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
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.
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.
Due to the connection of the world, even though you are giving light, there will always be shadows. Along with the representation of interconnectedness, it also shows some foreshadowing of the plot because, in that case, God is the candle and the light, but he casts a shadow. Quite literally in this case due to the literal shadow. However, in this case, God learns to embrace the shadow and how it is not always a negative
talking about His creation (Genesis 1). It also says: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there
“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
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).
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
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
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
“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.
Perception is defined as how you look at others and the world around you. Being able to select, organize and intercept information starts the perceptual process. Perception affects the way people communicate with others. An individual’s pattern of thinking can affect their perception of others. Most people communicate best with people of similar cultures.
Milton draws his inspiration from these verses in describing Satans pride and his attempt to wage war in heaven. However, in his attempt to make Paradise Lost both a conversation and a narration, Milton decides to describe Satans descend from heaven in closer detail, even with the risk of committing sacrilege.
than a single try to defeat the good. It is no big thing. Only a
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.