So to begin this blog post, I must say that I am honestly a little sad that we are done with Paradise Lost so quickly. That being said, I must begin my point. I would like to talk about the wonderful personification of Death and Sin. Not only have they been trusted adversaries through this book, but they very obviously represent so much in the story of the Fall. I think what probably gets me the most in Book 10 is when Death and Sin congratulate Satan on completing his mission of evil and essentially proving dominance over earth, but then Satan fails to receive that same congratulations from the other members of hell. Seeing as how Satan is the reason for their being transformed into serpents for all of eternity, I can understand their plight. However, I am a little confused on why Death and Sin don’t transform the same way the others do. But I do love how Milton expresses them and personified them in such a manner that they are forced to stay on earth until Judgment Day. I think we often times just view those two as ideas which they for the most part are, however, they have such an impact on our every day lives that I believe Milton was trying to convey here. If we place personalities and bodies and thoughts with Death and Sin, I believe it is easier for us to envision them and the toll that they take on the world. And Milton is not the only one to do this. A lot of more recent literature personifies Death as a main character to strengthen the idea of a living, breathing, talking being that has emotions and thoughts just like we do. I think Milton does a great job of this, but I’m curious to see what you all thought of his personification!
I commented on Luke’s and Kayla’s posts :))
I commented on Luke’s and Kayla’s posts :))
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