Satan's Rhetoric Madeline Burleson 12th Grade

When one hears the word Satan, he thinks of an opposition to God. The name alone conjures up evil thoughts in most peoples’ heads. In the epic poem, Paradise Lost, a tale of the creation story, however this feeling of evil is quickly misplaced. Instead, the reader sees Satan as a character in a story. In the beginning of the poem, he is the most relatable character. When compared to God, who is just and mighty, Satan appears persecuted yet still a leader among the demons. Immediately, the reader feels an intimate connection to the one introduced character that is not God. However, as the plot develops, Satan transforms. Gone is his seductive rhetoric and appealing manner, and instead the reader sees a manipulative character. The reader maintains an interesting role in the poem, for he is the only one who sees this development. God sees Satan as one who deserves Hell, but Eve only sees him as a seductive serpent. The reader, however, is able to see him transform. Satan is an important character, one who is interesting to follow; through close-reading the reader is able to see Satan develop from an appealing character, to a powerfully evil character; he uses seductive rhetoric and his status in relation to God as tactics.

Satan’s...