Graduate School Portfolio

After the first successful testing of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer was reminded of a line from the Bhagavad Gita: “Now I am become death, the Destroyer of worlds.” Oppenheimer’s chilling reflection on such a significant scientific breakthrough is fascinating because of the tremendous disparity between his intentions for the tool and its actual use. While this series cannot replicate the magnitude of the atom bomb or the general climate of the era, it illustrates how crucial it is for us to revisit this necessary evil in light of our technologic era as we consider the way we use tools and interact with the environment.


Life is a dilemma; there is no single solution. With this series, I hope to illustrate the duality and sometimes futile nature of doing good. These ludicrous, inconvenient, and inefficient uses of tools are examples of infantile logic. They neglect the design and plan of their creator, and that is tragedy.

1st Draft

This last few weeks has been a wonderful experience. I feel alive. Over winter break, I have shot just under 1,000 photographs. That is a little over 12 gigabytes of data! It feels kind of awesome to be busy and working towards something. I am applying to four graduate programs for photography, and I needed to finish a 20 image series for my portfolio because everyone is telling me that "series are in" now. I had a few problems initially with models and whatnot, but I have an awesome girlfriend who really helped me out over the break. Also, thanks to all the people who modeled for me over break ... Even though I'm not friends with any of you on facebook, and none of you will read this, thanks.

A while ago I asked for advice on making an artist statement, and I received a wide range of advice which led me to one conclusion ... It doesn't really matter. So I feel that I have finally completed mine. It's general and 500 words because that's what they (the schools) want. I will probably make another one for the series that I'm working on, but I'm done for tonight ... I have an EARLY class in the MORNING tomorrow.

Artist Statement

I would like to earn an M.F.A. at a University so that I can immerse myself in photography and be in an environment where I can focus on learning to perfect the craft of photography and becoming an accomplished artist. Ultimately, my goal is to become a working artist, maintaining a full-time or part-time job teaching photography or freelancing. I would also enjoy being able to take advantage of the college setting where I can learn from instructors and students who share my excitement about art and photography. By earning an M.F.A., I hope to progress in my knowledge of the history and methods of using photography as an art form so that I can use the medium to communicate ideas without making explicit dogmatic statements.

Because it is easy to access information through advances in technology and the ubiquity of the internet, people have become obsessed with acquiring answers for everything. While learning is important, in reality, all questions do not need to be answered. Essentially, we have lost the significance of questioning, and one of the things I am interested in accomplishing with my photography is the art of questioning, using images to elicit wondering. Even though my ultimate goal is to raise the awareness or knowledge of the people who view my work, I do not want to create explicit, narrow art pieces that only make one statement. I would like to embrace the ambiguity of art and allow for my work to be interpreted freely. Ideally, my art proposes questions that are engaging, causing the viewer to think and attempt to uncover an answer for themselves.

Although we live in the Information Age, so much of the information that we are presented with is not quality information but misinformation. Instead of using the resources around us to enlighten ourselves, we take short cuts that hinder development. I do not want my art to be another simple answer to the numerous intricate and difficult questions of today. I do not want to answer anything; I want to ask more questions, and I want people to think.

By creating scenes that have somewhat absurd elements, I hope to exploit the curiosity of the viewer. I want to challenge their reality. However, I also try to make my images accessible to viewers who may not be familiar with art by using, and sometimes breaking, rules of composition and color theory to make visually compelling images that, even if you do not understand them, are still interesting.

W.E.B. DuBois said “I do not care a damn for any art that is not used for propaganda.” Everything that we create has an effect on the world around us. Because of that, everyone should be more responsible with their creations. And I feel that as an artist, I should be especially cognizant of that responsibility. Even though I strive to make beautiful images, beauty should not be the end of what is interesting about any of my work.

A Graduate Course in Milton

So I survived another semester! High five? Anyway, I'm glad I only took one class because I definitely could not have handled more than one this semester. Also, I'm sorry for neglecting you bloggy blog. You and all of your 2 readers.

I'm going to post my final paper in case anyone with tons of free time wants to read my 21 page paper, which is at best a B paper, on fear and knowledge. I can never seem to finish a paper in one semester. I started off going East, and I ended up heading Southwest. Unfortunately, this didn't give me much time to clarify my argument. So I ended up appearing to go somewhere, but in the end, I sort of fizzled out. Well, it doesn't matter that much because I probably won't be using any of these courses to acquire a degree. It's insanely difficult to teach composition and at the same time try to discuss literature. For most of the day, I'm discussing why sentences are important and why students should learn grammar. Then I have to go home and try to put myself in the mood for critical thinking and analyzing great pieces of literature. It's like trying to enjoy a fillet mignon with french fries. But enough of the pity party. I'm going to be super busy in the next few weeks. I'm applying to grad school for an MFA in photography. I need to write a few essays and I need to complete a series.

