As I have been reading through these books, I have really started to see the similarities between Paradise Lost and other epic poetry like the Aeneid, the Iliad, and etc. I mainly saw this symmetry throughout book six with the descriptions of the fight scenes between Satan and the other angels, and also when Jesus drove the rebel force out of heaven (quite awesomely if I say so myself). I think that the style in which this was written helps me to further separate this from the Bible.
Although I read this poem as a story instead of truth, it does pose interesting questions and thoughts, especially to that of angels. I was talking with another classmate about these passages, and we were discussing the amount of descriptions and information Milton devoted to angels and heavenly things. I like the imagery he provides, but the interesting part is that it is on subject the Bible provides very little knowledge of. These passages also raise the important question of whether the angels have free will, or if Satan and his fellow rebels were destined to go against heaven, God, and the son. This even further raises the question of free-will in general, but I very much do not want to get into that topic.
The last thing that I wanted to say in this post is that I think the reason why the church was so angry during the time when Milton published this book was because this book calls one to compare oneself to the perfectness and all powerful Jesus. Although the book doesn't really focus upon him as the hero, we know he is, but it is hard not to see Satan as the victim when we relate to him more than that of the one who truly loves us. I am personally struggling to see Jesus as the hero in this story if I am looking at this with an open perspective. Is anyone else experiencing that?
P.S. I commented on Kayla Gill's and Sydney Snow's posts.
Although I read this poem as a story instead of truth, it does pose interesting questions and thoughts, especially to that of angels. I was talking with another classmate about these passages, and we were discussing the amount of descriptions and information Milton devoted to angels and heavenly things. I like the imagery he provides, but the interesting part is that it is on subject the Bible provides very little knowledge of. These passages also raise the important question of whether the angels have free will, or if Satan and his fellow rebels were destined to go against heaven, God, and the son. This even further raises the question of free-will in general, but I very much do not want to get into that topic.
The last thing that I wanted to say in this post is that I think the reason why the church was so angry during the time when Milton published this book was because this book calls one to compare oneself to the perfectness and all powerful Jesus. Although the book doesn't really focus upon him as the hero, we know he is, but it is hard not to see Satan as the victim when we relate to him more than that of the one who truly loves us. I am personally struggling to see Jesus as the hero in this story if I am looking at this with an open perspective. Is anyone else experiencing that?
P.S. I commented on Kayla Gill's and Sydney Snow's posts.
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