The Seasons as Punishment from The Fall

 I especially liked Chapters IX and X because they gave me another perspective on a story I thought I knew like the back of my hand- The Temptation in the Garden of Eden and The Fall of Adam and Eve.  I appreciated Milton's detail on Satan's inner thoughts and the actions he took achieve his goal of deceiving Eve.  He uses flattery to get into her head.  This was typical back then- believing that  women could actually be persuaded through compliments.  I thought it was unique how separate Adam and Eve were through all of this.  For some reason I had pictured Adam right there with her the whole time and eating the fruit together.  For the most part I thought the text was similar to the Bible story I've known my whole life.   I'm glad that Milton addressed the effects of The Fall, for example the seasons and why snakes crawl on their bellies and how life would be for Adam (and all men) and Eve (and all women) from that moment on.  But why is it said that women must submit to their husbands?  Isn't it Adam's fault for submitting to Eve's request of eating the fruit?  Also, what were snakes like before if their punishment became no being able to stand upright?  

Paradise Lost

The piece is entitled Paradise Lost- so I thought the expulsion from The Garden and the fallwas the most perfect way to begin. It is the is most authentic and original representation of a paradise lost by religious and literature standards. While it was sometimes difficult to comprehend the full meanings behind each phrase, it read nicely. It had a light-hearted magical feel, yet some parts struck me with their...creepiness. For example, the mentioning of the Spirits- how they could assume either sex at will or assume both.

"Not tied or manacled with joint or limb,
Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones,
Like cumbrous flesh; but in what shape they choose,
Dilated or condensed, bright or obscure"

That whole passage was disgusting to me- All I could picture were images of creature with flesh yet no bones able to change shape only because there bodied lacked anything substantial.