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Milton Essay Competition - winning entry
The Friends of the Turnbull Library have pleasure in presenting the winning entry in their Milton Essay Competition, written by Alexander Simmonds of Auckland International College.John Milton: Why does he Matter to Teenagers Today?
John Milton (1608-1674) is widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential English poets, whose philosophic, religious and political views - although radical during his lifetime - have inspired generations of writers and continue to influence our culture today. His most famous work, Paradise Lost, serves as one example of Milton's ability to take fantasy and religion, philosophy and fiction, and blend them into an epic work of literature which asks deep and penetrating questions about the fundamental basis of individual human nature and society as a whole. What makes Milton really matter to teenagers like me is that his questions, first asked 400 years ago, can still be relevantly asked of our 'modern' society today. Milton wrote on a vast scope of topics in a wide range of styles; however the key, for young people, to understanding this giant of English literature is to simplify his work into a study of ideology. Certainly the mechanics of his language are important: a master of the English language, there is much to be discovered in his careful rhymes and perfect technical understanding1. For most teenagers though this is a topic best left for those with a true love of English, those who will go on to study literature at university. 'Normal' teenagers will not and perhaps cannot grasp the importance of these features: what we can do is appreciate the fundamental ideas or themes which lie at the base of Milton's works. In particular, we can focus on his underlying and ever-present calls for freedom. Passionately in support of liberty, Milton was well ahead of his time and his ideas were contrary to the stiff, orthodox beliefs of the 17th Century. His dreams were new and bold, decried as heretical at the time2, but reflecting now one realizes that they make sense. One could describe him as an early libertarian: he was a poet who envisaged a world free from censorship, a world in which all were free to practice their religion, a world in which people were governed not by someone who had inherited power but by someone who had earned it and who had been given it by the people. He was committed to a republic and to rule by the people for the people. In essence he proclaimed an ideal world towards which we as a global community have taken many steps. We are not there yet, however, and Milton matters because we can look to this poet as a reminder not only of how far we have come, but where we are and where we need to be.In his work, Areopagitica3, Milton argues the case for freedom from censorship. Our society has moved far from the strict laws of the 17th century and into a modern world where information is freely available, or so we hope. Given the great volume of information accessible from sources such as the internet, and the presence of the freedom of information laws now in place, we are free from the censorship Milton fought so hard to remove…or are we? Unfortunately if we follow Milton's example and turn to look at ourselves and our society I believe we find the case is somewhat different. How can we be satisfied when there are still people in the world under strict censorship such as those people living in Burma, parts of Zimbabwe, and even China? Is it our responsibility to actively aid the spread of freedom in countries such as Burma as Milton actively aided in overthrowing King Charles I? Within New Zealand, given the large importance now placed on political correctness, is this a new form of censorship? Can we be satisfied when even within our own country laws such as the Electoral Finance Act, whilst not perhaps as drastically reducing freedom of speech as some opponents have claimed, nonetheless represents a form of censorship? Would Milton have been satisfied or is there a point at which censorship is in fact healthy for society? These are questions which the current teenagers will need to face as we grow into adulthood and the realm of responsibility. Milton matters to us because he provides some of the answers, if not all, and because we can apply his logic to modern situations to help us in our decisions. We can compare our world to his vision of the perfect world as a measure of humanity's progress (or lack thereof). The freedom to religion, no matter how non-conformist, without fear of intervention by the state is now a well accepted principle of Human Rights - it is enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and is generally promoted around the world. It seems difficult for a teenager today to believe that this could ever have been a new idea but in 17th Century England, wars had been fought over religion and Kings were still being deposed because of their faith. We do not live under a state religion, but perhaps this