Satan in Paradise Lost - Free Essay Example

An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem. Multiple arguments can be made on whether or not Satan is the true epic hero of Miltons Paradise Lost. There are readers who think that Satan is the true hero purely based off of the first two chapters of this epic poem. In these first two chapters, Milton portrays Satan as a heroic figure, which possibly could have mislead readers into thinking that Satan is truly good and an epic hero since Satan is technically still an archangel at this point of the poem. Readers later learn that Satan is not the true hero of the poem as they read further and further into the poem. The previously held honor and respect Satan had is lost by the end of Paradise Lost because his pride and hatred towards God and his creation control his actions throughout the book. It can clearly be stated that Satan is not the true hero in Paradise Lost based off of Miltons intentions for this epic poem and by the steady deterioration of Satans characters as the poem progresses. In the first two books of Paradise Lost, Satan is portrayed as the hero in this epic poem. He is described with striking qualities in both mind and heart, setting him apart from the rest of the characters in this poem. Milton describes with such great stature. Satan is described as selfless, noble, and superior in his leadership skills and is pictured to stand as high as a tower carrying a massive shield. As defined earlier, an epic hero is generally a brave and noble leader and warrior. Therefore, some readers conclude that Satan is the true hero based off of what Milton was describing about Satans role in a position of authority and stance. After Satan falls, he gathers all of the other fallen angels in Hell. He stirs them up with an exceptional speech. He acts as a true leader by speaking of their shame in falling from Heaven, but he goes on by urging them to gather and fight back. If once they hear that voice, (their liveliest pledge of hope in fears and dangers) they will soon r esume new courage and revive (Milton, 1.274-279). Satans voice and its effect is mentioned and described multiple times throughout this epic, but this, specifically, is the first description of how his voice affected the angels. In this moment, Milton describes Satans voice and how Satan was able to renew the hope and the courage of the fallen angels simply by the actual sound of his voice. Satan continues to urge on his men. And this empyreal substance cannot fail, since through experience of this great event in arms not worseWe may with more successful hope resolve to wage by force or guile eternal war Irreconcilable (Milton, 1.117-122). He convinces his men, and possibly himself, that if they rise up stronger and united in battle, they may win next time. Throughout this speech, he connects with the fallen angels through the humility they share from falling from Heaven, which forms a more personal connection with his men and makes him seem more relatable, and he lifts up their spirits with the hope of being the victors in the upcoming battles. After reading his speech, a reader could conclude that Satan is a true hero based off of how he has acted towards his men. He acted as a true leader by calming their fears and despair and by encouraging his men to unite and to not lose hope. Immediately after Satan gives his speech, he opens the floor to others. Many of the fallen angels express their ideas and opinions, but the advice of Beelzebub strikes a significant amount of support from the rest. Beelzebub suggests that they seek revenge by corrupting the new loved race. Before acting on this plan, they needed to send a scout to learn more about the new world, and Satan, in attempts to paint himself as a hero and liberator in their eyes, v olunteers to go. By volunteering himself, he gains more respect, trust, and admiration for his bravery. This epic poem starts off painting Satan as a prominent leader and epic hero, but slowly shows how Satan is not the true hero of the poem. After analyzing Satans heroic qualities, he does not perform any heroic actions, except in his speeches. Though his speeches are impressive on the outside, they are misleading, filled with exaggeration and lies. After truly reading and understanding what Milton was writing, Satans first speech is actually terrifying and horrific. Filled with empty words, Satans egotistical pride and arrogance shine through. Satan is not an epic hero, but he makes himself out to be one. From hero to general, from general to politicians, from politician to secret service agent, and thence to a thing that peers in at bedroom or bathroom window, and thence to a toad, and finally to a snake-such is the progress of Satan. (C. S. Lewis). Immediately after falling from Heaven, he assumes the position of leader. He encourages the other fallen angels to not dwell on their l ose and humility, but to rise up and fight. Satans arrogance is so great and blinding in this moment for he believes he can overpower God and His army of angels. At this point he is simply a fallen archangel. When Satan is trying to find paradise, he turns into a cherub, which is a low-ranking angel, to deceive archangel Uriel. He approaches the archangel and lies effortlessly. His speech was done so perfectly that Uriel could not see through the ruse and he gives Satan the directions gladly. When Satan finds Gods beloved creations, he grows angry and jealous. Going through with his plan to ruin