How does Milton use generic systems in Paradise Lost?

How does Milton use generic systems in Paradise Lost? Paradise Lost is most obviously a long poem with Judeo-Christian subject matter, placing particular emphasis on the struggles and successes of individual characters. The size of these characters (Satan, God, Adam, Eve, Raphael) allows them all to be seen as heroes. This overriding concern with heroes and the nature of heroism categorises Paradise Lost firmly as epic, which, according to J. A. Cuddon, is at its simplest level 'a long narrative poem, on a grand scale, about the deeds of warriors and heroes' (264). Milton's poem can be further termed an epic because of its incorporation of a large number of different forms and modes within its primary narrative of 'man's first disobedience'. Rosalie Colie has mentioned that Homer's epics were the source of all arts and sciences - philosophy, mathematics, history, geography, military art, religion, hymnic praise - and all literary forms (22 - 3). By including a wealth of references to other epics, a model of classical tragedy, several pastoral episodes, various lyric forms and a number of dramatic elements, Milton extends the range of his subject matter so that his poem becomes almost a master-epic, embodying a panoply of literary kinds and strengthening its affinity with Homeric epic. His inclusivist approach aligns him equally with Sidney and Spenser, his greatest English

  • Word count: 2031
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

The Dualistic Genesis of Paradise Lost

Mary Kline Doctor Martin English 3210, Section 301 23 Nov 04 The Dualistic Genesis of Paradise Lost In The Role of the Reader, Umberto Eco points out that ideological bias can lead a reader to interpretations employing codes not envisaged by the sender. The task, then, is to affirm one's bias clearly at the beginning, and then infer away. In this paper the Fall of Man in Paradise Lost is filtered and interpreted through two matrices not intended by John Milton; that of Semiotics, and that of Buddhist psychology. This paper, therefore, is a humble attempt to see if this interpretation will yield new insight into the human condition in its pre- and post-lapsarian state. Eco (1984), citing the classical definition of a sign, aliquid stat pro aliquo, points out that the correlation by which the sign stands for the signified can be of diverse forms. This paper will primarily have as focus the; "sign [that] is a manifest indication from which inferences can be made about something latent" (Eco, 1984:15); an example of which being footprints as sign of a person's passage. Linguistic "signs" may also take part in this relationship. In Paradise Lost, JohnMilton, retelling the tale of Genesis, posits a number of characters, places and objects: God, Satan, Heaven, Hell, Eden, Adam, Eve, two trees of intense significance, and a sweet fruit with a bitter aftertaste, amongst many

  • Word count: 4829
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

How does Gaskell use setting and location to reveal the character of her heroine, Margaret Hale?

How does Gaskell use setting and location to reveal the character of her heroine, Margaret Hale? The final title of her novel 'North and South', suggests the important role setting and location play in Gaskell's story of Margaret Hale and her relationship with Milton mill-owner John Thornton. During the course of the novel, we see Margaret settled in three locations; Harley Street, Helstone and Milton. Each of these settings represents a different social stratum and we see Margaret develop in her perception and attitude towards each of them. They all contribute, in some way, to making Margaret the girl that she is at the end of the novel. The book opens in Harley Street, where we are presented with the character of Edith. Edith's role in the novel is to act as a contrast to Margaret or 'control sample'. Through her, we can see what Margaret's life would have been like had she accepted Lennox. Edith is the model Victorian woman and she fits in perfectly with her Harley Street surroundings, but Margaret is far more independent, strong-minded and unconventional. When having her lover describe her future life in Corfu, "the very parts which made Margaret glow as she listened, Edith pretended to shiver and shudder at...because anything of a gipsy or make-shift life was really distasteful to her. Margaret, on the other hand appears to be ill at ease with the superficial attitudes

  • Word count: 2417
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Compare the ways that vultures are portrayed and used in the poems by Margaret Atwood and Chinua Achebe

