ELSA Meet Celebrating John Milton's 411th Birth Anniversary

ELSA MEET

Sunday 26th January 2020

Goverdhan Hotel, Agra

Topic: Justifying ‘Eternal Providence and Ways of God to Men’- Paradise Lost Book I

Invocation

OF Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit

Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast

Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,

With loss of Eden, till one greater Man

Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat,

Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret top

Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire

That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,

In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth

Rose out of Chaos: or if Sion Hill

Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flow'd

Fast by the Oracle of God; I thence

Invoke thy aid to my adventrous Song,

That with no middle flight intends to soar

Above th' Aonian Mount, while it pursues

Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime.

And chiefly Thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer

Before all Temples th' upright heart and pure,

Instruct me, for Thou know'st; Thou from the first

Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread

Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss

And mad'st it pregnant: What in me is dark

Illumin, what is low raise and support;

That to the highth of this great Argument

I may assert Eternal Providence,

And justifie the wayes of God to men.

- Paradise Lost: Book  1 (1674 version) by John Milton

In the hope of uniting the readers with those books that cannot be put down, Paradise Lost by John Milton being one of those, was taken up for discussion in ELSA Meet held on 26th  January 2020. The Meet, originally scheduled to coincide with John Milton’s 411^th birthday (December 9), was postponed due to some unavoidable circumstances and was held on the 71^st anniversary of the Indian Republic on 26th January 2020. The theme of the meet being ‘Justifying Eternal Providence and Ways of God to Men’ (Paradise Lost Book I), ELSA provided a great platform to literary enthusiasts and members of ELSA for a dialogue and intellectual exchange of views on this great work of excellence by Milton. The Meet began with multiple queries raised by members – Mr. Saurabh Agarwal, Dr. Rajan Lal, Dr. Roopali Khanna, Dr. Santosh Singh, Ms. Anjali Singh, Dr. Shri Kant Kulsrestha, Mr. Shravan Kumar, Mr. Raja Pandey and others -- pertaining to the various dimensions of Paradise Lost, the prominent among which were: 1. Why it appears that Milton glorified Satan when his avowed purpose was to justify the “ways of God to men?, 2. Why Satan seems to resonate with the humanity of the common man? 3. Why is and God projected as a tyrant? 4. Why does the conflict between good and evil generally seems to go the evil’s side? 5. If God was omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, why did He not prevent Satan from tempting Eve? 6. Why Satan beguiled Eve and not Adam for initiating the downfall of man?

Citing significant lines from Milton’s Invocation to God (Lines 1-26), Prof. Nibir Ghosh initiated the discussion by introducing the theme of the poem and highlighting Milton’s poetic excellence as displayed in Paradise Lost Book 1.  Important observations were made on a great deal of information as contained in the Invocation. Of many possible critical approaches Prof. Ghosh also provided a number of insights by examining the poem from the vantage point of the various Renaissance traditions concerning the time and history of its composition and the activist role of John Milton in the Civil War headed by Oliver Cromwell. The discussion continued on various points which included profound implications of the poem for the way we view evil, and for the way that we all view power and those who have it, for the way that men treat women. Other important highlights of the meet included Satan’s role as a “democratic” leader and the Pandaemonium as a grotesque imitation of the most magnificent churches where rituals overshadowed the considerations of “the upright and pure heart.” The members marked Milton’s birthday by rejoicing not only the poetic genius of Milton but also celebrating the loftiness of his ideals which will never go obsolete in any age.

The meet concluded with the reading of Milton’s poem “On His Blindness.” The online presence of Dr. Manju and Dr. Tanya Mander was lauded by all.