Gods race, he turns himself into a toad and whispers into Eves ear. Milton describes Satan as the Devil for the first time in the poem proving that he is actually the personification of Hell. The poem advances, and Satan returns to finish his missions after failing the first time. This time, Satan transforms into a serpent and approaches Eve. Look on me! Me who have touched and tasted yet bo th live and life more perfect have attained than fate meant me, by ventring higher than my Lot (Milton, 9.687-690). Eve easily is manipulated because he used his eloquent speaking to make sinning seem irresistible and appealing. In the end, Satan is punished for his sins and is condemned to a life as a serpent, along with all the other fallen angels. Because of Satans rage, arrogance, pride, and jealousy, all mankind has had to suffer. In succeeding to manipulate Eve to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, Adam and Eve were exiled from paradise, and Sin and Death were released from Hell into Earth. If Satan had not been so prideful and jealous, mankind would have been better for it. Because Satan expresses a wide range of human emotions and characteristics throughout the book, one can see the changes in his character going from a prideful and mischievous fallen angel to an angry and deceitful devil. Even though Milton paints Satan as the hero and liberator to the fallen angels, Satan is not the hero of Paradise Lost. Satan is undoubtedly a character of great prominence, but he is not a hero. Milton mercilessly reveals Satan as a prideful, egotistical, vengeful devil, but some readers get stuck in the superficial heroisms of Satan. We need not doubt that it was the poets intention to be fair to evil, to give it a run for its money::to show it first at the height, with all its rants and melodrama and ?Godlike imitated state about it, and then to trace what actually becomes of such self-intoxication when it encounters reality. (C. S. Lewis). Lewis captures exactly what Milton was doing with Satans character in Paradise Lost. When reading this epic poem, one should keep in mind that Milton was a Puritan. Anything flashy, extravagant, and flamboyant was seen as evil in the eyes of the Puritans. One can infer after reading this poem, Milton was writing through the views of a Puritan. Milton describes Satan so lavishly that it is clear that he is not the hero of the poem, but is the devil filled with malicious intents. The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devils party without knowing it. (Blake). William Blake is suggesting that in Paradise Lost Satan is the embodiment of deception and desire. Any reader can conclude that Milton goes into immense detail about Satans character, in such a way that it cannot be compared to the rest of the characters in the epic. A question is posed on how Satan can be portrayed as such a grand character of Miltons poem. That is, as C. S. Lewis also says, because Satan is incomparably the easiest to draw. To make a character worse than oneself it is only necessary to release imaginatively from control some of the bad passions which, in real life, are always straining at the leash; (C.S.Lewis). Lewis is saying that to make a character worse than oneself, he or she has to take the worst personal qualities he or she keeps hidden and under control and to release all of it into that character. Milton used his own worst qualities and portrayed them into Satans character resulting in the most impressive character in this epic poem. As C. S. Lewis so perfectly put it, The Satan in Milton enables him to draw the character well just as the Satan is un enables us to receive it. Milton is described as a fallen man, which in many ways is similar to a fallen angel. For one who has many dark secret, he can create the worst kind of characters. It can be inferred that Milton was a part of the devils party. It is therefore right to say that Milton has put much of himself into Satan (C.S.Lewis). With all these things having been considered, it can be concluded that a reason for such in-depth descriptions could be that Milton was portraying parts of himself in Satan. Milton wrote Satans character in great detail to show the extent of Satans wickedness. He uses Satans beautiful speeches, but then reveals Satans true intentions; he presents Satan in such an exposing way to gain pity and sympathy; and then he later shows how through these things he is able to trick his readers into sympathizing with Satan. By doing these things, Milton was showing the steady deterioration of Satan. Satan can not be the hero of this epic. Even though there are some who believe he is the true hero, they have been mislead by Miltons writing and did not understand the true meaning of Miltons work. Though it is true that Satan is a prominent figure, this does not mean he is the hero of the poem. He is a prominent figure in the poem in order to show how Satan is able to deceive and manipulate people. Satan took advantage of the fallen angels by using their despair to get what he wants most. Driven by his pride and arrogance, he was determined to bring all doom to Gods new beloved creation. By his own will he becomes a serpent in Book IX; in Book X he is a serpent whether he will or no. (C. S. Lewis). From being an archangel to being a serpent against his own will, Satan can not be categorized as a hero. A hero does not drive to ruin Gods work because he is jealous and too prideful. Therefore, Satan is not the hero of Paradise Lost.

