Wednesday, May 05, 2004
The death of my literature class... and Satan (?)
Hey friends! Man did I have an awful day today. Oh well, you can't win them all. Although, it would have been nice to have friends to talk to... not just a blank white Blog screen... sigh. Oh well! I guess I just need to move to where my friends are, or build robot friends (like Joel did on the Satellite of Love!)
I have had a horrible time with my Literature class this semester. It was called The Nature of Evil in Literature. I thought it would be a good chance to sort out some ideas about evil and righteousness. Instead it was one hurdle after another. Online courses can be very trying!
At the midterm break, I had a 95%. Since then I have missed deadlines, struggled to keep up reading, and in the case of Paradise Lost, fought with my own language (old English is impenetrable to me). This frustration came to critical mass when my online final was somehow corrupted, and I had to retake it tonight. It was a 3 hour final, all essay. Do you know how hard it is to rewrite an essay? You reserve the initial points, but the poetry (and interest in writing it) is lost.
But... I AM DONE! Yay! Only two more classes to finish up in the next week. Then it is one big question mark this summer. I have so much on my mind right now, and no answers are making themselves available. I have at least four major dilemmas in my life right now, and all of them are out of my hands. Well, two of them are, and the others are stalemates no matter what I do.
So, on that note, here are two of my essay answers from my test. I am proud of these, since I wrote them twice! They are somewhat related, so that is why I chose these two.
I want that rotten experience to be forever a part of my Blog. So I hope you read it, and enjoy it. Don't ask me to retype it. :)
Love ya, Carl
-------------------------
If we assume that the reader of Paradise Lost has some belief in the Christian God, there are really two sides that can be taken. One is that God is to be revered and honored for allowing us lowly humans to exist at all. This God has made us, and in our ungrateful and selfish nature, we choose to turn against His will. He has given us the free will to do so. Every time we sin, we hurt Him. Although it pains HIm a great deal, He's even allowed us the right to sin ourselves into hell. Luckily for us, redemption is always there for us to seek, as long as we do it before we die.
The other side of the argument says that God plays a role less like a doting grandfather, and more like an omnipotent maestro. God sits in heaven and orchestrates all things for a divine purpose. In this setting, God has seen far into the future, and knows all outcomes. Free will is neutered in this belief, as history has been pretty much predetermined. All that God creates and allows has a purpose in His plan, and we are helpless to fulfill the roles.
Depending on which mindset one is in, Satan in Paradise Lost can appear to be a mischievous hero or a relentless villain. If history is predetermined, then it could be said that Satan is helpless to be the goat. God knew he needed a foil, and Satan was created with his personality, and placed into particular settings to fulfill this role. No matter what Satan does, he is only playing his part of the eternal symphony.
If free will exists, then Satan is a horrible creature. He spurns God, and in his pride, lashes out against the most holy and benevolent person in the universe. He willfully chooses to allow his pride to grow stronger than his humility, and starts an uprising. Even in defeat, Satan continues to lash out against God. Even after seeing God in His complete glory, and spending time in paradise, Satan chooses to act in evil ways.
Satan's character either demands sympathy or abhorrence from the reader. The cue to which the reader will feel is probably tied to what they think about God. Is he an impersonal force that has laid out the Book of History, or is be a loving, personal God that only wants His prodigals to find their ways home on their own? These questions will give you insight to how a reader will view Satan in Milton.
The End
-----------------
One theme that is interesting in Christianity is the supremacy of the righteous god. The Christian God is not satisfied to be locked in an eternal battle with the forces of evil. Instead he wields primacy over all creation, and declares victory from day one. This is never more clear than when He orchestrates evil situations to good ends.
In Milton, we see that Satan's rebellion sets off a chain of events that actually improves creation. By introducing the taint of sin into the world, Satan has unknowingly created a vehicle for grace. God is further able to show His benevolence when mankind finds itself in sin. Satan's rebellion also allows Christ to need to martyr Himself in the ultimate display of love. Thanks to Satan, the messiah has a mission. God has perhaps allowed Satan to rebel and live to achieve these ends. By setting himself against God, Satan also sealed his own fate. He went public with his evil, and forced God to deal with him.
In Blatty, Pazuzu starts off strong. His actions seem unstoppable, and there is little room for hope. But thanks to coincidence or divine intervention, Merrin and Karras are led into the life of Regan. Due to the activity of Pazuzu, Merrin is handed over to God for eternal rest (a reward he had served a long time to receive), Karras regains his faith and performs one last act of love and selflessness, and Chris and Regan have a new chance to develop a proper family life. Pazuzu, like Satan, was his own undoing. God may have allowed Pazuzu to be free, and to enter Regan to bring these players together, and to speed along the mentioned conclusions. By manifesting in Regan, he forced the world to deal with him.
At the end of each tale, much hope and good remains, and there is less evil in the world. This stands as a mighty reminder that this character of "God" is always in control, and cannot be beaten. He is so mighty that even the most evil of actions can be turned into the benefit of the kingdom of heaven. Paradise Lost and The Exorcist are examples of literature that teach this attribute of God through narrative.