                          Milton’s Faith in God: Reflection of the Theory of Karma

Manju

Religion plays a very important role in the life of an individual. This importance evidently comes to the forefront in T. S. Eliot’s: “Three Senses of Culture” where he asserts that culture "is the incarnation (so to speak) of the religion of a people" and it contains the necessary codes of conduct that determine virtuous existence of a human being. The justification of Godly ways which were articulated in John Milton’s Paradise Lost are much required in the present scenario when life has become more a heap of anxieties. We bother so much for future that we forget to enjoy what we are blessed with. The modern materialistic world is known for its spirit questioning religious practices and even the existence of God and it replaces the sense of fraternity with the strange self leading to isolation which results into various mental disorders. John Milton justifies the ways of God in Paradise Lost and suggests that God can never be wrong to his children as the treatment his own children, Adam and Eve; got from him in the epic Paradise Lost, was a boon in the disguise of bane as he wanted them to learn the importance of being virtuous. It is said that the excess of everything is bad. Total inactivity and just waiting for the Godly gifts will make the human life impoverished but at the same time wanting a lot from life will also transform it into a constant struggle devoid of mental peace and contentment. We need a balanced life. The theory of Karma, one of the important components of Hindu religion, is something which can be taken as a solution of this riddle. Here God determines the kind of life one will have but in the light of one’s deeds and it will inspire everyone to be virtuous and ethical and to accept whatever is decided by God. This may be the cause why intellectuals like T. S. Eliot, find the door to escape from the modern chaotic life in Indian religions and uses those three elaborative words “DA (Datta), DA (Dayadhvam), DA (Damyata) in his renowned poem “The Wasteland”.

Dr. Manju is Associate Professor of English at Chandigarh University.

Radicalism of Milton in Paradise Lost

Saurabh Agarwal

The very form of poetry that John Milton chose to write in the Epic Paradise Lost is the pronouncement that renaissance poet is out to demolish the set norms of the literary world and of the society he was part of. He chooses blank verse over rhyme by calling it “being no necessary adjunct or true ornament of poem or good verse, in longer works especially, but the invention of a barbarous age.” Thus, he liberated poetry “from the troublesome and modern bondage of rhyming.”

Paradise Lost is, among other things, a poem about a civil war. Milton has lend his own voice and views to Satan and to his followers, who, portrayed as more of a republican, lead “impious war” against the “tyranny of Heav’n” or  “Heav’n’s awful Monarch”.

Theories of Satan as the hero of Paradise Lost stem, among many other critics, from Blake’s statement that Milton was ‘of the Devil’s party without knowing it’. Shelley too wrote in A Defence of Poetry that ‘nothing can exceed the energy and magnificence of the character of Satan as expressed in Paradise Lost’.  He also held that “Milton’s devil as a moral being is… far superior to his Good.”       

Milton’s own revolt echoes in Satan’s battle against God who “put to proof his supremacy,/ whether upheld by strength or Chance or Fate”. Milton being an antimonarchist has, in his poetry, presumed the task to ”justify the ways of God to men” but could not refrain from assigning his own political voice to Satan and company. Through Abdiel, Milton has put to question the theory of ascendancy of Son to throne of God when he says

‘Unjust, thou sayest,
Flatly unjust, to bind with laws the free,
And equal over equals to let reign,
One over all with unsucceeded power.’ (V, 818-821)

Further he says,

But, to grant it thee unjust
That equal over equals monarch reign—
Thyself, though great and glorious, dost thou count,
Or all angelic nature joined in one,
Equal to him, begotten Son? (V, 831-835)

This is the tone of political dissent where denial of power triggers revolt against the authority when perceived merit of one’s own is overlooked in preference to lineage. The hierarchy in heaven has been upset by sudden elevation of the Son. To a modern reader who takes a non-religious view of the epic, choosing to distance himself from the theodicy of Milton, where Adam and Eve’s suffering is cause of their free will rather than consequence of Divine Providence, Satan is a rebel with a cause.

Saurabh Agarwal is a flourishing entrepreneur and literary enthusiast based in Agra.

Why Satan Beguiled Eve and not Adam for Initiating the Downfall of Man: A Sinful Reflection On Milton’s Eve

Roopali Khanna

"She Gave Me Of The Tree, And I Did Eat."

The ninth book of Paradise Lost presents the pivotal moment when Milton’s narrative metamorphoses from its initial plan to discuss ‘Man’s First Disobedience’, to an analysis of woman’s first disobedience. This is one of the saddest lines of poetry in Paradise Lost by John Milton in Christian literature. The utter finality of the statement, forceful to the point of brutality with all the implications it has when spoken by Adam, symbol of all mankind: the deed of disobedience, bringing death, disaster, and dreadful woe, is done and the blame rests on Eve.

