In Paradise Lost, John Milton seeks to articulate a sense of the interior life of the monster Satan. This assignment will focus on making sense of Milton’s unique literary project, while also considering some of its broader claims. This be will a response written in three paragraphs, with prompts listed for each paragraph below:
Paragraph one: In this first paragraph, spend some time speculating on what Milton is trying to do in Paradise Lost and why. What is the value of such a project? Why do you think Milton decided to take it up? Why do you think he gets stuck on Satan? What’s the fascination of this monster and why? (Note: Please, please, please don’t worry about getting this question “right.” Paradise Lost is a difficult text and there are plenty of interpretations already out there about what it means. I’m not interested at all in those. I’m interested in your perspective. Don’t refer to secondary materials for this–just say what you think based on what makes sense to you. It won’t all make sense, of course. Just stick to what you can do with what is there).
Paragraph two: Grendel is hardly heard from at all in Beowulf–he’s a monster that doesn’t speak so people have to imagine how he’s feeling. In Paradise Lost, Milton gives Satan a voice. What kind of voice does Satan have? What do you notice about Satan’s speech and his perspective? What kind of literary choices does Milton make, and what is their effect on the reader?
Paragraph three: How do you feel about this poem? How do you compare it to Beowulf? What do you like most about how it is written or presented and why? What are the things you like least about how it is written or presented, and why?
Requirements: 700 words, MLA style, 3 paragraphs, at least two quotations from Paradise Lost