Without any further rambling, here is my final paper ... The thing I've spent over 70 hours on the past two weeks.

The Necessity of Fear and Knowledge in Paradise Lost

Or How to Be Free

John Milton was a great writer. He was a keen observer of human nature, and he was able to explore the inner workings of humans with his poems, both short and long. Milton, however, was not just a bystander. He did more than just write poems; he was active in writing revolutionary literature in the form of pamphlets and tracts about a variety of subjects such as marriage, tyrants, and propaganda. And he was not afraid to publically declare his beliefs that were not quite the status quo. In fact, in times where publishing was censored and his tracts would have been considered an offense, Milton published Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce anonymously, even boldly leaving his name as the author when the publishers omitted their names for fear of government reprisal (Hughes 696).

Undoubtedly, Milton was intelligent and seemingly fearless. A few of his texts were directly confrontational, openly criticizing the current governments and their leaders. In Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, Milton clearly explains his aversion for tyranny and unjust rulers: “Not mortal man, or his imperious will, but justice, is the only true sovereign and supreme majesty upon earth.” Milton was a man with strong beliefs, and his publications and actions show that he was not a man that was not easily intimidated or openly afraid of the people in power. However, fear was a significant part of Milton’s life. In fact, in the “Sonnet XIX,” Milton laments his waning eyesight, and he expresses fear about not having completed anything significant with his gift:

When I consider how my light is spent,

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,

And that one talent which is death to hide

Lodged with me useless. (line 1-4)

In addition, earlier in his life in “Sonnet VII,” Milton expresses anxiety about not being able to use the talents that he was given, and that his years on earth haven’t really amounted to anything. So we can assume that Milton was motivated by fear, at least by a small degree. And he was definitely ambitious.

In Paradise Lost ambition is a ruinous trait for both Satan and Eve, yet knowledge is, in the end, celebrated (XI.22-45). Knowledge and ambition, however, are not singular traits to be celebrated. There needs to be a balance of the two, and they need to be kept under control. Fear acts as a limiter for man, allowing him to have intelligence but still know his place in the hierarchy of the universe. Without fear, intelligence would lead man to believing that he is greater, just as Satan believed that he could depose God in Paradise Lost (I.103-124). Milton’s poem proves that intelligence alone is an enemy. Even though he often is a proponent of knowledge, Milton illustrates to the reader that knowledge without the fear of God is useless and destructive.

In one of his tracts, Areopagitica, he argues for eschewing ignorance quite compellingly. This is something that he dedicated his life to battling. In his early life, he wrote many prose tracts or political treatises that sought to educate the public about various subjects such as the evils of monarchies, unjust rulers, and divorce. Later in his life, while working on poetry, he still battled ignorance. In his epic poem, Paradise Lost, Milton writes that his aim is to “justify the ways of God to men” (I.26), which is another way of saying that he wants to explain something to us. While Milton was attempting to create an epic poem, he also was advocating knowledge. Since he discussed knowledge in a number of his texts, it could be assumed that it was important to him. For Milton, knowledge and fear were essential to a full understanding of God and living a free, albeit subjugated, life.

Milton did not just arbitrarily discuss knowledge for the edification of a single person. He wanted man to know God and through that knowledge to live freely. He understood that fear was an essential part of living, but he saw that the people around him, the puritans, were engrossed in fear. They were afraid of idols, of the arts, of anything that could take them away from God. They failed to see that through knowledge and the arts, a person can get to know God even better. One major problem with the puritans of his time was that they were afraid of the wrong thing. They were afraid, but their fear was not rational. They were more afraid of losing God than fearing of God. Milton knew that through the fear of God, individuals could attain knowledge and appreciate the arts, but still retain the paradise within him. Milton argues that through the fear of God, mankind can know much. And through that knowledge, they get to have a deeper understanding of God because they are able to exercise their free-will by choosing to serve God. Milton saw that the puritans fortified themselves in ignorance, making it simpler for them to follow the commandments of God because they did not have the knowledge of sin. In Paradise Lost, Milton proposes that the knowledge of sin was granted to man by God; it was God’s ultimate plan for man to know sin and make the choice to serve him. Milton understood this clearly, which is why he dedicated so much of his time to educating the population so that they would not live a life cloistered and unchallenged.