Compare the ways that vultures are portrayed and used in the poems by Margaret Atwood and Chinua Achebe Achebe and Atwood appear to be writing about vultures, but are actually commenting on something different. Both poets compare vultures to humanity but Atwood's poem describes vultures in a good ways whereas Achebe describes vultures in a bad way. In Achebe's poem the first section talks about vultures. On the whole it portrays them to be evil and dark but then suggests that humans are no better than vultures. Achebe uses a lot of dark negative words to portray vultures in the first section of the poem, he uses dark words that are, "greyness", "drizzle" and "despondent" to set the scene, this shows that the vultures live in a dark habitat. This first section of the poem uses good imagery to set the scene. The next two lines suggest a stereotypical part of a vultures home, on a dead tree. "Dead" suggests that the vultures have killed the tree as well as other animals. Achebe then describes the vultures themselves and uses mostly negative words, such as "bashed in head", "bone", "corpse" and "trench." Bone and corpse suggests death which represents the vultures to be bad and related with death. Bashed in head shows that vultures are ugly which makes a negative atmosphere and image. But Achebe also uses some positive words like "affectionately", "mate" and "perching."

  • Word count: 1290
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Jean-Baptiste Molire's Don Juan has all the outward appearances of seventeenth-century French farce - the stage settings are surreal, the costumes are ludicrous, and the wordplay is witty.

James S. Bowling Dr. Candyce Leonard MALS 775 2 February 2005 Molière's Don Juan: A Man Behaving Badly "He is the greatest rascal the earth has ever held, this madman, dog, devil, Turk, and heretic..." - Sganarelle, Don Juan Jean-Baptiste Molière's Don Juan has all the outward appearances of seventeenth-century French farce-the stage settings are surreal, the costumes are ludicrous, and the wordplay is witty. The particulars have their origins in Molière's years of experience directing a troupe of traveling actors in southern France. Appealing to a popular audience, Molière adopts the format of the Commedia dell'Arte, the troupes of traveling Italian actors that present farce with a maximum of gesture and mime and a minimum of dialogue. Despite the trappings of farce, Don Juan has very serious elements, ones designed to elucidate the character of the protagonist, his relationship with the world, and his impact on those he deals with. It is Molière's genius to join these elements to themes that attract a more aristocratic (and presumably more sophisticated) audience in the nation's capital. In many respects, Don Juan is a man apart and totally self-contained. Just as Satan, in Milton's Paradise Lost preferred to "reign in Hell rather than serve in Heaven," so Don Juan is adamant to follow his own life prescriptions-no matter what the outcome-rather than

  • Word count: 1436
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Milton: A republican and a christian - Discuss

Milton: A republican and a christian - Discuss Milton is well known as an epic poet, but also as a prominent member of the Protestant faith and he has often been labelled as a Puritan. In this essay I will attempt to explore the nature of Milton's Christianity and his personal beliefs and inner conflicts, looking for evidence particularly at Paradise Lost but also at other more minor poems. Parallells and disparities between Milton's views and other movements within the society of the day will also be considered. John Milton was also renowned as a close ally of Cromwell and a prominent exponent of the English Revolution in the seventeenth century. Indeed, after the Restoration his life was for some time in peril and even after he escaped alive, he had to retire completely from public life; such was the perceived threat he represented. The main purpose of this essay will, therefore, be to examine how Milton's stance as a Christian and his position as a staunch Republican were related and how one effected the other. Milton despised what he saw as the ornamentation and purely selfish aims of the Cavaliers and the Anglican Church. He defended the right of ordinary citizens to rid themselves of tyrants when inferior magistrates had failed to do so in The Tenure of Kinqs and Magistrates (1649) and by so doing, positioned himself very clearly as a supporter of the recent execution

  • Word count: 2769
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac.

English Summer Assignment Ana Sekulic 12 EH When first set this assignment I was mildly exited. Although I usually choose quiet good books to read, I thought it might give me a different literacy experience. Having had faith that all the books on the list are reasonably good I didn't spend much time choosing. I picked one my cousin had and launched into it with enthusiasm. It was called 'On the Road' and was written by Jack Kerouac. Basically the book is about a young fairly innocent young aspiring writer who gets captured I the ideology of the American dream. Like many people after the great depression Sal Paradise gets caught in to urge to break out and experience adventure. He felt that his life was not sufficient to the visions and expectations he had. So he left his home where he lived with his auntie and with fifty bucks decided to go to the west coast, hitchhiking most of the way. His first stop was his mates house Remi Boncour, who similarly to him also waiting foe his big break. During his hitchhike he meets 'a middle aged woman' and a 'tough truck driver with popping eyes', 'two boys from the university of Iowa'. The fundamental thing bout these characters is that they all seem to know where they are going not jut literarily to their destination but also metaphorically in their lives, all these people have cars and are picking Sal Paradise up, pulling him to