The End
----------------------------------------
I have had a horrible time with my Literature class this semester. It was called The Nature of Evil in Literature. I thought it would be a good chance to sort out some ideas about evil and righteousness. Instead it was one hurdle after another. Online courses can be very trying!
At the midterm break, I had a 95%. Since then I have missed deadlines, struggled to keep up reading, and in the case of Paradise Lost, fought with my own language (old English is impenetrable to me). This frustration came to critical mass when my online final was somehow corrupted, and I had to retake it tonight. It was a 3 hour final, all essay. Do you know how hard it is to rewrite an essay? You reserve the initial points, but the poetry (and interest in writing it) is lost.
But... I AM DONE! Yay! Only two more classes to finish up in the next week. Then it is one big question mark this summer. I have so much on my mind right now, and no answers are making themselves available. I have at least four major dilemmas in my life right now, and all of them are out of my hands. Well, two of them are, and the others are stalemates no matter what I do.
So, on that note, here are two of my essay answers from my test. I am proud of these, since I wrote them twice! They are somewhat related, so that is why I chose these two.
I want that rotten experience to be forever a part of my Blog. So I hope you read it, and enjoy it. Don't ask me to retype it. :)
Love ya, Carl
-------------------------
If we assume that the reader of Paradise Lost has some belief in the Christian God, there are really two sides that can be taken. One is that God is to be revered and honored for allowing us lowly humans to exist at all. This God has made us, and in our ungrateful and selfish nature, we choose to turn against His will. He has given us the free will to do so. Every time we sin, we hurt Him. Although it pains HIm a great deal, He's even allowed us the right to sin ourselves into hell. Luckily for us, redemption is always there for us to seek, as long as we do it before we die.
The other side of the argument says that God plays a role less like a doting grandfather, and more like an omnipotent maestro. God sits in heaven and orchestrates all things for a divine purpose. In this setting, God has seen far into the future, and knows all outcomes. Free will is neutered in this belief, as history has been pretty much predetermined. All that God creates and allows has a purpose in His plan, and we are helpless to fulfill the roles.
Depending on which mindset one is in, Satan in Paradise Lost can appear to be a mischievous hero or a relentless villain. If history is predetermined, then it could be said that Satan is helpless to be the goat. God knew he needed a foil, and Satan was created with his personality, and placed into particular settings to fulfill this role. No matter what Satan does, he is only playing his part of the eternal symphony.
If free will exists, then Satan is a horrible creature. He spurns God, and in his pride, lashes out against the most holy and benevolent person in the universe. He willfully chooses to allow his pride to grow stronger than his humility, and starts an uprising. Even in defeat, Satan continues to lash out against God. Even after seeing God in His complete glory, and spending time in paradise, Satan chooses to act in evil ways.
Satan's character either demands sympathy or abhorrence from the reader. The cue to which the reader will feel is probably tied to what they think about God. Is he an impersonal force that has laid out the Book of History, or is be a loving, personal God that only wants His prodigals to find their ways home on their own? These questions will give you insight to how a reader will view Satan in Milton.
The End
-----------------
One theme that is interesting in Christianity is the supremacy of the righteous god. The Christian God is not satisfied to be locked in an eternal battle with the forces of evil. Instead he wields primacy over all creation, and declares victory from day one. This is never more clear than when He orchestrates evil situations to good ends.
In Milton, we see that Satan's rebellion sets off a chain of events that actually improves creation. By introducing the taint of sin into the world, Satan has unknowingly created a vehicle for grace. God is further able to show His benevolence when mankind finds itself in sin. Satan's rebellion also allows Christ to need to martyr Himself in the ultimate display of love. Thanks to Satan, the messiah has a mission. God has perhaps allowed Satan to rebel and live to achieve these ends. By setting himself against God, Satan also sealed his own fate. He went public with his evil, and forced God to deal with him.
In Blatty, Pazuzu starts off strong. His actions seem unstoppable, and there is little room for hope. But thanks to coincidence or divine intervention, Merrin and Karras are led into the life of Regan. Due to the activity of Pazuzu, Merrin is handed over to God for eternal rest (a reward he had served a long time to receive), Karras regains his faith and performs one last act of love and selflessness, and Chris and Regan have a new chance to develop a proper family life. Pazuzu, like Satan, was his own undoing. God may have allowed Pazuzu to be free, and to enter Regan to bring these players together, and to speed along the mentioned conclusions. By manifesting in Regan, he forced the world to deal with him.
At the end of each tale, much hope and good remains, and there is less evil in the world. This stands as a mighty reminder that this character of "God" is always in control, and cannot be beaten. He is so mighty that even the most evil of actions can be turned into the benefit of the kingdom of heaven. Paradise Lost and The Exorcist are examples of literature that teach this attribute of God through narrative.
The End
----------------------------------------
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