Explicate (ek′ sple kāt′) – v.t., to explain and interpret in detail.
An explication is a formal, extended close reading of a piece of writing, in this case a section of book X of Paradise Lost. Think of it as a written and expanded version of what we do during class discussion when we go over the poem section by section to paraphrase its argument and explore various possible approaches to it and interpretations of it. In this essay, you will examine formal elements of the section of Paradise Lost that you choose to discuss, considering how they interact with the poem’s paraphrasable meaning and åconnecting your section of book X to one of the larger themes we have been discussing as we have read Paradise Lost.
To prepare, spend a good deal of time reading and rereading your section, taking notes on any aspects of it that seem meaningful, interesting, and potentially important. Think of how to describe the tone or attitude of the section, and listen for lines that could be read in multiple ways. Identify any important images or metaphors, and think about how these contribute to the movement or meaning of the poem as a whole. Brainstorm a number of possible interpretations of the section. Not all of these will show up in your final draft.
Your thesis should say something specific about what Milton is doing in this section of the poem and connect this section to the larger themes in the poem.
When putting together your final draft, imagine that you are discussing the poem with your reader, and you want to show him or her, in detail, how you read the poem. Always be sure to ground your analysis and commentary in the text of the poem – cite specific words and lines for every point you make, and demonstrate specifically how and why your reading is justified. Don’t take anything for granted. If you decide to identify a poem’s formal aspects (such as rhyme or meter) be specific about what effect these have on your reading of the poem – why are they worth mentioning? (Note: they may not be worth mentioning; you’re in charge of determining what is and isn’t important.)
Don’t just list the details you observe – use them to support a thesis, a general understanding of what’s going on in the poem and an argument about why the specific details of the poem you focus on are important and meaningful.
Look for patterns – e.g. “In Satan’s speech to Beelzebub the repetition of synonyms for his stubbornness, ‘unconquerable will…study of revenge, immortal hate…courage never to submit or yield’ serve to reinforce his commitment to overthrow God, despite momentary defeat.” – and for development – “The poem begins slowly with the invocation, but picks up speed as Satan is ‘hurled headlong flaming,’ signaling the beginning of the en media res narrative of the poem.”
A typed rough draft of your explication is due in class on Monday, 11/21. The final draft is due Wednesday, 11/30 and should be 2-3 pages, typed, and double-spaced. You will submit your final draft as a google document shared with mslinder.uni@gmail.com. Be sure to grace your essay with a title that is interesting and reflects your essay’s argument (i.e. don’t simply name it after the poem).
Notes:
- As a book-length poem, the title may be italicized or underlined.
- When you include a quotation from the poem, the parenthetical citations should look like (1.1-26).
- Line breaks in quotations are noted with a slash /
- The poem notes I have given you are the ONLY external information that you can use in composing your explication. DO NOT consult No Fear, Spark Notes, Cliff Notes or any other online or print source to compose your explication.
- You may look up additional information about allusions (for instance, the complete story of the myth of Orpheus) but you will need to document your sources with parenthetical citations and an entry on your works cited page.
- You may work with your writing group (the other students writing their explication on the same section of book X) if you are struggling with understanding the passage or shaping your ideas; however, your writing should be done individually.
- If you include barely paraphrased or unattributed quotations from source material, or if you lift the ideas of your explication from an online source you will receive a zero on this assignment.
Sections for explication:
X. 1-102 God and Jesus in Heaven
X. 103-238 God in Eden confronts Adam and Eve and curses them
X. 239-331 Meanwhile in hell, devils are building a road to heaven
X. 332-436 Satan returns to hell, sin is personified as his daughter
X. 436-503 Satan speaks to the other devils about his triumph
X. 504-609 Satan finishes his speech and the fallen angels turn to snakes
X. 610-719 God’s point of view, puts Satan in his place
X. 720-844 Adam’s lament
X. 845-908 Adam laments more, blames Eve
X. 909-965 Eve accepts blame and they make up
X. 966-1104 Adam and Even discuss what to do, beg forgiveness from God
Preparing to explicate your section of Paradise Lost:
- Read your section over a few times. Circle any words that you’re not familiar with, and then look them up (you might consider checking the OED – The Oxford English Dictionary –available on line through the U of I library web page).
- Make liberal use of the notes included with book X. These notes are the only outside resource you are allowed to use for this assignment.
- Look for references to historical events, famous people or places, myths, etc., look into their background, and consider their importance to the context and meaning of the poem. Again, your notes will be helpful here.
- Read the poem out loud, listening for interesting sound devices and patterns.
- Paraphrase the poem, summarizing in a few sentences what you think it means.
- Break the poem into sections (a line, several lines, a sentence) for analysis, considering multiple angles on the poem. Consider whether details of the poem might suggest more complicated meanings than the paraphrased meaning.
- List the different literary devices and tools that Milton uses and consider their possible connections to the poem’s meaning(s).
- Look for connections to earlier events, ideas, images or language in the poem.
- Look for connections to the larger themes we discussed in our reading of Paradise Lost (see below for a list of themes).
- Brainstorm several points (potential thesis statements) you might make about this section now that you’ve read it carefully and considered its component parts. Look over this list and consider which of these points your notes and observations support the most clearly. Also consider ways two of your points might be combined to make a more complex or interesting thesis.
Components of a poem to consider:
- imagery (sensory descriptions) and figurative language (metaphor, simile, epic simile, personification)
- patterns (repetition of words or symbols, arrangement and number of lines, etc.)
- sound (alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, sounds that create a particular sense impression – harsh consonants, silky sibilants, open-sounding vowels…)
- tone (angry? peaceful? worried? somber? lonely? joyful? reverent? Passionate…? Some combination? Does the tone change at any point?)
- diction (elevated or down-to-earth, formal or informal, official or intimate…?) and syntax (flowing? stumbling? conversational? simple? complex? straightforward? abstract?)
Larger themes from our discussion of Paradise Lost:
- Milton’s theological purpose, “I may assert eternal providence/ and justify the ways of God to men” (1.25-26)
- Sympathy for the devil—does Milton portray a “satanic hero”?
- Free will, particularly if a person can have free will if they are innocent of the knowledge of good and evil (see Eve’s speech 9.769-779)
- The difference between ignorance (9.809) and innocence (9.1054)
- Implied assumptions about gender, particularly the ways in which Eve’s sex as a woman might make her more susceptible to temptation and Adam’s role/responsibility as a man.
