Discuss the idea of good and evil in John Milton and Alexander Pope - Essay Example

Nobody could separate them; he further argues that man could rarely know well without knowing evil. Milton tries to justify the ways of God to Man by considering Adam’s state before he fell by consuming the forbidden fruit. Milton argues that man can overcome God’s design through faith and decency. The two poets argue about good and evil by attempting to explain god to man, but they come up with different conclusions on the same subject matter (Logan, Greenblatt and Lewalski). The book paradise lost focuses on the fall of man because of their evil acts and states the consequences of the same to man himself.

He reiterates that after the fall of man, Adam and Eve must endure their punishments and achieve redemption. They can no longer live without the freedom they had due to the guilt they bear after the snake of the darkness deceived the man through the woman. The woman Eve is portrayed to be evil due to their passion. Furthermore, Milton shows, through Adam and Eve, that man will suffer and experience pain while on earth because of evil acts, but they must overcome that suffering and remain good in all doing.

It may seem imperfect to us only because our perceptions are limited by our moral and intellectual capacity because God gives Adam and Eve free will and the use of reason (Logan, Greenblatt and Lewalski). . n Essay on Man.”He proves this argument by demonstrating that; no matter how imperfect and disturbingly evil the universe may appear; it still remains the work of God the almighty and must be accepted as it is. He says in the book and I quote, "Then say not man's imperfect, Heaven in fault; Say rather, man's as perfect as he ought" this proves that in the book, “An Essay on Man,” within the confines of the garden of Eden; but through faith and conviction man will persevere through the consequences of their evil deeds of darkness.

Alexander Pope believes that, "In pride or in reasoning pride, our error lies." From the essay however, he derives a different conclusion that we must learn to accept our positions in the universe, in which we can, lead happy and virtuous lives (Logan, Greenblatt and Lewalski). Without the acceptance of the universe as it is and the consequences of our acts, men and women will ever live miserable lives. Alexander further argues that the above order is considered universal and the human society accepts it as it is.

The limitations of nature by man as well as rational self love will eventually enable him to create a successful social order. On the other hand, misery will result if there is favor of a particular government or religion and therefore Pope advocates for the belief and reliance of general principles for the creation of dissention and tyranny. “Man’s end happiness is achieved when man submits to providence and dispenses with pride.” (Logan, Greenblatt and Lewalski) Furthermore, within man himself, there is also an order based on the operations of self-love representing the faculty of desire and passion, reason represents the faculty of judgment.

Right and prosperous living largely depends upon the two aspects working