Armageddon tired of English majors
My two oldest sons are home from college. Josh and Chris have always had a Cain/Abel Jacob/Esau kind of relationship and the roles switch back and forth depending on the circumstances.
But it's always good to have them home, even though they are both English lit majors, and recent studies have shown that the main cause of fratricide in this country is violent disagreement over the interpretation of the works of certain long dead writers.
One night, not long ago, I was lying in bed basking in the warm glow of holiday joy, ready to sleep, when beyond my door, I heard some sharp speech. It got louder and louder, a brouhaha in the making. It was only when I heard competing cries of "You're an idiot!'' and "You don't know what you're talking about'' that I padded from my room to check it out.
Josh and Chris were in a heated debate about whether John Milton intended for God to come off badly in "Paradise Lost.'' At least one of the boys insisted that the argument hinged on when Milton disavowed Oliver Cromwell.
Tempers were running high and their faces were flushed when I stepped into referee.
"Well, boys,'' I said, "From all my research, I think I can categorically state that Milton was blind as a bat. Does that help?'' Not so much, as it turned out.
But what they could at last agree on, so we could all get some sleep, was that from a 21st century perspective Milton's God does come off looking bad and Satan gets the best lines.
Me? I just thank God that my sons can get excited about the English language, and passionate about great literature.
But it's always good to have them home, even though they are both English lit majors, and recent studies have shown that the main cause of fratricide in this country is violent disagreement over the interpretation of the works of certain long dead writers.
One night, not long ago, I was lying in bed basking in the warm glow of holiday joy, ready to sleep, when beyond my door, I heard some sharp speech. It got louder and louder, a brouhaha in the making. It was only when I heard competing cries of "You're an idiot!'' and "You don't know what you're talking about'' that I padded from my room to check it out.
Josh and Chris were in a heated debate about whether John Milton intended for God to come off badly in "Paradise Lost.'' At least one of the boys insisted that the argument hinged on when Milton disavowed Oliver Cromwell.
Tempers were running high and their faces were flushed when I stepped into referee.
"Well, boys,'' I said, "From all my research, I think I can categorically state that Milton was blind as a bat. Does that help?'' Not so much, as it turned out.
But what they could at last agree on, so we could all get some sleep, was that from a 21st century perspective Milton's God does come off looking bad and Satan gets the best lines.
Me? I just thank God that my sons can get excited about the English language, and passionate about great literature.
posted by Michael Riley at 9:09 AM
5 Comments:
Would that my two daughters, also home from college, battled over literary interpretation. Usually it's something a little less deep--more along the lines of who's "borrowing" whose skirt or jeans that gets those titans clashing. So as a former English major, it does my heart good to see that some young people care more about art than pop culture. I hold out hope for my 14-year-old son, who among other things, is at least an avid reader. A mom can hope, can't she?
Thanks for the chuckle, Pinhead.
You have much to be proud of in your sons, Mr. Riley. It sounds like you raised some intelligent men. That said, and with respect to their debate, it matters not, I believe, when Milton disavowed Cromwell, but rather that he did. Incidentally, Cromwell is Satan in Paradise Lost.
They can be intelligent and law-breakers and immoral..intelligence is not a meter for morality or ethics..
"intelligence is not a meter for morality or ethics." -- milton=schmilton
Nor, Einstein, did anyone say as much.
but narrow-minded, ignorance is, anonymous..
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