From St Augustine to Emilia Lanier, writers throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance had meditated on Eve’s role in ‘Man’s First Disobedience’. But it was Milton who, even while emphasising her special culpability, gave her character special depth, including paradoxical power and exceptional poignancy.

From the start, however, the poet emphasises the hierarchical distinction between the primordial pair Adam and Eve. The first woman, Eve is created out of Adam's rib. She is slightly inferior to him and must “submit” to his will. The belief exhibited here is that the male is superior to the female and therefore the female should be subservient. It can be seen as a reflection of the 17^th century male-dominant society in which Milton lived and his puritan beliefs .The 17th century Puritan society believed that men played a patriarchal role upon women, and that this role was instituted by God and nature which influenced his creation of an epic that favours the superiority of men over women. God did not create Eve to “guide” or be a “superior” in humankind because God’s sole intention in creating Eve was to have her serve Adam: “He for God only, she for God in him” (IV. 299).

This very first image of Eve that Milton portrays shows Eve to be a submissive woman who is not as strong, spiritual, or as intelligent as her husband, which is distinctly sexist. Acknowledging that Adam is both her ‘Author’ and ‘Disposer’ (Book 4, l. 633), she proclaims that

“God is thy Law, thou mine: to know no more/

Is woman’s happiest knowledge and her praise” (Book 4, ll. 635–36).

This is conveying the lesson that women should not be too curious about the world around them. Eve’s depiction as an innocent and subservient woman in Paradise who obeys Adam because “So God ordains” represents Milton’s ideal for a woman’s place in a marriage. In another incident Raphael tries to enlighten Adam when he says that Eve is

“Adorned

She was indeed, and lovely, to attract

Thy love, not thy subjection;” (10.151-153).

This is one of the most important quotations in the entire poem because it conveys Milton’s view that loving a woman is acceptable but subjection to her charm might compromise the hierarchy of gender roles. It was a prevailing subject during this time -- the position of woman, or more accurately, women’s lack of position. Though, Milton’s misogynistic view of women is presented mildly in the beginning by showing Adam’s superiority and strength by dwelling on the weakness of Eve, but these small implications are significant because they serve as a preface for Eve’s vulnerability to Satan’s temptation.  All of Eve’s negative attributes are not significant in and of themselves, but are more noteworthy when viewed in the context of Eve succumbing to Satan’s guile. Here is where Milton’s historically sexist depiction of Eve starts to become more misogynistic in nature because John Milton feeds of the sexism in the Bible and creates a universe that goes beyond this, where a woman who has the courage to be independent ends up causing the Fall for all of mankind for eternity. Feminist critical methods have exposed Eve’s triple objectification at the hands of God, Adam and Satan, as an influence of an environment of widespread and entrenched sexual inequality during that time.

Though, I believe, interpretations exist on the other end of the spectrum as well. If Satan had first tried to make Adam succumb to his temptation, Adam may have also given in just as easily. He gave into Eve’s temptation because he did not want her to suffer alone and this comes across as a sweet and thoughtful action, which is the opposite of how Eve gives in to Satan even though he is equally as guilty. Misogyny is clear here because Milton has a hatred for Eve and is directly implying that women being allowed to have independence results in vicious, malevolent actions and schemes on their behalf, even though this is not a fair depiction of what happened between Satan and Eve in Eden. In addition, Jesus tells Adam that it was he who was given the power to rule and not Eve, highlighting that the Fall can be equally blamed on Adam since his overwhelming love for Eve is as detrimental as vanity and curiosity from a woman. Therefore, it is quite evident that Adam and Eve are both equally guilty for the Fall because they succumb to temptation independently due to their individual weaknesses. They were not predetermined to fall according to God; it is clear that both men and women are capable of falling, that the loss of innocence and purity in Eden is directly tied to free will rather than predestination.

Dr. Roopali Khanna is on the Guest Faculty, department of English, Baikunthi Devi Girls P.G. College, Agra. She runs Kala Sadhana, an Art Gallery.