John Milton's poem, "hen I Consider How My Light is Spent," is an excursion into doubt, with one's self and one's God. The poem is one man's attempt to reconcile his relationship with God since he feels his service to God has been hindered as a result of blindness. This paper will explore the notion of how Milton struggled with feelings of worthiness and justification and how he reconciled these feelings through his faith.
According to Abrahms, Milton's blindness represents a "severe test" which proves to be a challenge difficult to accept at times (Abrahms 1443). However difficult the blindness proved to be at times and however his faith might have wavered, Milton was still able to write, which, according to the poem, was Milton's single talent. Lionel Trilling observed that even though Milton's blindness presented an understandable challenge, his greatest works were "performed under discountenance, and in blindness" (Trilling 121).

Most…...

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Works Cited

Abrahms, M.H. The North Anthology of English Literature, Fifth Edition. New York W.W. Norton and Company. 1986.

Bloom, Harold, ed. Blooms Major Poets, John Milton. Broomhall, PA. Chelsea House Publishers. 1999.

Lancashire, Ian. University of Toronto, Department of English. 2003.   January, 2003.http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/displaypoem.cfm?poemnum=145717 

Matthew. The Life Application Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 1991.

Thy anger had overshadowed me, and I knew it not. I was become deaf by the rattling of the chins of my mortality, the punishment for my soul's pride; and I wandered farther from Thee, and Thou didst "suffer" me; and I was tossed to and fro, and wasted
Augustine's reflections in this passage brought into fore the fact that rebellion against the divine authority was, for him, through the accomplishment of what he considered as 'immoral actions.' Thus, the "dark concupiscence of the flesh" and "pure affection from unholy desire" characterized his rebellion, where he continued committing these undesirable acts despite his knowledge that they were against the standard of morality or what is considered wrong, not only in his society, but in the eyes of God as well. Augustine's personal narrative showed that rebellion against divine authority happened when he was not able to conform with society and…...

Military -- Analysis of World War I by John Milton Cooper
John Milton Cooper, Jr.'s Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920, explores the political aspects of many societal arenas and war aspects. Rather than reciting mere historical facts, Cooper apparently knows underlying mindsets and motivations of acknowledged great men/groups and lesser known characters in early 20th Century history. His very facile discussions about political underpinnings and interplay, particularly during the War years, make his work exceptionally historically interesting.

John Milton Cooper, Jr.'s Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920, is an ambitious work addressing American culture, military forces, society and classic politics during the early 20th Century. His analysis of the war years focuses on political orientations, motivations, actions and interplay. Politics, whether international, national, local, cultural, military or social, infuse Cooper's writing and appears to be his forte. Clearly, Cooper has conducted in-depth research on the politics of every aspect of American…...

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Bibliography

Cooper, Jr., John Milton. Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920. New York, NY W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1990.

John Milton and illiam Blake
John Milton wrote work of poetry during the late 17th century. illiam Blake wourld write at the end of the 18th century and at the beginning of the following century. One lived during the tail end of the Restoration period and the other lived in the time of the Romantic poets. At a first glance, it would seem that the two poets John Milton and illiam Blake would have very little in common outside of the fact that they were both writers, both men, and that they were both British. Milton lived more than a century before illiam Blake and yet their work can be read together and analyzed as a pair of like-minded individuals. Though they wrote in different centuries and within different historic moments, they shared interests in expressing their thoughts on similar themes. Both men questioned the accepted conditions of their days and…...

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Works Cited

Alexander, Gavin. "Why Milton Matters." (2008). Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Article celebrating the 400th anniversary of John Milton and his continued importance in the world of English literature

Anderson, G. "The Fall of Satan in the Thought of St. Ephrem and John Milton." Hugoye:

Journal of Syriac Studies. January 2000. Print.

Paradise Lost
In John Milton's Paradise Lost, Milton tells of Satan's banishment from Heaven.

The entire event is first relegated to a handful of verses from the Christian bible book of Isaiah, and apocalyptic imagery from the books of Revelation. Milton applied his poetic license to the setting, characters, and motives in order to expand the setting and give his readers a humanized perspective of these events. Through the tapestry of his poem, Milton searched for meaning for his own tormented life and answers to questions such as the nature of men, and the reason for evil in the world.

Because Satan and his brigade plotted war against God, they are now doomed to billow in the fiery pits of hell. Satan is a complex character. Like Milton himself, Satan wrestled with his demented nature which was bent on self-destructive behavior. Milton used the exaggerated dimensions of Satan's persona in order to wrestle…...

