Lesson Twenty-One: Biblical Characterization in Milton’s Paradise Lost

9. In the third stanza, the poet uses the literary device anaphora, a rhetorical device that features the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences, phrases, or clauses. 10. Johnson uses anaphora to depict the Creation as a continuing process. 11. The poet uses a metaphor in the expression “a shining ball” to describe the moon. 12. Epistrophe is the repetition of a word at the end of successive clauses or sentences. 13. Johnson uses epistrophe in the following lines: “And the waters above the earth came down, / The cooling waters came down.” 14. Consonance is a figure of speech in which the same consonant sound repeats within a group of words. 15. Johnson uses consonance in the phrase, “green grass sprouted. 16. In the ninth stanza, the poem is replete with repetitions. 17. Irony is a literary device or event in which the way things seem to be is in fact quite different from how they are. 18. In the last line, “And God said: I’m lonely still,” the poet uses situational irony. 19. Simile involves the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. 20. The line, “Like a mammy bending over her baby” is an example of simile. 21. Simile and metaphor both involve comparisons. 22. Metaphor is an indirect comparison without using the words “like” or “as.” 23. Simile is a direct comparison using the words “like” or “as.” 24. A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something refers to the whole of something or vice versa. 25. The use of a synecdoche is in the phrase, “lump of clay.” 26. The use of is a simile is in the line, “Like a mammy bending over her baby.” 27. Johnson’s poem is an allusion to the biblical episode of the Genesis Creation narratives. 28. Since this poem is an oratory sermon, the poet utters “amen” twice at the end. 29. The expression “amen” means “so be it” and can express agreement or assent.

30. The use of “amen” in Johnson’s poem is like the use of the expression “it was good” in the biblical Creation narratives.

Extended Learning

Directions: Complete the assignment as follows:  Read the article: “The Breath of Life” by David Demick (https://answersingenesis.org/human-body/the-breath-of-life/).

 Read Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Genesis, Chapter 2 (https://bibleapps.com/ellicott/genesis/2.htm)  Consider the last stanza of Johnson’s poem. The poet focuses on how God blows the

“breath of life” into the “lump of clay,” and man becomes “a living soul.” Compare this stanza to Genesis 2:7 (KJV) “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

For Reflection:

Directions:

 Read the article, “The Breath of Life” by David Demick.  Point out three facts that the writer makes about the significance of breathing.  Compare the article to Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Genesis, Chapter 2 (3-5 paragraphs).  Use credible internet sources to respond.  Document sources by using the MLA or APA formats.  Edit your writing to correct errors.  Post the reflection to the discussion board.  Label the post: A Reflection on “The Breath of Life.”  Follow writing guidelines at: Learn to Write a First Class Essay (https://www.researchprospect.com/essay-writing-guidelines/).

A Closing Thought:

“If we don’t have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State!” – Harry Truman, Thirty third President

Lesson Overview:

For centuries, the Hebrew Bible has inspired great writers, such as the English John Milton who used the Bible to compose and publish his most influential work, the epic poem Paradise Lost (1667). The main ideas of the poem focus on the sovereignty of God; the struggle between good and evil; humans’ proclivity to sin, and the later need for redemption. Using literary devices and colorful characterization, Milton recreates the biblical narratives of the Creation and the fall of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. One of the most interesting features of the poem is Milton’s portrayal of Satan. Different from the biblical depiction of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Satan in Paradise Lost has extraordinary power and intellect. Despite his defeat after rebelling against God, he is still self-assertive, hateful, and revengeful. From the speeches of Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost, Book 1, the reader sees the epitome of evil, or the antithesis of all that is good. Students will analyze Milton’s portrayal of Satan based on what the character says, by what he does, and how he relates to other characters in the poem. Key Concepts: muse, chosen seed, personification, the Serpent, antithesis, characterization, apostrophe, oratory, rhetoric, synecdoche, fall from grace, themes, motifs, a universal idea, allusion, epic poem, preface, ethos, logos, justification, blank verse, elevated language, irony, iambic pentameter, and iambic hexameter

Learning Objectives:

 Decide a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text.  Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to understand more fully when reading or listening.

Expected Outcomes:

After this lesson, students will be able to:

 Define literary terms related to the assigned readings (e.g., apostrophe, simile, personification, synecdoche, oratory skills, and antithesis.)  Find the theme or main idea in biblical text.  Find text evidence that supports theme.  Defend a position taken in an argumentative essay.

 Correct errors in standard English usage.  Share ideas with others via a discussion board.

Duration: 4-5 hours

Materials:

 Book: Paradise Lost in Modern English (https://www.paradiselostinmodernenglish.com/)

 Book: “Satan’s Speeches in Paradise Lost Book-I” (https://wandofknowledge.com/speeches-of-satan-in-book-i-of-paradise-lost/).  Video: Paradise Lost Introduction (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbfiuss29s&list=TLPQMzAwMzIwMjK1xGHF9og3nQ&index=3)  Lecture: “Analysis of John Milton’s Paradise Lost” B Y N A S R U L L A H M A M B R O L (h t t p s : / / l i t e r a r i n e s s . o r g / 2 0 2 0 / 0 7 / 1 2 / a n a l y s i s - o f - j o h n - m i l t o n s - p a r a d i s e l o s t /)  Literary Criticism: ANALYSIS OF JOHN MILTON’S PARADISE LOST) (https://literariness.org/2020/07/12/analysis-of-john-miltons-paradise-lost/)  A computer with internet access and editing capabilities  A dictionary  Paper, pen, and paper

Study Questions

(Paradise Lost in Modern English) (https://www.paradiselostinmodernenglish.com/) Directions:  Read Book 1, lines 1-90 of Paradise Lost in Modern English  (https:/k /www.paradiselostinmodernenglish.com/)  Respond to the study questions.  Read Satan’s speeches in Paradise Lost Book-I” (https://wandofknowledge.com/speeches-of-satan-in-book-i-of-paradise-lost/).  Respond to the study questions.  Respond to the reflection.

Study Questions:

Book 1 Lines 1-5 1. Does Milton mention the type of fruit that was eaten in the Garden of Eden? (Yes, or No?) 2. What is the “forbidden tree” to which Milton alludes? 3. Define “woe.” 4. What were the consequences of eating the “forbidden fruit”? 5. Explain the expression, “…till one Greater Man Restore us…” Book 1 Lines 6-10 6. What does Milton want from the muse? 7. Why does Milton mention Moses? 8. Why does Milton mention Sinai? 9. What is the meaning of the “chosen seed”? 10. How is synecdoche used in the expression “chosen seed”? Book 1 Lines 6-20 11. What is an “oracle”? 12. Which word means “from here; from there”? 13. Which word means “ask for help or support”? 14. How is the literary device, apostrophe used in these words? 15. True or False? Milton wants to write like Greek philosophers, Book 1 Lines 20-25 16. How is simile used in Milton’s mention of the dove? 17. Why does Milton say, “…Thou from the first Wast present…”? 18. What did the Spirit do to darkness? 19. Explain “…what in me is dark Illumine…” 20. How is the literary technique antithesis used in these lines? Book 1 Lines 26-34 21. Why does Milton want to write this epic? 22. Who were “Favoured of Heaven? 23. Explain the expression: “…transgress His will…” 24. What was the “foul revolt”: 25. Who was the “infernal Serpent”? Book 1 Lines 35-45 26. Why did the Serpent deceive Eve? 27. What happened to the Serpent and his angels because of his pride? 28. What is an “entourage”? 29. What was Satan’s “blind ambition”? 30. Explain the expression, “with vain expression.” Book 1 Lines 35-65 31. Explain the expression, “fall from grace.”