So...I'm Confused
by Breanna Poole
I will very blunt with you guys, I'm not really sure I'm understanding everything that is happening in this book. Trying to understand poetry, especially epic poetry, is a feat for me, as I'm more inclined to understand (and just plain read) a prose work more than poetry any day of the week. So, to be frank, my understanding of this book and the allegory it is trying to present is...shaky at best.
But!
I do have thoughts on Abdiel. Abdiel actually repents and returns to God, and fights against Satan rather than with him. To me, that seemed like such a clear call back to when Satan actually considers forgetting all of this and asking forgiveness but ultimately decides against it. Satan believed he couldn't be forgiven, that he had gone too far and that he could never return to the ranks of God fully. But in this book....Abdiel does just that. He leaves Satan to return to God, proving that if they were to all repent and resist the temptation and ambition of evil, than they could to return to God and not have to be relegated to life in Hell. Satan had, by some miracle, been built as a semi-sympathetic character than we all felt bad for having sympathy for, and in this brief moment with Abdiel, we are reminded why exactly we shouldn't have pity for Satan. He had a chance to change, just like Abdiel did, and he didn't take it.
I'm aware that this is supposed to be political allegory, but I think this part was indeed was a religious commentary. Milton built this one part to show us that just because someone else might say we are beyond the point of being saved, that is decision we make alone to turn God, and that making the wrong choice in that regard could be very catastrophic, as it is for Satan.
Did this blog post make sense? Probably not, but I hope y'all enjoyed reading it.
P.S. I commented on Gray and Osten's posts.
by Breanna Poole
I will very blunt with you guys, I'm not really sure I'm understanding everything that is happening in this book. Trying to understand poetry, especially epic poetry, is a feat for me, as I'm more inclined to understand (and just plain read) a prose work more than poetry any day of the week. So, to be frank, my understanding of this book and the allegory it is trying to present is...shaky at best.
But!
I do have thoughts on Abdiel. Abdiel actually repents and returns to God, and fights against Satan rather than with him. To me, that seemed like such a clear call back to when Satan actually considers forgetting all of this and asking forgiveness but ultimately decides against it. Satan believed he couldn't be forgiven, that he had gone too far and that he could never return to the ranks of God fully. But in this book....Abdiel does just that. He leaves Satan to return to God, proving that if they were to all repent and resist the temptation and ambition of evil, than they could to return to God and not have to be relegated to life in Hell. Satan had, by some miracle, been built as a semi-sympathetic character than we all felt bad for having sympathy for, and in this brief moment with Abdiel, we are reminded why exactly we shouldn't have pity for Satan. He had a chance to change, just like Abdiel did, and he didn't take it.
I'm aware that this is supposed to be political allegory, but I think this part was indeed was a religious commentary. Milton built this one part to show us that just because someone else might say we are beyond the point of being saved, that is decision we make alone to turn God, and that making the wrong choice in that regard could be very catastrophic, as it is for Satan.
Did this blog post make sense? Probably not, but I hope y'all enjoyed reading it.
P.S. I commented on Gray and Osten's posts.
Comments
Zane Duke
I feel the exact same way about Paradise Lost! My personal opinion is that if it had been written as a book rather than an epic, I would have a much better grasp on it. I hadn't had much thought on Abdiel being a foil to Satan, mostly because I was trying to see the political aspect of the allegory, but now that you have brought up such provoking ideas, I may have to go back and view it with fresh eyes!
Abbie Hedden