Considering how Milton spent the early years of his writing career and looking at the body of work that Milton left, it should be obvious that Milton wanted to do more than just leave a legacy of enjoyable texts. With all of his work, Milton aimed to educate and enlighten the general public. He not only understood the importance of knowledge, but he was aware of his social and heavenly responsibility. Milton’s early years spent as a revolutionary left a strong impression on his psyche; as a result, Milton’s legacy, Paradise Lost, is a multifaceted text with political ideologies and undertones that define Milton’s conception of the perfect leader. Through the various situations, battles, and predicaments, Milton explains to humans how to rule and recognize lawful or just leaders. At the time of Milton, these hints would have been readily apparent to readers, and they would have recognized Milton as a radical. In addition to “justify[ing] the ways of God to men” (1.26), Paradise Lost illustrates Milton’s ideas about fear and knowledge, and it uses the characters of the biblical creation narrative to outline and embody their roles in leadership and to explore how the two work together to help humans live freely in God’s creation.

Understanding Fear

While there are different theories about emotion, many psychologists believe that there are only a few basic emotions. Of the different theories and ideas created by psychologists of the past century that deal with basic or discrete emotions, Paul Ekman’s Basic Emotions, Silvan Tomkin’s Affect Theory, Carroll Izard’s Discrete Emotions, or Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion, all include fear as one of the principal emotions of humanity. Fear is accepted as an emotion that is intrinsic to the human experience; it is something that every human being experiences at one point in his or her life. Milton understood the inevitability of fear, and he believed that fear was created for a reason. Looking throughout Milton’s works, one can surmise that, in Milton’s eyes, fear was an indispensable emotion created by God to allow hierarchies of power and efficiency in ruling. While this may not have been explicitly stated in any single composition, it is an underlying element of many of the themes and topics that are explored throughout Milton’s body of work.

Given the state of science and the relative ignorance of the early modern man’s understanding of scientific phenomenon, the early modern man had much to fear. In the book Fear in Early Modern Society, the editor assembled a number of essays discussing the different fears that the early modern man might experience: fire, plague, water and floods, enemies, ignorance, and death and the afterlife (Naphy & Roberts 2-4). With their limited awareness of the world around them, many relied on religion, half-truths, and folklore to explain natural phenomenon and other occurrences that they did not understand. For example, there were a number of both Catholics and Protestants in France that believed fire could be a “divine agency” and that it was a sign of God’s annoyance (Naphy & Roberts 21). In fact, for the early modern Christian, fear was even more important and present in their daily lives. Using Early English Books Online, or EEBO, to search for publications about fear, I found that the majority of the publications that were written about fear were actually about the fear of God, and they were mostly sermons. It is a subject that is familiar with Christians today and even more so for the early modern Christian. Fear, more importantly the fear of God, is necessary for emulating the proper structure of ruler and the ruled for Milton. Since God is the ultimate ruler, emulating the same sort of relationship between him and his subjects is natural for leaders. In addition to emulating God’s relationship, the inclusion of fear as a motivator and tool for keeping power is necessary. However, many rulers are not capable of doing this properly, leading the ruler to become tyrannical and arrogant.

One scholar, Laurel Walum, looked at Paradise Lost quite differently from others; he used a sociological approach to examine the epic poem, and his unique analysis allows for the illuminating of the relationship of fear to power in Paradise Lost. In the article, “The Art of Domination: An Analysis of Power in Paradise Lost,” Walum focused on analyzing domination and power, keying and examining the data about the acts of domination in the poem (577). Working under the assumption that there are three different types of domination, “two forms of authority and one form of prestige,” he identifies three characters that act as three distinct types of leaders: God, Jesus, and Satan who all use a different type of domination to subordinate other characters in the poem (575). He identifies God as a ruler who is able to rule because of the tremendous power that he has or his “pure perceived overwhelmingness” (575). The second type of ruler, in this case Jesus Christ, has authority because of his or her “association with a supraindividual” (575); in other words, the person has no power, but he or she is a representation of authority. Lastly, Satan is an example of a prestige ruler. Prestige rulers are not associated with a form of authority; the “followers are loyal to the person and do not draw upon normative truth for their submission” (575).

Because Milton is using characters that are undoubtedly just or malevolent, their methods and actions in the poem are significant for defining what Milton believes about the ideal relationship between the ruler and the ruled or the epitome of a just leader and a tyrant. In addition to being very different characters, their methods and tools are also disparate, in particular, their affiliation with fear.

Walum analyzed six different categories in relationship to how the three characters dominated or attempted to dominate other characters (577). He looked at the amount of power, type of influence, base of domination, response to domination, failure to dominate, and deference (Walum 577-578). When looking into fear, the most important category to examine in Walum’s work is the types of influence. He notes that there are three different types of influence: force, command, and manipulation, each type being capable of establishing the dominance of one character over others. Although fear is not explicitly classified as a type of influence, it is a key component with varying functions for all three types of influence, and it has especially interesting dealings with commands and manipulation.

Fear and Commands

And while fear is not always the exclusive motivator for command to be effective, one of the ways that a command works in the absence of loyalty or devotion is when a person is fearful of the consequences of disobedience. In a study performed by David Luckenbill, data from crimes involving coercion were used to analyze how people react to commands with threats of severe punishment. He found that the targets of the command would oppose the threat 95% of the time when the target believed that the source of the command did not have the ability to harm him or her (Luckenbill 815). This is particularly interesting when reviewing Satan before his fall. It could be argued that Satan and his followers were put in a situation where they did not have any option but to rebel. Being that no being had ever rebelled against God, it is possible that the angels could not understand that God had the ability to harm them, hence, having no reason to fear him. In other words, they were primed for rebellion by a lack of understanding or knowledge of God.

Conversely, in the same study, the researchers found that “when the target thought the source had lethal resources … and was in a position to use them, compliance was likely” (Luckenbill 814). Essentially, commands need a combination of fear and an understanding of the consequences of defiance to be an effective means of establishing dominance over other individuals. Abdiel, an angel who found himself in the middle of Satan’s rebellion, feared God and the consequences of Satan’s impious discourse. Abdiel understood that God was justly their leader because he created everything:

As by his Word the mighty Father made

All things, ev’n thee, and all the Spirits of Heav’n

By him created thir bright degrees,

Crown’d them with Glory. (VI.836-839)

Also, as Abdiel retreated back to heaven in the closing of this book, he used rich language that indicated he was afraid of the might of God and the penalty of dissension. Abdiel knew the consequences of rebellion: an “Iron Rod to bruise and break/ Thy disobedience” (V.887-888) and “His Thunder on thy head, devouring fire” (V.893). Because of his knowledge and fear, Abdiel did not rebel against God, and he was saved from damnation because of it. Mammon, one of the fallen angels, recounted their suffering in heaven saying,

…with what eyes could we

Stand in his presence humble, and receive

Strict Laws impos’d, to celebrate his Throne

With warbl’d Hymns, and to his Godhead sing

Forc’t Halleeluiahs. (II.239-243)

Satan and the fallen angels were unable to obey God’s sole command, to praise him. So while they were capable of making the right decision, they did not have the same fortitude to stand like Abdiel because they did not fear God, making his commands ineffective.

Walum asserts that “there was a total of ninety-four attempted enactments of power within the poem; these were almost equally divided between God and Satan” (578). It is worthwhile to note one of the differences between God and Satan and how they employed commands as a means of influencing other characters. First, God primarily employed the use of command through requests to influence the other characters (578). When God made a command, the other characters obeyed, unless it was in God’s plan for them to do otherwise. Satan, on the other hand, depended on all three types of influence: force, command, and manipulation (578). Since God’s authority was just and deserved, he did not have to worry about the other characters disobeying his requests. However, because Satan’s authority was not deserved, when he made commands, they were not always followed. And Satan’s reaction was not to punish the person because he did not have the authority to do so. He would simply make another command or employ a different type of influence. Walum goes on to discuss the successfulness of the two characters, claiming that God was successful in every act of domination and Satan was only successful two-thirds of the time (Walum 578).

Fear and Manipulation

Finally, with manipulation, fear is not directly employed as a means of domination; nevertheless, the knowledge of a person’s fear may be used as a tool in deception or as a way for the manipulator to confuse or influence the person to do what they want them to. As an example, Satan manipulates Eve by tricking her into believing that her fear of death is unwarranted. Satan tells her “ye shall not die” (IX.685). Here, Satan relies on a number of lies to convince Eve that she should eat the fruit. Also, he plays off of Eve’s fear of being lower than Adam saying, “Why but to keep ye low and ignorant” (IX.704). It appears that there is no way to counteract manipulation but through knowledge.

Characters Illustrating Fear

Fear plays an important role in leadership. For a person to actually follow a leader, he or she needs to believe that the person has power and the right or ability to use that power. Milton explains this with his numerous conceptions of Satan, the angels, Abdiel in particular, and Adam and Eve. He places them in situations throughout Paradise Lost that illustrate how fear is inherent to ruling. There are three situations in particular that illustrate this quite well. By looking at Satan’s first decision to rebel, Abdiel’s decision not to rebel, and Adam and Eve’s lack of fear of Death, it can be quite easily assumed that Milton did not see fear as a solely destructive sentiment but something that is necessary for a person to function in an environment where he or she is subordinate to a higher power. The characters have very different relationships to fear, and this is important if we are to understand what Milton really thought about fear and leadership.

God

It is undeniable that Milton believed God was the ultimate sovereign power. In the last book of Paradise Lost, Milton allows Adam to speak about Man ruling man; these lines revisit an idea that Milton explored earlier in his career within Eikonoklastes, a book that was a reaction to Eikon Basilike, a piece of propaganda venerating and making a martyr of King Charles I (Jokinen). Adam, speaking to the archangel Michael said,

He gave us only over Beast, Fish, Fowl

Dominion absolute; that right we hold

By his donation; but Man over men

He made not Lord; such title to himself

Reserving, human left from human free. (book XII line 67-71)

Here, Milton gives Adam the knowledge of God’s absolute sovereignty over man, and he alludes to the notion that because it was not in God’s original plan, man should not be ruled by man. This is a critique of the current political system where monarchs were believed to have power given to them directly from God, hence having absolute control over the people. In Eikonoklastes, Milton proposes that man cannot serve man and God at the same time through referencing scripture, in particular, a passage that occurs twice in the new testament: Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13.

If God, then, and earthly kings be for the most part not several only, but opposite masters, it will as oft happen that they who will serve their king must forsake their God; and they who will serve God must forsake their king (Milton 806).

Milton demanded that God be put above any human leader, reaffirming that Milton believed that God was the perfect and ultimate ruler. God as a character in Paradise Lost is an archetypal leader of men.

The success rate and methods of God’s acts of dominance are signs that this is the proper way to rule. One scholar noted the necessity of fear in the relationship between God, or gods, and man. In the essay, she questioned the need for fear in well-being, and she ultimately came to the conclusion that fear, while it can be destructive, also “has its good” (Beard 17). Beard noted that, at times, man acts because “he fear[s] the disapproval of the unseen spirit” or “for fear of impending evil from some mighty Being” (14). Milton works under the assumption that God is all powerful, and throughout the poem, characters, like Satan, that do not acknowledge and fear God’s omnipotence are doomed.

Satan

In the first book of Paradise Lost, Satan beguiles the reader into believing that he is the oppressed individual and that God is the oppressor, an almighty tyrant with no respect or sympathy for his subjects. Interestingly, Satan is described as being fearless:

O Prince, O Chief of many Throned Powers,

That led th’ imbattl’d Seraphim to War

Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds

Fearless, endanger’d Heav’n’s perpetual King. (I.128-131)

Satan was against the almighty God, and yet he was fearless. A ruler cannot rule without the respect of his or her subjects. Being that Satan was not afraid of God, he rebelled because he thought he could do God’s job better than God.

In horrible destruction laid thus low,

As far as Gods and Heav’nly Essences

Can perish: for the mind and spirit remains

Invincible. (book 1 line 137-140)

Unfortunately, Satan did not realize that even though the angels are invincible, they can still be punished. His lack of fear for God’s omnipotence was his downfall. Here Milton infers that for rulers to be adequate and to remain unchallenged, they must be just and capable of retaining power. And it is implied that one way to do this is through fear.

However, Milton is not promoting the use of terror to retain control. Throughout the text, God, the archetypal leader, employs fear as a means to control, but this fear is not unwarranted or excessive. For Milton, God’s ultimate plan was to employ the use of fear with knowledge, further emphasizing the free will and choice of characters in the poem.

Adam and Eve

However, Satan is not the only doomed character in Paradise Lost; man is also doomed for what could be his lack of fear or lack of knowledge. In the poem, Adam and Eve are given distinct warnings not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. When humans were first created, God warned Adam not to eat from the tree, and Adam relayed the warning to Eve: “whate’er Death is,/ Some dreadful thing no doubt … God hath pronounc’t it death to taste that tree” (IV.425-427). This is interesting because for someone to really fear something, he or she needs to understand what it is that they are to be afraid of (Luckenbill). Adam and Eve could not fear death because he or she did not have an adequate understanding of it, as evidenced by Adam’s first warning to Eve not to eat from the tree. The characters know that death is something to fear because of God’s instruction. However, they cannot comprehend death, so they cannot fear God properly or be expected to obey his command. This also supports Milton’s idea of the fortunate fall. Adam and Eve were never meant to stay in the Garden; they were fragmented beings awaiting the completion of God’s original plan.

Fear and knowledge are interrelated traits. They need each other to be complete and capable, just as Adam and Eve were incomplete in the garden and needed each other. In the separation scene, Adam and Eve’s asymmetry and incompleteness is accentuated by their interaction and the ultimate effect of their separating. In this scene, Eve, an illustration of knowledge, unexpectedly shows herself as being capable of contemplation; she proposes that they separate so that they will be able to get more work done, saying “Let us divide our labors” (IX.214). Adam, on the other hand, appears to be a representation of fear. While fear is not his only reason for wanting to stay with Eve, it is his most compelling argument. In trying to convince Eve that they should not separate, Adam said,

… thou know’st

What hath been warn’d us, what malicious Foe

Envying our happiness, and of his own

Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame

By sly assault. (IX.252-256)

Adam knew that Satan was in the garden lurking because of the warnings he had received, and Adam was justifiably afraid. Adam and Eve each held one portion of the traits that they need to pass through this situation correctly. Eve did not want to stay with Adam. She taunted him because of his fear, which to her was irrational. She thought they would be able to resist Satan when they were apart, saying

His violence though fear’st not, being such,

As wee, not capable of death or pain,

Can either not receive, or can repel.

His fraud is then thy fear. (book IX line 282-285)

In the end, they did not work together as they should. Hence, they failed, and Satan, the “malicious Foe,” was able to approach Eve and deceive her, eventually causing the fall of man. This scene is a great example of how knowledge and fear need to work together.

Fear, Freedom, and Knowledge

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because though hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee” (Hos. 4:6). In Paradise Lost, the characters who reject knowledge are also not afraid of God. They were misled by Satan to believe God was a tyrant, and they were led to rebel, thinking they had a choice in serving God. Unfortunately, they were tricked. The tyrant was Satan, and now the fallen angels get to enjoy hell, and a free yearly makeover. The act of being dominated and knowing it is part of being free. When dealing with an omnipowerful being, the only real option is to serve him out of free-will. If you do not, you end up as a puppet, just as Satan and his fallen angels. Milton’s poem is connected to his ideas of ruling or the proper way to rule. With the text, we can find examples of successful and unsuccessful dynamics for ruling by looking at how Satan and God interacted and how man and God interacted.

In one example, Milton explains how a lack of fear can damage the relationship between the ruler and the ruled. Satan essentially believes that he is greater than God, and he wants to depose the “unjust” tyrant, which is something that Milton discussed in the past with Tenure of Kings and Magistrates. Satan did not know fear; he had no reason to believe that the consequences of his revolting would be anything but good.

Knowledge

Knowledge is important to God and Milton. There are 169 verses in the Bible that discuss knowledge (Strong’s Concordance), and knowledge is a topic that Milton discusses in a number of his works, namely Areopagitica and Paradise Lost. Without knowledge, Milton argues that an individual cannot be free. In fact, in Paradise Lost, Milton even has the Christ argue for the fortunate fall and the benefits of man’s gaining knowledge. After Adam and Eve have eaten the fruit, they are repentant, and they pray. In the opening of the next book, the Christ carries their prayers to God, and he comments on the surprising appeal of the fallen man’s prayers:

With Incense, I thy Priest before thee bring,

Fruits of more pleasing savor from thy seed

Sown with contrition in his heart, than those

Which his own hand manuring all the Trees

Of Paradise could have produc’t, ere fall’n

From innocence. (book XI line 25-30)

Milton has Christ contend that man’s prayer after the fall is much more pleasing than anything man could have crafted while in paradise. The Christ has had a realization of God’s ultimate plan; the prayers that man crafted without the knowledge of both good and evil and without the burden of sin were vacuous. Contrition and responsibility made the prayers of man sweet because now they were no longer happy immortal drones who were ignorant of death and sin, they were enlightened beings with knowledge and the power to make a choice that acknowledged the supremacy and overwhelming brilliance of God, their creator.

Incidentally, Walum, using sociological methods, came to a similar conclusion in his research; he concluded that “Free-will is necessary, sociologically, for the dominator to rule” (580). This makes an interesting implication about Satan and his sovereignty. Because Satan predominantly employs the types of influence that do not require free-will, force and manipulation 55% of the time (Walum 578), his subjects are not free, and he is not ruling them. There appears to be a mutual deception, where Satan not only deceives the people he is manipulating, but he deceives himself into thinking that he has power and can utilize it for his benefit. Just as in book IV of Paradise Lost, where Satan believes he can escape the hell that was built to imprison him, he deceives himself into thinking that he is acting outside of God’s control. When in reality, hell is not just a physical location, but it is a mental affliction that cannot be escaped:

The Hell within him, for within him Hell

He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell

One step no more than from himself can fly

By change of place. (book IV line 20-23)

Satan is trapped in hell and surrounded by deception, as are the characters around him. They have no control over their destinies, and they act as puppets unknowingly yielding to Satan’s manipulation under the guise of autonomy that ultimately leads to God’s plan being fulfilled. On the other hand, the characters that willingly yield to God possess clarity, both visual and spiritual. There are multiple examples of this is in book XI and XII of Paradise Lost where Michael visually imparts knowledge to Adam. They are able to see, and they are able to understand their roles in God’s plan. Their subordination is consensual, so they can experience a level of freedom that the deceived persons cannot.

One of the major critiques of Satan as a leader, or any prestige leader, a leader who relies on the subordinates to follow the person instead of their authority, is that his or her methodology in ruling is selfish and flawed. The prestige leader’s manipulation cripples his or her subjects, and the devotion he or she receives is feigned, a false gesture with a foundation in misinformation. Prestige rulers are not only deceiving their subjects, but they are fooling themselves. Using political sociology as a basis for his postulating, Walum proposes that “persons perceive greater freedom following a prestige leader because they believe they are acting voluntarily. In actuality, however, persons are freer under an authority, for in that situation they are conscious of the fact they are subordinated” (576). Satan manipulated Eve and his fellow fallen angels, and they were all punished as a result of it. The angels were banished from heaven and condemned to hell, and in the end, they must undergo a yearly transformation into serpents as punishment for their parts in the rebellion with Satan (X.575-576). Eve was also punished. She and Adam lost the earthly paradise because of Satan’s deception. For both characters, if they had heeded knowledge, they would not have been punished. Eve was given specific physical and mentally taxing punishments:

Thy sorrow I will greatly multiply

By thy Conception; Children thou shalt bring

In sorrow forth, and to thy Husband’s will

Thine shall submit, hee over thee shall rule. (X.193-196)

The fallen angels and Eve were working for Satan. They were pawns that Satan used to do his work. Satan was miserable, and he did not care about any of the other characters in the poem:

Me miserable! Which way shall I fly

Infinite wrath, and infinite despair?

Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell;

And in the lowest deep a lower deep

Still threat’ning to devour me. (IV.73-77)

His only desire was to exact his revenge on God “By conquering this new World” (IV.391).

In contrast, when individuals work under God’s authority, they are working for God, whose sole interest is in his creation.

This also confirms and echoes Milton’s previous assertion in Areopagitica that choice and knowledge of alternate options are imperative: “I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race, where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat” (Milton 728).Even before Milton began composing Paradise Lost, he was formulating ideas about knowledge, fear, and free-will. Milton believed that for a person to be good, they must have knowledge and the ability to do wrong. The individual needs to the enemy, Satan, and be able to withstand his wiles. Before the fall, man was fearful of Satan. However, after the fall, man has no need to be afraid because they have knowledge and fear of God.

A man may be a heretic in the truth; and if he believe things only because his pastor says so, or the Assembly so determines, without knowing other reason, through his belief be true, yet the very truth he holds becomes his heresy. (Milton 739)

Aristotle once said, “When God gave [humankind] reason, he gave [them] freedom to choose, for reason is but choosing” (qtd in Areopagitica 733). Building off of George Simmel’s work with sociability and authority, Walum states that even though the fallen angels and Eve “believe they are freer under Satan,” they have “lost the true freedom, which comes from the knowledge that they are subordinated to God’s will (576). He goes on to discuss effective methods of leading. One component of leadership that both God and Satan employ is the consolidation of power to one person. Both God and Satan use this for their subjects. The rulers have complete control, and everyone else is equal. This is called “leveling.” However, God later gives power to his son. Walum proposes that this is one instance of Satan being set up to rebel, saying that “God knowingly acted in a way which would lead to the disobedience of Satan and his followers” (577).

What do God and Christ say about making decisions and being greater? Christ discusses that the fall was good, which is essentially an approval of man receiving the knowledge from the tree of knowledge. Because now, man can know good and evil, and man’s choice to do good is that much more important, being that he knows there is evil and has chosen not to do evil.