is due to the influence of A Treatise of Civil Power in which Milton argued vehemently against such a religion. When we look at the world now, have we moved on from the 17th century? Wars are still being fought over religion. Oppressive regimes in many countries (Iran for example) still enforce strict regulations on religious practices. Radical Islamic terrorists now claim to be fighting a Holy War. Yet it is easy to point the finger! In the Western world, we too can still learn a lot from Milton's ideas. The presidential nominee Barak Obama in America is constantly being questioned on the basis of religion4, and even here in New Zealand there have been attacks on certain religious groups such as the attacks on mosques in 20055. The more one questions our world, the more one sees the importance of Milton's messages and the wide array of current situations in which his 400 year old dreams have still not quite become reality. Governance by the people, for the people and the concept of popular government found support from Milton throughout his works but more particularly in The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates6 in which he defended the execution of Charles I, and advocated the parliamentary system. Milton was looking to the future and his visionary approach is shown in the proliferation of democratic government today - his ideas were consulted in the drawing up of the United States Constitution as well as the French Rights of Man and the Citizen, the foundations of two of the earliest democracies7. Milton matters to teenagers because without his dreams and those of people like him we may not have been growing up with the freedom to choose our governance as we do today. Yet again however we must stop and look around us. Again we realize that our accomplishments deserve to be taken even further. Do we have the perfect system of representation in MMP? If not, can we as young people develop a better representative system? Across the world we notice that we are in fact the lucky ones. Shouldn't Milton matter most to those who live under dictatorships? According to Milton those who come to power should devote all their moral, intellectual and physical energy to the task of governance8. Is this possible for any human? As teenagers we create our own potential: Milton matters because an understanding of his principles will serve to aid us in becoming the 'perfect', thinking, dreaming, and most importantly, acting citizen. In this essay I focused only on three of Milton's biggest priorities, and greatest dreams. There are many questions left unanswered - however is this not, in fact, exactly why Milton matters? If there was one reason above all that Milton should matter to teenagers it is his lifelong commitment to asking those all-important, probing questions: it is the willingness and ability to ask questions of ourselves that holds hope for the future. I believe that we cannot be satisfied with the present global situation, which is far from perfect. Surely Milton can only matter if we, teenagers, take his themes and ideas and advocate their use. Surely he can only matter if, indeed, we can use our freedom to secure the growth and spread of these ideals. As teenagers in New Zealand, the onus is on us. It is our responsibility to make Milton matter. We need to be inspired to follow Milton's example. We need to question. We need to dream. We need to act. 1. Taylor, G. "Battle of the Bards". TIME Magazine pg. 59. Vol 171, No 22. (June 2, 2008).
2. http://www.classicreader.com/author.php/aut.65/ [Accessed July 15, 2008]
3. Milton, J. "Areopagitica" London: MacMillan and Co. Limited (1915)
4. Corbin, C. "As Obama Talks Religion, Questions Surround his Controversial Pastor". Fox News. (October 8, 2007).
5. Orsman, B. and Cheng, D. "Race Commissioner Condemns Mosque Attacks". New Zealand Herald. (July 11, 2005).
6. Milton, J. "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates". London: Matthew Simmons (1650)
7. http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/milton400/matters.htm#freedom [Accessed July 15, 2008]
8. Ibid.
Bibliography
Referenced Sources: Books:Milton, J. "Areopagitica" London (1644)
Milton, J. "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates". London: Matthew Simmons (1650) Websites:
http://www.classicreader.com/author.php/aut.65/ [Accessed July 15, 2008]
http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/milton400/matters.htm#freedom [Accessed July 15, 2008] Articles:
Corbin, C. "As Obama Talks Religion, Questions Surround his Controversial Pastor". Fox News. (October 8, 2007)
Taylor, G. "Battle of the Bards". TIME Magazine pg. 59. Vol 171, No 22. (June 2, 2008)
Orsman, B. and Cheng, D. "Race Commissioner Condemns Mosque Attacks". New Zealand Herald. (July 11, 2005) Other Sources:
Books:
Milton, L. "Paradise Lost". London: S Simmons. (1674)
Websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/ [Accessed June/July 2008]
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/press/dpp/2008011301 [Accessed July 15, 2008]