A Poet, a revolution, and a fallen angel

For most of us, it's difficult to find time for poetry. Enjoying a poem requires a certain timelessness which is hard to find in our hectic daily lives. And for a 12-act epic poem like Paradise Lost, well… it can be intimidating. That’s why I want to take the time to express my admiration and enthusiasm for Milton and his work, in hopes that someone will take the time to explore it.

John Milton's first published poem, at the age of 24, appeared in a very distinguished place--the preface to the Second Folio of Shakespeare! Then a student at Cambridge, he was already a highly respected wordsmith. His early poems were mainly religious or secular sonnets in Latin. He earned a government pension as a poet, and his reputation spread across Europe.

In 1644, at the age of 36, he felt compelled to give up his quiet life to intervene in politics. Before that, he occasionally published anonymous pamphlets, but this time he openly defied government censorship to publish a defense of free speech, Areopagitica. As he put it:

"[With] small willingness I [...] leave a calm and pleasing solitariness fed with cheerful and confident thoughts, to embark in a troubled sea of noises and hoarse disputes, put from beholding the bright countenance of Truth in the quiet and still air of delightful studies to come into the dim reflexion of hollow antiquities sold by the seeming bulk."

1641-1660 was a transformative period in British history (now called the British Civil Wars). It started as a civil war between the secular and religious aristocracy of England (Parliamentarians and Presbyterians) and the king and archbishop. After their initial military victory, Parliament split on the issue of religious freedom: Presbyterians wanted enforced Presbyterianism across Britain, while the Independents supported religious toleration. “Parliament's Army” was mainly Independent commoners, and when the dust settled, the king was executed and England became a secular republic under the control of Parliament. After conquering Scotland and Ireland, the Independent general Oliver Cromwell seized power in 1653 and became de facto king. After his death in 1659, the Republic collapsed; Parliament was re-formed and the son of the executed king was returned to the throne ("the Restoration"). There was considerable bloodshed and repression during the Civil Wars, but overall British society became more liberal and democratic.

(Incidentally, during this period there was also a major shift in the English language: present-tense verbs like moveth, eateth, jumpeth inexplicably became moves, eats, jumps.)

In the early years, Milton risked his life to defend freedom of speech and religious toleration. When the Republic was founded he became its chief diplomat, and remained so despite Cromwell's increasingly illiberal policies. He published several famous poems praising Cromwell, but their actual relationship is unknown. It is also unclear why he wasn’t executed along with the other Republicans at the Restoration.

The early years of the Restoration were a terrible time for Milton. The freedoms he had fought for were being eliminated; he was so unpopular that he couldn't safely walk the streets; his wife died in childbirth, leaving him with three young children; and a chronic infirmity left him completely blind. This was his state of mind when he wrote his greatest work, Paradise Lost.

Paradise Lost is a Homeric epic poem based on Satan's war against God and his temptation of Eve. An epic is a comprehensive record of the major characters and themes of mythology, driven by a central story about a Hero, that is, someone who acts out of free will and not under the control of divine powers. Here we can see Milton’s exceptional subtlety—his readers expect a Hero, yet the central figure is Lucifer himself. Milton was a devout Christian, and he would never present Satan as a heroic or sympathetic figure. Even so, many readers have sympathy for Lucifer from his eloquent and tenacious defense of liberty. How can this be explained? In his life, Milton met many Luciferian “heroes,” immoral rebels who used liberty as a call to arms; the Hero question brings his readers face-to-face with this moral ambiguity. In other words, he used a 2000-year-old literary form to attack the moral lapses of his countrymen. Seen through this prism, many Christian figures acquire a new layer of meaning.

(A closer reading of the text shows that despite his prominence, Lucifer cannot be the Hero because he has no real free will: he will always fight against God. Adam and Eve passively receive temptation then divine wisdom, and the angels all follow God or Lucifer. The only figure who shows free will is Christ, who intervenes with mercy and later with vengeance against the Fallen Angels.)

Milton was ingenious in his poetry as well. He was fluent in English, French, Italian, Latin, ancient Greek, and Hebrew, so he knew the origins of many English words. With ingenious syntax and spelling, he produced many double meanings. When Satan “affronts” God, he offends Him but also stands face to face. When Satan is “transported by rage” he is overcome with emotion but also propels himself forward. This rich language is woven throughout the whole poem.

For the sake of brevity, I can only scratch the surface. There are numerous critics who illuminate one facet or another of his genius (notably Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Northrop Frye, and Christopher Ricks) for those who are interested in reading further.

Пустой текст

Здравствуйете русские !

Я написал этот текст, чтобы знать, если можно здесь (сам)издать по-русски. Я напишу больше, когда у меня будет интересная мысль.

Для тех, которые не могут читать по-английски: я молодой канадский инженер, который за последнее время научился русский язык. Мне ещё медленно и трудно. Если бы кто-то написал мне, я был бы рад.

Message secret franco suivra

Un gros bonjour à mes lecteurs francophones! Aujourd’hui, mes pensées sont exclusivement à vous. Je ne veux pas perdre « le langage de l’amour » quand je pars de Montréal, donc de temps en temps j’écrirai ainsi. (Si ce site le permet, j’écrirai en Russe aussi. Quel buffet linguistique!)

