4/16/2020 0 Comments Cover Letter for Milton PaperIn my essay, I explained how Milton uses the word “providence” to explore the central theme of autonomy in Paradise Lost. Through explaining how God has the ability to “foresee” the future, he implicitly reveals that God is not fully autonomous; if God was autonomous, he wouldn’t require the foreknowledge that allows him to control the actions of mankind. Additionally, I explained how Milton uses the word “providence” to justify God’s actions to man. Because one source defines providence as being essential to establishing order and control, the word supports Milton’s central theme that God should be respected as a divine creator, even in the absence of autonomy.
I had a lot of difficulty writing this paper, likely because quarantine and the rapidly approaching end of senior year have stripped me of any motivation I had left for school. Although I still care a lot about school, I’ve found it increasingly more difficult to get my work done on time, and as such, I felt like I had to force myself to write this paper. Additionally, I had trouble writing this paper because I found it difficult to articulate the full extent of providence’s multiplicity. Thankfully, I have been diligently commonplacing all of my thoughts throughout our AP Lit classes and zoom meetings, and being able to look back at my commonplacing helped me tremendously.
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4/16/2020 0 Comments One Word Milton PaperThroughout his epic poem Paradise Lost, John Milton attempts to “justify the ways of God to man” through exploring autonomy, agency, and the nature of being in traditional creation stories (Milton 1.26). Drawing from Biblical narratives, Milton emphasizes God’s hierarchical relation to man by purposefully placing specific words throughout the text to emphasize God’s foreboding and powerful nature. One of these words, “providence”, has a multiplicity of meanings that are essential to our understanding of Paradise Lost as a creation story that grapples with man’s struggle for autonomy. Though it only appears five times throughout the text, “providence” plays a vital role in Milton’s attempts to dignify God to the reader. Each of providence's definitions are uniquely important to Milton’s telling of the creation story, and they each reveal distinctly important characteristics about autonomy and the nature of being. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, providence not only means “foresight; anticipation of and preparation for the future; prudent management, government, or guidance;” but also “the foreknowing and protective care of God (or nature, etc.); divine direction, control, or guidance” ("providence, n."). These definitions suggest that providence is an important word for Milton not only because it aids him in his efforts to exalt God, but also because it explores God’s position as a non-autonomous figure. By stating that God must foresee the future in order to exert power, Milton implies that God has no control over the actions of his creations. This suggests that God’s power comes not from autonomy, but rather, through determining the scope of his creation's agency. Providence’s importance in describing God’s lack of autonomy becomes abundantly clear during Milton’s second usage of the word where he states: “As being the contrary to his high will Whom we resist. If then his Providence Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, Our labour must be to pervert that end, And out of good still to find means of evil” (Milton 1.159-163). In this passage, Milton explains how, although God lacks autonomy, he is still able to determine the scope of man’s agency using his divine providence. Additionally, he explains how God plays a vital role in ensuring that man is punished when he violates the scope of his agency. By stating that, “if then his Providence out of our evil seek to bring forth good,” Milton implies that God’s actions are necessary to restore good to the world when man violates the scope of his agency (Milton 1.160-161). This simple phrase demonstrates the true multiplicity of the word providence by not only exploring God’s lack of autonomy, but also through providing a prime example of Milton’s attempts to justify the ways of God to man. Milton’s use of the word providence as an indication of God’s ability to regulate the scope of man’s agency is also clear in his third usage of the word where he states: “In thoughts more elevate, and reason’d high Of Providence, Foreknowledge, Will, and Fate, Fixt Fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute, And found no end, in wandring mazes lost” (Milton 1.558-561). Through equating providence to will, Milton implies that, in the process of granting free will to man, God stripped himself of the ability to be fully autonomous. However, he also explains how although God lacks autonomy, his providence allows him to regulate the scope of man’s free will. This is evident in the story of Adam and Eve where when Eve violated the scope of her agency, she was punished by God. Additionally, it is evident through Milton’s explanation that God created hell because he predicted Satan and the fallen angels would conduct a rebellion. Each of these stories reveal how God’s providence is essential to his ability to not only exercise agency, but also regulate the scope of his creation’s agency. In Milton’s Paradise Lost, he purposefully uses the word “providence” to emphasize God’s vital role in restoring good to a world filled with chaos and evil. In doing so, he both reveals God’s position as a non-autonomous figure and simultaneously, attempts to convince the reader to admire and respect God. Through defining providence as both God’s ability to foresee the future and his ability to provide guidance to mankind, Milton expertly “justifies the ways of God to man” and convinces the reader of God’s divinity and importance (Milton 1.26). As such, he leads the reader to conclude that providence’s many meanings are essential to Paradise Lost and to our understanding of creation and ontology. Works Cited "providence, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2020. Web. 11 April 2020. "providence, n.1a" OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2020. Web. 11 April 2020. "providence, n.2" OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2020. Web. 11 April 2020. |
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