  • Word count: 798
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Professor: Arnie Kantrowitz

Professor: Arnie Kantrowitz Student: Dolores Tobias ENL 350 Paper #2 April 28, 2004 Anne Sexton and John Milton are the poets that I have chose. They have the power to lure us into their worlds with just reading their picture- like words. Both of them open our minds for our imagination to see what they see in their poetry. For example in Anne Sexton's poem "The Truth the Dead Know" it shows psychological profile of her parents death. Anne Sexton is born on November 9, 1928, and she died the 4th of October in 1974 Anne Sexton. Gray Harvey poet and playwright, the daughter of Ralph Harvey, a successful woolen manufacturer, and Mary Gray Staples. Anne was raised in comfortable middle-class circumstances in Weston, Massachusetts, and at the summer compound on Squirrel Island in Maine, but she was never at ease with the life prescribed for her. Her father was an alcoholic, and her mother's literary aspirations had been frustrated by family life. Anne took refuge from her dysfunctional family in her close relationship with "Nana" (Anna Dingley), her maiden great-aunt who lived with the family during Anne's adolescence. Sexton's biographer, Diane Middle brook, recounts possible sexual abuse by Anne's parents during her childhood; at the very least, Anne felt that her parents were hostile to her and feared that they might abandon her. Her aunt's later breakdown and

  • Word count: 2323
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Humanism in Dante and MiltonHumanism had a profound impact on European society during the Renaissance

Humanism in Dante and Milton Humanism had a profound impact on European society during the Renaissance. This movement transformed the thinking processes of many Europeans, altering the way these people viewed themselves, their lives, and their place in the world. Literature written around the time of the Renaissance displays humanism's influence on the European social order. Dante Alighieri, a prominent Florentine writer, completed his Inferno around 1314. Although Dante lived before the widespread proliferation of humanism and humanistic writings, his style exhibits many precursors, if not aspects, of later humanistic thought. The aftereffects of humanism are apparent in the writings of John Milton, an English writer whose works were greatly influenced by the tumultuous political climate of seventeenth century England. Whereas Dante's Inferno displays many qualities to be emphasized by humanism, Milton's Paradise Lost, published in 1667, demonstrates the culmination of the effect humanism has had on his society. The writings of both men are products of the respective times in which they were written; Milton wrote almost three and a half centuries after Dante, and he lived in a different society in which Dante lived. Despite these differences, both the Inferno and Paradise Lost display aspects found in humanism, although they may convey these aspects to the reader very

  • Word count: 1469
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Paradise Lost - What Do We Learn About Satan's Character from Line 84 To Line 191?

Question: What Do We Learn About Satan's Character from Line 84 To Line 191? Milton's portrait of Satan has fascinated critics since Paradise Losts first publication, leading some in the romantic period to claim that Satan is, in fact, the heroic protagonist of the whole work. Certainly Milton's description of Satan has greatly influenced the devil's image in western art and literature since the book's publication. From lines 84 to 191 in Paradise Lost Book 1, we are introduced to the character of Satan, who has just been hurled from heaven, 'because he trusted to have equalled the Most High'. As a reader, one first meets a stunned Satan, chained down to the fiery lake of hell, surrounded by his co-conspirators. From lines 84 to 127, where Satan is speaking to his good friend, 'Beelzebub', Milton presents him as being nostalgic about heaven, 'Myriads, though bright...' - something one sees significantly for the first and last time throughout the poem. Satan's great yearning for heaven is brief, and when finally suppressed, Milton offers a fine and revealing example of Satan's rhetoric and quick-moving contradictions, as he instantly expresses excuses for his failure. Firstly, he declares that 'Till then who knew, the force of those dire arms?' explaining how they were unaware of Gods powers before testing him. This is supportive evidence, backing up the suggestion

  • Word count: 1094
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay