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---written by thewriter197
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The feeling in each of us mean something that most of us don’t understand. During the 17th century, a writer named Milton wrote a book called Paradise Lost which discussed the feeling or condition that humans have deep within them (Austin, 2016, p.28). Humans spend half their time working and forget the feelings they experience day to day. They experience these feelings for a reason and Milton might have an answer as to why humans feel the way they feel (Austin, 2016, p.28). Milton believed that humans have a condition that was given to them by some creator (deGruy, 2012, p.118). The condition is very complex because it consists of things that large social societies do not teach. It consists of things that television does not show you. It consists of elements that humans feel in their bodies and minds that are sometimes abnormal. Paradise Lost discusses the human condition in way that can be explained to anyone that wants to know “why you feel certain things.” Events taken place in Paradise Lost by Milton reflects 17th century British society teaches humans that we have a systems deep within us that is filled with doubt, sexual needs, and death.
Doubt, doubt is something every human experience in life. The Devil experienced doubt in Milton’s Paradise Lost (Austin, 2016, p.28). In the book, the Devil was talking to himself with words of doubt (Austin, 2016, p.28). The devil wanted to be free but being free made him question what he was doing (Austin, 2016, p.28). The Devil use to work for God (Austin, 2016, p.28). He would follow God’s commands at all times (Austin, 2016, p.28). One day, the Devil didn’t want to do what he was told anymore (Austin, 2016, p.28). He wanted to be God and that caused God to push him back down to hell (Austin, 2016, p.28). Then, the Devil started to feel doubts in himself (Austin, 2016, p.28). He felt his actions might have caused him to be punished (Austin, 2016, p.28). The devil said (2016), “Vows made in pain, as violent and void. For never can true concealment grow Where wounds of deadly hate have perceived so deep (p.28).” The Devil wanted freedom but look at the price of real freedom. Milton believed that the Devil’s doubt about his own actions is similar to humans doubting their own actions (Austin, 2016, p.28).
When humans are punished for committing certain actions, humans are filled with a system of doubt in their minds (Austin, 2016, p.28). Milton’s story event of the Devil talking to himself show humans that we don’t want to be punished (Austin, 2016, p.28). We don’t want to be punished because we don’t want a lot of people against us (Austin, 2016, p.28). Our punishment will make people mock us or look at us as being undesirable (Austin, 2016, p.28). We don’t want to be put in that situation (Austin, 2016, p.28). Miltion’s view of doubt express the actions humans refuse to take to please the majority of the group (Austin, 2016, p.28). The Devil was alone and being alone filled him up with doubt (Austin, 2016, p.28). We want to be a part of the majority of society, but being a part of the majority of society can prevent us from making certain decisions (Austin, 2016, p.28). The doubt humans feel within themselves comes from not wanting to be an outcast and not wanting to be punished (Austin, 2016, p.28).
In my own personal opinion from Milton’s Paradise Lost, humans have a hard time making decisions in life because life fills us with doubt. We want to do things in this world. But, the world has problem with these things we want to do. Humans are aware of this and when we make a decision against the majority of society we feel so much doubt. So much doubt fills our minds and tries to tell us “no, you shouldn’t.” It goes against the group’s decision. Every time we make a decision that goes against the group decision, this system of doubt enters our minds. Milton saw this in his life. Most people only care more about the group’s decision even if the group’s decision is wrong. Most people do not want to be mocked. It fills us with so much fear that we can’t make our own decisions sometimes. Sometimes, we need to make a decisions and stop caring about the group. Some decisions we make are harmless and the group needs to accept those decisions. We can’t force the group to accept some of the decisions we make, but some decisions are about pursuing something bigger then the group’s purpose for society. Sometimes, you have to think about your own life and not about the life of the group. If you want to make a decision, then you need to make it for your self.
Paradise Lost also mentions God as being imperfect. Which could mean that humans are also imperfect (Raymond, 2002, p.934). God created man in in his own image (Raymond, 2002, p.934). However, Milton believed that if man is sinful then God is also sinful (Raymond, 2002, p.934). Paradise Lost, mentions God causing a great flood to kill his bad children (Raymond, 2002, p.934). Milton is tying to say that God can not be good if he goes against his own rules (Raymond, 2002, p.934). This concept of imperfection could create doubt in any believer of God (Raymond, 2002, p.934). God is suppose to be the creator of man and set a good example for man (Raymond, 2002, p.934). But, God commits bad actions just like his children (Raymond, 2002, p.934). Milton was trying to suggest that maybe man is filled with bad and good (Raymond, 2002, p.934). Maybe man has a hard time accepting the fact they are made of bad and good (Raymond, 2002, p.934). Milton is tying to say that man wants to do bad and good things, but we doubt the bad things we do because it goes against society (Raymond, 2002, p.934). According to Milton’s beliefs, a Christian society is hypocritical is not worth following (Raymond, 2002, p.934).