How Brand Name Colleges Lose Their Attraction

HomeParentingCollege LifeHow Brand Name Colleges Lose Their AttractionThis page may contain affiliate links.Nov 16, 2019I had just turned 18 and graduated a semester early from high school. My dream was always to go to UC Berkeley. I planned on fulfilling that dream, but first I wanted to spend a semester at my state college, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, to be close to home for what would have been my last semester of high school. In the interim, this happened†¦ I got an internship writing for a Native American publication, the dean of the environmental studies program welcomed me to the school personally, and I then was picked to represent the school at a national environmental conference. Realizing that I probably wouldn’t get the same level of attention at UC Berkeley, I decided to stay put. Are Brand Name Colleges Worth It? 1. Resisting the Bling of brand name colleges Looking back, I realize that it was not only a stroke of good luck that caused my revelation, but perhaps, a certain level of maturity was involved as well. Last week’s college scandal and the discovery that so many parents have an unrealistic approach to the college selection process disheartened me. However, I was encouraged to learn there are parents out there who have figured out that the biggest named schools aren’t always the best ones for an individual student. Kellie Gordon’s daughter Grace is being courted by Carroll College in Helena, Montana. She’s received handwritten notes, phone calls from the school when she ranks in gymnastics or track, and a personal invite from the director of their Pre-Med program to meet with him when he was nearby in Portland, Oregon. â€Å"I want my daughter to go to the best school for her,† says Gordon. She not only appreciates the personal attention that shows a stake in her success, she also appreciates the economic diversity of the college. Grace wants to be a doctor. Understanding people from all walks of life will help her provide good medical care and teach her how to be empathetic. She will be more grounded if she’s not solely surrounded by students whose parents could afford to pay $50,000 tuition without any outside assistance. 2.Choose the school that’s right for your student, not your or their egos. Too often families are under the assumption or led to believe that the name of a school will help their student’s chances of future success. Is your student sure of their major? Can the school and professional associations verify that the school’s graduates are more heavily recruited or have more networking opportunities and strong alumni networkers? In that case, that school would be a good candidate. However, very few schools really live up to these standards. And they generally aren’t as easy to sail through if a student is not qualified to be there to begin with. Grace’s uncle attended MIT. He is adamant about the value of an elite degree and how it helped him, but Kellie also understands that he had the personality where he would have succeeded no matter where he went. While Grace has the grades and tests scores to go to elite universities, Kellie she wants her daughter to go to the place that will help her thrive. She can’t imagine what the parents involved in the cheating scandal were thinking. Having another student take a test for your child is essentially saying you don’t have faith in their capabilities. In the process, you are denying them the opportunity to live up to their own potential and go to a school that wants them. And you’re also not allowing them to fail and pick themselves back up from failure. Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult, says, â€Å"Failure is an inherent part of life it teaches us to be stronger and resilient.† When asked what parents and students should be focusing on rather than what’s the most prestigious school to get into, Julie said, â€Å"Chores and love. Seriously. Research shows that those who end up being professionally successful in life did chores as a kid (or held a part-time job in high school). This is because chores build a work ethic. And love? Well that same research shows that happiness in life comes from loving relationships with other humans. So our kids need to be loved unconditionally at home (not loved because they got an A on a test but loved because they EXIST). In sum, a kid who leaves our home knowing how to work hard and feeling loved will be able to get out there and make their way, weather the storms, and ultimately succeed. 3. Ask the right questions before applying to make sure it really is the right school UNLV might have been my first encounter with a school going out of their way to make sure I succeeded, but it wasn’t the last. I took a four-year break from college and went back to school to finish with a degree in journalism. At 24, I was already writing as a freelancer for six years. I was then old enough and had enough experience in the workforce to firmly commit to a major and a career path. I called the journalism department at three schools and asked three questions: â€Å"Why should I pick your school?† â€Å"Where are your students doing internships?† â€Å"Where are your students working after graduation?† One school, a top school for journalism, didn’t have time to talk to meNext! The second one said â€Å"all state schools are the same†Next! Finally, I called the University of North Texas, and was immediately transferred to the person who would be my advisor. He told me that they’ve had seven Pulitzer Prize Winners, their interns were at the Dallas Morning News and The Wall Street Journal, and their graduates were finding jobs in newsrooms around the countrySold! I stayed at UNT through graduate school. My talent was nurtured there and the opportunities provided me with a strong resume. I helped my professor recruit students for the first non-fiction literary conference, and in addition, helped with reporting a story that won the national student award from the Investigative Reporters and Editors. Our team, headed by a Pulitzer Prize winner, beat out students from all over the country, probably including Ivy League reporting submissions. At that conference, I received a mentor, Peggy Engel, a former Washington Post columnist. She encouraged me to write a book for graduation on how to repay student loans and still have a life. After eleven years, Peggy is still mentoring me! 4. Be aware the current college admission system isn’t always fair, but use it as motivation to do even better research in college selection. When we heard about last week’s college cheating scandal, we weren’t totally surprised about the unfairness of the system. What did cause us to recoil in disbelief was just how complex and far-reaching that particular scheme was in order to defraud the system. It’s more than time for a revamp of this system, but that wont happen overnight. Keeping that in mind, one thing we as parents can do is help our students think long and hard about why they choose a specific school. In the real world, the value of an Ivy League education doesn’t seem nearly as important as when the smartest and most talented kids choose the school that’s right for them. Author Lythcott-Haims says the lessons parents should take away from this scandal are, â€Å"Don’t lie, cheat, and steal for your kids. Even if you aren’t the subject of a huge public scandal, it will come back to haunt you because your kid will either be a narcissistic entitled brat, or a fragile whimpering soul who feels incompetent because you’ve always handled everything for them. This is helicopter parenting to the extreme and it harms kids’ mental health!† With the help of some wonderful professors and my mentor, I succeeded. My books have been reviewed in The New York Times and The Washington Post. I get to travel the world with a column and travel show for my dog Woof Woof. And I am often asked to speak at elite schools because of the expertise I acquired from a state school education. How ironic! So, my message to you is, never underestimate the value of a school and its professors who take an interest in your child’s success. And never overvalue a school enough to circumvent the system.