Paradise Lost can really be epic (pun intended) for students. The text becomes an epic story about characters familiar from Biblical stories (which, honestly, many students know about), and revitalize them into heroes that fight bloody battles, fall into temptation, and rise again. It's different than many epics we've read, even including the Inferno, in that students are probably very familiar with who is in the text and the stories that come from these characters. Without being focused on controversial topics that might get you in a little trouble if you teach it because of religious reasons, you can make this text really come alive for students.
One problem that does happen (take this as a warning), is that Milton's syntax can be difficult for students. To be honest, most of these texts have difficult syntax and verbiage, but being challenged is a way to make yourself better, right? Even though there are these speed bumps, there are ways to examine the text that will resonate for modern students.
Think of the debate that occurs at Pandemonium in Book 2. Persuasion becomes king in this book. Students can examine the rhetoric, and compare that to any political debate current world leaders have. Along with this, Milton does well at revealing darkness that lurks in areas that are seemingly good, like agendas, programs, or plans of action.
Think about Satan for a moment. He's the underdog, the one who can't win. It's not hard to imagine him through a sympathetic lens. This happens all the time in Hollywood, and was even created in the Romantic era. Satan is more than just a diabolical, evil being; he's more complex in that. You could easily make a movie in your head where you can see the misunderstood Satan (not saying that anyone should change their religious/philosophical beliefs about Satan--just imagine the Satan that Milton portrayed) has his story told through a different light. Milton does an extraordinary job of reexamining Genesis through Revelation through Satan's eyes, which hadn't happened before this text.
Where themes are concerned, there's obviously areas of modern relevancy: rebellion, revenge, and uprising are all common in literature, media, and even life today. It's easy for all of these texts to be looked at and examined that way. One can compare these themes to situations found around the globe today.
That's it for Paradise Lost. For my final post, it'll be cumulative. There's no exact date, but certainly within the month. Not to get mushy, but I've enjoyed going over these texts. It's certainly opened my mind a little bit and expanded my education. I want to thank everyone who has read these long (probably sometimes boring) summaries and examination of modern students.
Thank you,
Cassy
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