Big Stick Abroad John Milton Cooper American Perspectives volume 2 5th edition. typed, double space
Essentially, John Milton Cooper's historical article entitled "Big Stick Abroad" is about the accomplishments of United States President Theodore Roosevelt in the fledgling years of the 20th century. The article focuses primarily on Roosevelt's foreign policy and the many cessions he was able to grant the U.S. during his tenure as president. However, the article also attempts an inspection of some of the moral implications of Roosevelt's actions, which were largely viewed as imperialist in tendency and in practice. Essentially then, this article contextualizes Roosevelt's presidency within the scope of focus of his foreign policy and explains to the reader that this part of the president's career was his most noteworthy.

According to Cooper's article, Roosevelt's primary accomplishment during his tenure in command of the executive branch of the U.S. all stems from the Roosevelt Corollary to…...

Paradise Lost
The poem by John Milton is written in the style of literary epics; it starts not the beginning but in the middle of the story. Still, right away the reader knows that there is a war between good and evil, between Satan and Heaven (or God Himself), and that Satan was an Angel before he fell into disfavor with God. Since Satan had been an angel, in the reader's mind something must have happened to cause Satan to fall from grace. There are two basic stories in this long, complicated and esoteric poem -- one involved Satan and why he was banished from Heaven, and the other narrative is about Adam and Eve. In fact, in the poem Satan is the one who temps Eve to eat fruit from the tree that God asked her not to eat. Readers know that Satan is clever, tricky, and while disguised as…...

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Works Cited

"Devil's Advocate." Director Taylor Hackford. 1997.

Milton, John. "Paradise Lost." Samuel Simmons, Publisher. 1667.

As the other demons obey Lucifer's call, Milton describes how these are false gods, who were once worshiped but now have been transformed into terrible beings -- such as Moloch, once worshiped as a god, now a devil who demands human sacrifice. This is the kind of transformation that Milton uses to tell his story: This is an archetypal story of how the lightness is made dark. His description of the diminishing of once-great and powerful (and beneficent) gods and their transmutation into their own opposites provides us with an epistemological microcosm of Milton's world. (Milton would no doubt argue that this is also a microcosm of God's world.)
hose Story?

One of the most important structural aspects of the poem is that as we move through it we shift our connection to the characters. The point of perspective does not shift, or not exactly, for we always hear the story…...

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Works Cited

Dobranski, Stephen and John Rumrich (eds.). Milton and Heresy. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2009.

Fish, Stanley. Surprised by Sin: The Reader in Paradise Lost. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2003.

Forsyth, Neil. The Satanic Epic. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2003.

Herman, Peter. Destabilizing Milton: Paradise Lost and the Poetics of Incertitude. London: Palgrave-McMillan, 2003.

"
Symbols are part of Milton's method, and it is likely that the term "light" in the poem refers to the concept of time and chronological movement. Since Milton was not born blind, it is likely that in his youth, he used his sense of sight to observe the world, interact within the confines of society, and as his sight faded, use his hands and pen to right the wrongs he previously observed. "Talent," then, is likely to mean his active poetry and what the word can do, over time, to en-lighten the ignorant (in the true sense of "not knowing.") Thus -- "And that one talent which is death to hid//Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent//to serve there with my Maker, and present//My true account."

Similarly, Milton was famous for imbibing his work with punny wordplay, not as obvious to the modern reader as it was during his…...

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Cited in:

 http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/milton-john 

Labriola, a. (2006). Milton Studies, Volume 46. University of Pittsburgh Press.

Lace, W. (2005). Elizabethan England. Lucent Books.

Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" with Milton's "Paradise Lost"
Comparison of the two works:

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Milton's Paradise Lost are two examples of great works that seemingly have little in common. The differences in subject, approach, language and style contrast greatly but these works also share many common themes. Although Twelfth Night is a romantic comedic work and Paradise Lost is an epic poem that deals with a much heavier subject matter, both present the reader with stories of the consequences when there is a disruption in world order and balance while incorporating elements of disguise and character consequences.

Shakespeare's work is consistent with the witty, bright comedies popular during its time. According to Warren and Wells, these comedies typically included a mixture of dialogue, singing, stage fights, and suspense and the nature of the lighthearted language used was commonplace during the early 1600's (1994). Additionally, critic en Johnson said that Shakespeare's…...

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Bibliography:

Bloom, H. (ed.) (1987). John Milton's Paradise Lost. New York: Chelsea House Publsihers.

Corns, T. (1998). John Milton: The Prose Works. New York: Twayne Publishers.

Elledge, S. (1993). John Milton's Paradise Lost: An Authoritative Text Backgrounds and Sources of Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Notkoff, T. (2001). Readings on Twelfth Night. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press

With this example, it is not surprising that John Locke is considered an instrument for the right political cause. Aside from the essays that he had written, Locke also has philosophies in the different subjects of life. This includes the role of families in the liberal society, theories on properties and money, ethics and beliefs, and many others.

Locke's contribution to his generation and the modern society focused on the role of the government and the people to each other. Despite of the changing course of politics in the seventeenth century, Locke was able to also shift his intellect effectively. The various political situations that happened in his time had been useful to the future generation because from his works, the contemporary times has gained basis and reference for the ideologies they fight for which are related to Locke's philosophies and writings. As Tim Harris indicated, in his article John Locke:…...

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Bibliography

Goldie, M. 2004. John Locke Icon of Liberty.

History Today, vol 54 issue 10, pp 31-36.

Jhunjhunwala, B. 2004. Role of Intellectuals in Governance.

Adams Business Media, Vol 36 Issue 6-7, pp 787-795.

John Clive is illiam R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History and Literature at Harvard University, and he brings his knowledge of both history and literary style to bear in analyzing the life and historical writings of Thomas Babington Macaulay in his book Macaulay: The Shaping of the Historian. The approach considers the works of Macaulay in terms of what they reveal about the forces that shaped them, including the family situation of Macaulay, the intellectual currents of the time, and Macaulay's psychology, showing how these forces interacted to cause Macaulay to think as he did and to begin to write history as he did. The book does not cover all of Macaulay's life but instead examines what the sub-title indicates -- the shaping of the historian, the forces that shaped Macaulay up to 1839 when he started writing history. Clive's book has been well-received and was given the National Book…...

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Works Cited

Clive, John. Macaulay: The Shaping of the Historian. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1973.

After acknowledging that God had forbid she and Adam from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, the serpent is able with a single sentence to persuade her to try the fruit: "God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods" (King James, Genesis 3:5). Appealing to her own pride and vanity made it easy for her to change sides; the serpent's base flattery and suggestion of God's jealousy was enough to convince Eve. This has led to the standard depiction of women as flighty and empty-headed, which is abundantly apparent in Milton's portrayal of Eve in this passage. Though the possibility that he intended this representation satirically definitely exists, it is not especially apparent and served to further the image of women as both foolish and overly prone to sinful behavior.
orks Cited

King James Bible.…...

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Works Cited

King James Bible. Accessed 11 July 2009.  http://etext.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html 

Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Accessed 11 July 2009.  http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_4/index.shtml

Another favorite is the Dylan poster that is, again, not complicated in its appearance. The silhouette of Dylan is topped off with a mass of hair that is in the form of thick curly lines in bright colors. This image is one that is difficult to forget once it is seen. These images are iconic and they remain with us because they grab our attention without being overdone. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center poster is another design that is a favorite because Glaser has taken what we consider everyday elements and turned them into something that is recognizable but different enough to garner a second or third look. I enjoy the School of Visual Arts poster because it captures what artists do with a few words and what appears to be a simple image. Glaser's style is one that cannot be defined in a few words but, like most…...

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Works Cited

Barnicoat, John. "Poster." Oxford Art Online. Information Retrieved 29 Jan. 2009.  http://www.oxfordartonline.com 

Glaser, Milton." Oxford Art Online. Information Retrieved 29 Jan. 2009.

Collaboration Work With John Cage
John Cage was a revolutionary artist that transcended his time and his generation. He was a man that refused to limit himself or his work in any way. eing a musician myself, I was certainly very appreciative of his radical and uncompromising musical style and his unique willingness to take great chances in his work. However, after further research I have realized that I had only come to regard a small sliver of Mr. Cage's true mastery. While my musical penchants drew me specifically to his melodic concoctions, I was unaware of his other talents in the genres of poetry, painting, printmaking, philosophy and composition. Through extensive examination of his remarkable and groundbreaking works in these artistic arenas, I began to realize Mr. Cage's genuine and complete genius. The vast scope of his artistic capacity did make it a bit difficult to decide on which contemporary…...

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Bibliography

Cage, John. "An Autobiographical Statement." Southwest Review 17.1 (1991).

John Cage: From Zero. Dirs. Andrew Culver and Frank Scheffer. Perf. John Cage. 2004.

John Cage: One11 with 103. Dir. John Cage. Perf. John Cage. 2006.

Kozinn, Allan. "John Cage." The New York Times 28 July 2009.