Hi Amanda,
I am sorry if it seems as if I am singling you out, however, you are one of the few students that works ahead, like myself. I find your thoughts on the text to be very thought-provoking and insightful, however, I find myself viewing the story (lines 1-130) in a different light. For example, when you state that “Satan's is very far removed from distinctly human elements, almost completely devoid of self-loathing and any accompanying inner emotional turmoil or chaos that might cause a major disruption in the organization of his thoughts. To clarify - all that Satan takes issue with is, presumably, outside of him and is seemingly beyond his control due to his intransigent egoism. As a result of no actual inner turmoil (as his own worth is never truly doubted - there is no existential crisis)”
In the beginning of the text,
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He does, often times, attempt to push blame onto others, mostly God, but then he has moments of clarity when he realizes that he was the one who rose up and led others against God by his own choice “Hadst thou the same free will and power to stand? / Thou hadst. Whom hast thou then or what to accuse” (Paradise Lost Book IV lines 66-67). This highlights his internal conflict regarding his actions. As he continues his back and forth with who is to blame, he has already admitted to the reader that he wanted to be powerful and that God did not deserve the actions taken against him “Till pride and worse ambition three me down… Ah wherefore! He deserved no such return” (Paradise Lost Book IV lines 40/42), which he may not have been able to control, but realizes this is an internal factor that lead to his demise as an