Conclusion

Charles Richet, a French physiologist, once said that “fear is, en dernière analyse, a protection against death” (qtd. in Beard 15). Now that we have fallen and can experience death, knowledge, free-will, and fear are of the utmost importance. We should not be afraid of knowledge, but we should look for it because it can help us live freely under God. Knowledge, free-will, and fear are all necessary traits that should exist in a balance that can direct our fear, prevent ignorance, and allow us to be free. Indeed, fear and knowledge allow us to live life and make the appropriate choices. We have understanding, and we can now live under God’s magnificence truly sufficient to stand. This is especially true in Paradise Lost.

Looking at the characters in Paradise Lost allows us to visualize the roles of fear, knowledge, and free-will in God’s ultimate plan. The one character, Satan, and his followers that decided to rebel against God’s tyranny are damned. Satan did not fear death; he was unable to acknowledge that God was more powerful than him. While he was intelligent, he was not smart enough to see that God’s omnipotence dwarfed what little power he had. Satan committed a number of sins, but mainly, he did not acknowledge God’s omnipotence. Satan had a god complex, and he was spiritually blind, standing under the overwhelming power of God and still believing that he could do better. We should learn from Satan’s mistakes, and fear the radiant splendor of God.

Entrance Essay

The smaller quandaries of civilized life are often overlooked while we focus on larger social problems with more immediate consequences. I would like to study how America interacts with itself and how these smaller interactions define us as a nation. The problems that we overlook or forget are oftentimes significant to the development of the people of this nation. Because of this, I would like to study issues that involve common life, which on the surface may seem to be inconsequential but can have dramatic effects on how we live.

One particular example would be how Comedy affects Americans. Although Comedy has its place in society, its capricious nature prevents it from accepting or denying its social responsibility. Comedy is predominantly presented as a means of entertainment, and many accept this as its singular purpose. Unfortunately, as with many things, it is not easily categorized using dogmatic criteria. It often acts as a euphemism for society’s problems. However, when Comedy is not presented in the proper context or when viewers do not share the same set of previous experiences, it takes on a new life and naively equivocates, destructively substituting discussion for laughter. Once adulterated by the milieu or ignorance, Comedy instigates stereotypes and provides a false sense of progress that ultimately undermines societal maturity.

Exaggeration and satire are two common tools used for comedy, and they have rich histories. Sadly, both act as unconscious reinforcements for stereotypes and other inappropriate thought patterns. For example, David Chappelle’s “Chappelle’s Show” used exaggeration and satire frequently. The show was also wildly popular, and because of this, the content of the show was presented to a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. When the content of the sketches became part of the national subconscious, it was not accompanied by an explanation of racial relationships in America or a list of decorous behaviors when mimicking the content of the show. The genius of the sketches became not only one of its greatest qualities but also one of its downfalls. In one sketch, Chappelle introduces Hip Hop artists as entrepreneurs of products normally not associated with Hip Hop. These exaggerated situations could easily be interpreted as a critique of the commercialization of hip hop or a jab at America’s stereotypes of Blacks and Hip Hop artists. However, since comedy is not often associated with intelligent dialogue — many cannot get past Chappelle’s sometimes juvenile sense of humor or use of inappropriate language— these sketches acted to strengthen many viewers’ prejudices, enforcing their media influenced ideas about Hip Hop artists and Blacks. Without the appropriate knowledge of the intricacies of Hip Hop, these sketches, while successful in serving their purpose for Comedy, took on a harmful social agenda.

A Master of Arts in English will be my first step towards my goal of teaching at the collegiate level. I want to share different perspectives with students; I want them to learn to appreciate things that seem to be unimportant. I believe that oftentimes Americans have forgotten how to appreciate things that are beautiful. So my goal in teaching is to get students to question. I want them to use their own minds to interpret the world around them. Hopefully, they will be able to decide what is beautiful and important without the influence of others.

from Deaf Republic: 10

I kissed a woman
whose freckles
aroused our neighbors.

Her trembling lips
meant come to bed.
Her hair falling down in the middle

of the conversation
meant come to bed.
I walked in my hospital of thoughts.

Yes, I carried her off to bed
on the chair of my
hairy arms. But parted lips

meant kiss my parted lips,
I read those lips
without understanding

soft lips meant
kiss my soft lips.
Such is a silence

of a woman who
speaks against silence, knowing
silence is what

moves us to speak.

--Ilya Kaminsky

I have neglected my blog

I did delete some of my papers on here... I got too many hits from people googling "Shakespeare thesis."

First draft, no title.

And why doesn’t anyone get cancer
in Archie Bunker’s house? Walking around
like little gods or broken kings as if
their need is their existence, dancing like
little children—I don’t know what love is.