Milton believes that God is a hypocrite (Raymond, 2002, p.934). Being a hypocrite makes people question what you say. This would also cause people to not believe in what you have to say. I personally believe there is nothing wrong with being a little hypocrite. But, being a big hypocrite does make someone question why they should listen to you (Raymond, 2002, p.934). Milton believes that people secretly doubt God because God is hypocritical (Raymond, 2002, p.934). Unfortunately, most people want to be accepted into the group so they will follow what ever the group decides (Austin, 2016, p.28). Milton is trying to explain to humans that we also have doubts because we do things we don’t believe in to please the majority of the group (Austin, 2016, p.28). When you do something you don’t believe in, you tend to become filled with doubt because you secretly want to disagree with the group’s decision (Austin, 2016, p.28). You secretly want to disagree with a lot of things that the group of one society defines as good or bad (Raymond, 2002, p.934). You experience doubt because deep down you know the group’s decision is wrong (Raymond, 2002, p.934). You have a problem with some decisions in all categories of life (Raymond, 2002, p.934).
Milton mentions the concept of death in way that most people don’t see (Crossley, 2006, p.152). Adam and Eve is mentioned in Paradise Lost as being unaware of the true meaning of death (Crossley, 2006, p.152). When Adam and Eve is told of death, they assume it is something that is timely (Crossley, 2006, p.152). God tells them that they will die after a certain period of time (Crossley, 2006, p.152). However, Adam and Eve fail to realize that death is something that is completely random (Crossley, 2006, p.152). Milton’s view of death represents a system that is connected to chaos (Crossley, 2006, p.152). Chaos is something that is not controlled or timed (Crossley, 2006, p.152). You could die at this very moment because death doesn’t care about your future (Crossley, 2006, p.152). Humans want to pretend that death is something you experience at the end of the road, but we really do not know how long this road is (Crossley, 2006, p.152). Milton is trying to convince us that death is something that happens randomly and it can not be stopped (Crossley, 2006, p.152). We have to learn how to accept what it is in order to enjoy the little time we have left on earth (Crossely, 2006, p.152). Humans have a condition to die and it doesn’t mean it’s at the end of the road (Crossley, 2006, p.152).
In my personal opinion based on Milton’s point of view, we really don’t know when we are going to die. You could tell someone to stop wasting time doing certain things but it won’t change the fact that all of us are going to die. In some ways, living a hard worked life is pointless because you die in the end. If you spend most of your life working, you really not enjoying life. There is so much more to life then having material objects. One day, you have to break away from the material world and spend money on thing you really want. People might mock you but its better to have fun then to pretend to have fun. We all die and it doesn’t matter if you are very successful in the end. You need to sit back and enjoy life while your still living.
The human body also has a system of sexual needs that need to be maintained (deGruy, 2012, p.118). In the eyes of Paradise Lost, humans need sex to keep bodies and mind under control (deGruy, 2012, p.118). Sex makes you feel human (deGruy, 2012, p.118). Without sex, you are wondering through life looking for something that you can not fill (deGruy, 2012, p.118). The angels discussed in paradise lost are beautiful because beauty is connected to the sex (deGruy, 2012, p.118). Humans are designed to have sex with other humans (deGruy, 2012, p.118). Sex fixes the mental and physical damages of the world (deGruy, 2012, p.118). Beautiful Angels from heaven in Paradise Lost represents a repair system to fix a human’s mental and physical problems (deGruy, 2012, p.118). Human sex similar to a car needing an oil change to prevent it from falling a part (deGruy, 2012, p.118). The human body was not designed to not have sex. It needs sex to prevent it from falling a part into pieces (deGruy, 2012, p.118). Milton assumes that your brain has a limit to how much pain it can handle (deGruy, 2012, p.118). Your body needs a refill in order to prevent body and mind from becoming unbalanced (deGruy, 2012, p.118).
