God Has Feelings Too
The purpose, Milton tells the reader, of his epic poem Paradise Lost is to "justify the ways of God to men" (1.26). Milton attempts to do this by humanizing both God and Satan. As Dennis Richard Danielson points out, "Milton seeks to strengthen his argument by means of the assumption that certain norms of meaningfulness are common to God and man alike" (Richardson 103). Although Satan is portrayed as a character who possesses qualities that many people can relate to, including ambition, determination, imperfection (shown by his failure to overthrow God) and spitefulness toward authority, Milton also shows that God is superior. It is by examining the reasoning behind God's creation of Adam and Eve, the location God chose for Adam and Eve to live, and the way God treated them, that Milton is able to explain the ways of God to man. In Paradise Lost, Milton clearly indicates that God was a loving God and is also vulnerable to the effects his creations' decisions have on Him. Milton does not describe the creation of the angels, but the Christian faith teaches that God created everything, including Heaven and the angels. When one-third of God's angels rebel against him, he becomes very angry at the delib
Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. (3.95-99) Of true allegiance, constant faith or love, What pleasure I from such obedience paid, Milton provides the reader evidence that God is omniscient when God says: "If I foreknew, / Foreknowledge has no influence on their fault" (3.117-118), giving evidence that although God knew what was going to happen, he did not interfere with the decisions made by man. And, as explained in the quotation above: God made this decision so man would have free will to make his own choices. By not interfering, God was able to see that man loved Him without obligation, and is able to reward man for making the right decisions. erate disobedience and expels them from Heaven into Hell. Instead of creating more angels, God decides to make man. Was this new creation a way for God to see if he could correct a mistake? God made man with free will, as he did the angels. But God does not take man up to Heaven to live with him where man would be safe from Satan; instead he places Adam and Eve on earth where "man there placed, with purpose to assay / If him by force he can destroy, or worse, / By some false guile pervert" (3.90-93). God puts Adam and Eve in a situation in which they can be, and are tricked; however they do not show blatant disobedience like the angels did. By putting Adam and Eve in this situation, God is more able to justify His forgiveness and show them "mercy and justice both, / Through heav'n and earth, so shall my glory excel, / But mercy first and last shall brightest shine" (3.132-135). He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault? Useless and vain, of freedom both despoiled,
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Approximate Word count = 1133
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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