Rugg, E. Janet

English

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A Study on "Paradise Lost" E. JANET RUGG Presented in prose form, Paradise Lost would still be recognized by the most casual reader as poetry. It has a cadence independent of strophe or metre, a certain motility produced by devices of resonance and syllable grouping, which combines satisfying euphony with perfec-tion of diction and achieves an exalted poetic tone that is enhanced further by the mystical subject. In such lines as The infernal Serpent; he it was whose guile, Stirred up with envy and revenge, deceived The mother of mankind, There is an alliterative resonance which sweeps us into a chill dread and dislike of the Deceiver, who ---with ambition's aim Again"t the throne and 1110nan:;h'y of God Raised impious war in Heaven -We are gratified at the thought of his confinement, In adamantine chains and penal tire. A remarkable use of two-syllable em-phases attains upon occnsion a sinister rhythm like the beat oí jungle war drums, in which an occasional break oí emphasis (although not of rhythm) serves but to intensify the effect, and seems rnther to be a part of the intricate pat-tern than a departure from it. In the following, the breaks in emphasis are italicized, as, Against the throne and monarchy of God Raised impious war in Heaven and battle proud, With va in attempt. Him the Almighty Power Hurled headlong fiaming from the ethereal sky Reserved him to more wrath; for now the thought Both of lost happiness and last-ing pain Torments him; round he throws his baleful eyes That witnessed huge afHiction and dismay, Mixed with obdurate pride and steadfast hateo At the same time, each oI these varia-tions seems to increase the tempo of the narrative. If the poem is to be considered an allegory, it is, of course, a continuous figure of speech. However, the author is relatively sparing in his use of particular 111"Lal!llUr and :;111111", dependJng ratner upon direct, vigorous, descriptive words to limn the images and action. Such words as seduced, foul, infernal, envy, revenge, arnbitious airn, baleful, fierce contention, do not place any strain on the imagination but create a forceful picture. Wherever simile is used, it is largely the Homeric 01' epic simile which is employed. Ornamentation in Book 1 of the Paradise Lost consists in a profusion oí pictorial and musical words rather than in more intricate devices. So carefully, so precisely is each word chosen both for connotative and for phonetic values, that the effect of ceaseless struggle and on-rushing evil never falters; and if one attempts to isolate the words which are indispensable to the design, even the articles and prepositions seem to demand special consideration. -13 -If there is any intricaey of stylistie eonstruetion, it is in the phrasing, whieh is often Complex and involuted to meet poetic requirements; but even this factor is turned to good aceount in furthering the sense of relentless Power and determ_ ination with whieh evil presses on to doom. It has been said that poetry is the mother tongue of man, and surely this is confinned in Milton's great work. Through poetry he unfolds the emotional sublimity of elemental passions,_ ---the unconqUerable WiU, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And eourage and gives full express ion to the concept of "utmost power." On "Le Petit Prince" EULAH DAVIS Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery, although preSumably written as a child's book, reveals such a skillful Use of Freneh and sets forth su eh an estima_ tion of the World and appreeiation of mysticism that it is worthy of examina_ tion if for no other ""o.c",.., Ulan a con_ lSiüeration of the SYmbols Used. The dexterity with whieh these sYmbol s are formed is enough to cause speculation about the writer Who, in one instance, makes a single rose different from all other roses by having it SYm_ bolize love, and in another, makes a king and a businessman representatives of Power. Power is but one of the vices of the world that he attaeks through SYm_ bOlism, and love but one of the virtues, but they show his romantie nature and his sensitivity to beauty. Antoine de St. Exupery Was sen_ sitive to beauty from his earliest years and had a love of music that later formed his rhythmic style and influenced his play on Words. Essentially a PhilosoPher, he lived in the two Worlds of earth and sky, and might never have done so had he 110t been a failure first. From his birth in 1900, the one thought that was develop_ ed by his family Was his service in the merehant marine. He Was we ll On his way to fUlfilling their desires ulh.'m he failpr{ un examInation that Would have made him an officer. His family Was greatly disaPPointed, but he was happy, for he Was free to study flying. He learned to fiy, and by describing some of his experiences he became An-toine de St. Exupery, writer. In Le Pe tite Prince a flyer is forced down in the desert, and while repairing his plane, he meets The Little Prince; in reality Sto Exupery himself made a forced landing in the desert while on a long distance flight from Paris to Saignon, Africa. In reality also, St. Exupery always Wore a searf with the ends streaming over his shoulders. In the book, every picture of The Little Prince shows him with a searf that streams OVer his shoulders. Thes e two characters are Used as SYmbols of the spi rit of Man that seeks illumina_ tion in time of adversity and stress; and of the wisdom, understanding, and sym--14_ 

A Study on  Paradise Lost

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A Study on Paradise Lost

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