Furthermore, Milton’s Paradise Lost predicts that humans have doubts in their speech (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Humans tend to speak to each other in way to not make them look unexpected to the group (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Adam and Eve spoke to each other in a way to not make them look like a fool (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Adam speaks to eve in a way that is calm and understanding (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). The knowledge gained from the apple that Adam bit has turned him into someone that expects to speak with understanding (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). When Eve bit the apple from the garden of Eden, she assumed that she had to be someone that speaks with urgency instead of understanding (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Why do Adam and Eve speak this way? They obtained knowledge and they assume that the knowledge they have obtained is all there is (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Adam and Eve ate the apple and believe knowledge that was given to them because their trying to please the ruler (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). It is similar to humans who act similar to the people on T.V. to please the people in power (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Humans have doubts if they do not speak like the ruler wants them to speak (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). They want to belong to the group and most humans assume you need to copy others to belong to a group (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433).
In addition, Paradise Lost is trying to teach us that people are influenced by what we know (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). People who believe in God will act similar to Adam and Eve because it is what they know (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Likewise, humans who read about farming will know how to talk like a farmer (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Humans want to speak in way where they “know things (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433).” If they speak in a way where they do not know things, they will be filled with doubt (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Milton is trying to teach us that humans do not want to sound stupid when they speak (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Strangely, humans want to be part of a group and they want to know if what they are saying is right (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). They base what they know from the information that have seen (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). If they have not seen the information they speak, they will have doubt in themselves (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Humans do not want to look stupid when talking one another (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). They do not want to look like a failure in the eyes of one another (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Failure causes doubt and humans do not want to look like a failure (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433). Humans will try their hardest in their speeches to sound right even if they are not right because they don’t want to look like a failure (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1433).
In my own opinion based on Paradise Lost, humans might not want to look stupid. However, looking stupid is sometimes necessary to get the desired results. The results are not always going to come by following what every body else is doing. Most people in the world today, give out the wrong information. As a result, a lot of people lose their jobs and end up in trouble. You should never listen to what sounds good. Listen to what feels good. If your not going by what you feel, your going to fall into a lot of scams in life. People say a lot of things but it has nothing to do with results of actions.
Milton also suggest in his work that humans become filled with doubt when they fall (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). When Adam fell from grace by committing a sin, Adam felt great doubt in his mind (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Most humans are designed to get upset when they fall to lower level (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). It could be that they were programmed by God to feel ashamed for being at a lower level (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Humans could also feel doubt after falling because it is the only way they know (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434).
Milton often suggest that humans know what knowledge they are willing to pursue (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). They only speak what they know (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). If a human is not willing to look for new apples to eat, they will only know what one tree has to offer (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). The apples represent knowledge that comes from good or bad energy (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Milton believes that humans who do not know how to think will believe whatever they read (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). The smart humans are the ones that question things (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). The dumb humans are the ones that follow things to be accepted into society (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Milton assumes that humans who don’t seek knowledge will believe anything they see (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). They will follow anything to avoid feeling the doubt inside their minds (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). The doubt separates from group.
Paradise Lost teaches humans that we have lost the paradise that we once had (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Some of us like to pretend that we know what death is but we really do not know (Crossley, 2006, p.152). Humans are completely lost from the garden of Eden (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). We do not think about what information is given to us (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). We have doubts in our minds over things that are not important such as losing and humiliation (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). We focus on pleasing the group even if the group is wrong (Austin, 2016, p.28). Milton is trying to show us that either we are no longer children of God or God never existed in the first place (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Are we hypocrites to what we believe so we can fit in with society? How did we go from survival to pleasing the people in power no matter what happens? Milton is trying to open our eyes to something bigger then what is shown in the book of Genesis (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Milton believes that humans really do not know what their doing anymore because they don’t question if what they are doing is right (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Humans drift from one place to another and never wonder why they should care (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434). Most humans are completely lost because they try so hard to please the group instead of trying hard to please what should be done (Milton's Uncertain Eden, 2008, p.1434).
Reference:
Austin, M. (2016). On first reading 'Paradise Lost'. New Criterion, (7), 27.
Crossley, R. (2016). Leaving Paradise: The Final Books of Paradise Lost. Sewanee Review, (1), 149.
deGruy, K. (2012). Desiring angels: the angelic body in Paradise lost. Criticism, (1), 117.
Milton's Uncertain Eden: Understanding Place in Paradise Lost (review). (2008).
Raymond, J. (2002). Milton and the Death of Man: Humanism on Trial in 'Paradise Lost.'(Book Review). The Modern Language Review, (4).
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