Victor discovers the formula to life, he said it felt like “a sudden light broke upon [him]” (26).
In addition, here, as throughout much the poem, Satan continues to hedge the other side of the argument, insisting that he isn't forced to do evil by opposing God, but that "to do ill our sole delight" (160). This belief that he has a choice in the matter is tied up in the misconception that he was, and continues to be, equal to God, as "reason hath equall'd" (248) them. Quite to the contrary, Milton makes it clear that "the will And high permission of all-ruling Heaven Left him at large to his own dark designs" (211-3). And it is only Satan's perverted sense of reason that convinces him that "The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n" (254-5). He believes that his reason and contemplation will help him discover "How overcome this dire Calamity" (189), or failing that, change his will such that it fits his current circumstance. This is the classic method of the delusional and disenfranchised, holding out hope for change, but at the same time putting forth the belief that the current situation can actually be beneficial. The sophistry has shown through Satan's speech, as he declares that there is no way for God to beat him, in his mind, when we know he is already defeated.
Since the beginning of Paradise Lost, a reader can witness the dramatizing power possessed by Satan, and how he takes advantage of this very power in order to satisfy his own causes. One such property of Satan's fantastic powers is his ability to manipulate any individual into a false belief of who he really is, and therefore prevent a habitant of paradise from discovering his true purpose that is hidden behind his actions. One such example of this, and one of the most major in the epic, are the events that occur in Book IX involving Satan and Eve around the forbidden tree. Here, Satan uses, what is to Eve, excellent reasoning to convince her to eat the forbidden fruit, thereby exploiting
One of the purposes that Tolkien uses light and dark is to introduce Christian themes to readers. Lady Galadriel gives Frodo a small crystal phial when he and his companions wave goodbye to Lothlorien and says, “It (it) will shine still brighter when night is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.” (Tolkien Page 491). This crystal phial shows direct relation to
The first difference between Paradise Lost and The Bible is Satan’s fall from Heaven. The main distinction in the two accounts is that Milton gives Satan
talking about His creation (Genesis 1). It also says: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there
This sentence givers light to why he named the book The Luminous Darkness because from any darkness in someone’s life, God still casts His light everywhere. It matters where we get our light from because having the wrong light source can lead to bad things, but with the right light we can create ourselves to be a better human, one who sees how God created us to be.
“O Hell!” Satan’s opening exclamation of frustration immediately alerts readers to Satan’s state of mind. As Satan gazes on Adam and Eve, he is struck by their blissful state, which sends him into a spiral of confusion as he slightly reconsiders his plan to destroy them. To himself, Satan addresses the pair; he begins regretful and with pity for Adam and Eve. He later shifts in tone to vengeful, envious, and angry. Further exemplifying Satan’s contrasting attitudes, Milton uses antonymous words of emotion throughout the passage. By the end of passage, Milton solidifies Satan’s hardening of heart and ends the struggle that has been festering inside Satan since his first act of rebellion against God. Milton successfully uses both the shift in tone and the emotional diction to reveal Satan’s stormy internal conflict.
the light is his way of saying he knows God is with him. In his reference of fate, he says
In the excert from Sinners in the Hands of an angry God, writen by Jonathan Edwards shows how he uses literary devices in order to persuade his audience. The literary deices he uses are personification similys, and imagery throughout his writing, in order to pursuade his audience not to sin and be good.
John Milton’s’ poem “When I consider how my light is spent” is a great piece of art that he creates during his blindness. The sarcasm and the word choice in this poem also have a great impact on how he masts feel. Milton also presents us with a key point on how God plays an important part in his point of view and his life. One of the best thing of this poem is the tone and the feelings that where put into it. Looking at John Milton life through one of his best piece of art “When I consider how my light is spent.”
John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, has been the subject of criticism and interpretation through many years; these interpretations concur in that Adam and Eve are the sufferers of the poem, and it is their blight to lose Paradise because of their disobedience; however, their exile is merely a plight brought by Satan, and it is he who suffers exile before any others. Satan changes from Book I of the poem to Book XII; his introduction is heroic and grand, appearing as a hero rebelling against an unjust God. But by the finalization of Milton’s poem, Satan is a burnt shell of himself and, though ruler of Pandemonium, he sits in a throne in the lowest pit from God’s light. Satan’s exile brings forth the salvation of mankind and his own regressive transformation; tying in with the theme of disobedience, Satan’s exile gives
The common dichotomy of good versus evil is as old as the story of the world, and is timeless in its relevance to almost everything we do in life. This simple concept is seen in many places throughout our society including pieces of literature. After reading Paradise Lost and Murder Mysteries, it is clear that Milton and Gaiman portray this dichotomy through Satan and God, however, they do so in two very different ways. In Paradise Lost, John Milton uses detailed language and imagery to develop a kind, powerful God, and a Satan that is an equal adversary of God. In Murder Mysteries, Neil Gaiman also uses specific language and imagery, however, he creates the opposite: a monstrous God, and a gentle Satan.
than a single try to defeat the good. It is no big thing. Only a
“Sonnet 19: When I Consider how my light is Spent” by John Milton was published in 1654. The narrator closely connects with his inner religion to reassure himself that God doesn’t fault him for his disability. This poem is a Petrarchan Sonnet that consists of one stanza that has 14 lines, which are unequally divided by the first eight lines and the last six lines. Miller implements iambic pentameter throughout the poem and a basic rhyme scheme. In the beginning of the poem the narrator starts by focusing on the fact that he’s completely blind at a considerably young age. His main question is will God scold or punish him for not purposefully using a gift he’s been blessed with. The first eight lines create a tone of confusion and desperation to know the unknown, however the turn in the poem is constituted by “Patience” giving the narrator valid reasoning as to why he shouldn’t worry about something so insignificant, and the introduction of “patience” couples the narrator’s sense of confusion with certainty and calmness. His “Patience” reassures him that to be the best and utmost service to God and “bear his mild yoke” he should be willing to just listen and follow (Milton 11). Milton, in “When I consider how my light is spent,” creates a difference in tone between the first eight lines and the last six lines by coupling the idea of dark vs. light diction with the idea of ambiguity vs. clarity to elaborate on the themes of religious conflict of the soul and shameful guilt.