Mais à quel sujet écrire? Tel que d’habitude, mon p’tit crâne déborde d’idées. Je pourrais écrire une ode à Victor Hugo. Je pourrais médire nos cousins américains sans qu’ils en sachent. Je pourrais m’y mêler dans « la question québécoise ». Ah! voilà—une esquisse au sujet de ses citoyens.

Quoique j’ai hâte de partir, j’ai bien aimé mon temps ici à Montréal. C’est un lieu culturel sans pareil, abondant 8 mois de l’année de festivals musicaux, cinématiques, gourmands, littéraires, sportifs, nationaux… Ses restaurants, marchés, parcs, musées et édifices historiques m’ont aussi fait grand plaisir. (On dit que ses micro-brasseries, clubs et after-hours-partys sont aussi superbes, mais la drogue ne m’intéresse pas.) La seule plainte que j’ai vis-à-vis Montréal est que son infrastructure fait pitié—sauf le système métro, tous ses services publics sont de qualité embarrassant.

On appelle ses citoyens « cosmopolites », mais ce n’est pas tout-à-fait cela. Ils ont un mélange étrange d’esprit de corps montréalais et de chauvinisme national (grec, portugais, chinois, libanais etc.) ou social (les ginos, les punks, les hippies, les indy-rockers etc.). Quelques mois après mon arrivé on 2001, ma voisine m’a dit que la langue anglaise est « comme un virus » et de temps en temps j’entends de tels niaiseries au sujet des Italiens, Juifs ou Jamaïquains ou des squeegee kids, Westmounters ou étudiants McGill. Pourtant, lors des festivals l’été nous sommes tous Montréalais. Cela dit, il y avait beaucoup de résistance à la fusion municipale; ceux de Montreal West ou de Rosemont ne voulaient pas être mêlés avec ceux de Ville-Marie ou Ville-Saint-Laurent. Quelle étrange de compagnie!

Il y a une autre chose qui me vient à l’esprit: le sort des Coréens et Vietnamiens à Montréal. Ils se sont très bien organisés—ils possèdent et gèrent presque tous les dépanneurs ici, et je suis certain qu’ils n’avaient pas beaucoup d’argent quand ils sont arrivés. On me dit que chaque dépanneur prospère met de l’argent dans une cagnotte pour leurs compatriotes qui immigrent. Quoi que ce soit, leur système d’économie sociale fonctionne admirablement.

Je m’arrêterai là parce que je ne veux pas vous tromper... Montréal a une immense diversité et richesse d’esprit et je ne veux pas obscurcir sa magnifique écologie urbaine en énumérant ad nauseam certains de ses catégories de « faune ». Les Montréalais sont une bonne gang de fous et je ne peux pas vous l’expliquer davantage. C’est insatisfaisant comme explication je sais, mais c’est tout mon possible.

Ci-haut, j’ai parlé gros au sujet de Montréal mais la « question québécoise » ne s’est jamais présentée. Ceci n’était pas intentionnel, mais en faite je ne crois pas que Montréal fait parti du Québec (tambours et trompettes) tel les Bernard Landrys de ce monde le définissent. Laval oui sans doute, et certains faubourgs aussi, mais pas le Montréal de Crescent Street ou du Quartier Latin ou même de Outremont. Je ne dis pas que ces gens n’ont pas de loyauté à la nation québécoise, mais à mon avis ils ne sont pas prêts à opprimer les gens ou fracturer un pays pour secourir le Québec franco. Les gens ici ont trop de liens interculturels pour cela. Ces jours-ci « la question québécoise », à mon avis, est la propriété de ceux qui veulent se profiter des exploits artistiques et sociales des Québécois pour attendre le pouvoir politique. Les Québécois, franco, anglo ou allo, ont assez de marge de manoeuvre qu’ils peuvent vivre leur vie à son potentiel sans nuire aux autres.

Ces pensées sont une description pas mal maigre d’une ville et une province qui m’ont accueilli pendant 6 ans, but c’est déjà long pour un blog; alors pour le moment je vais me taire.

Plastic is good for you

Most entries on this site will be opinions rather than feelings because they are much easier to put into words. I submitted the essay below 8 months ago to an obscure Green Party magazine which has apparently disbanded. Although my opinions have evolved, I’ll print it here unchanged and elaborate on the subject in a later entry.

Plastic is good for you

“Paper or plastic?” 25 years ago, grocery stores were a battleground for environmentalists. Would you like healthy, renewable paper or evil, life-destroying plastic? In North America at least, that war was decisively won by plastic, but as we approach the end of cheap oil, the question arises again with a new urgency. As Greens, we need to figure out what we did wrong last time--and what to do now.

This article is not really about plastic bags. That has an easy solution, already practised worldwide: sell groceries in bulk and require customers to bring their own containers. When oil is scarce, that’s what Canadians will do too. Instead, it is about the petroleum products that don't have such a painless alternative. A poorly planned or unplanned transition (ie Liberal or Conservative) to a post-petroleum economy could have serious human and ecological consequences. The Green Party is supposed to be about addressing inconvenient truths; well, here’s one of them.

Like it or not, oil has been good to us. Modern (ie petroleum-based) medicine added 30 years to our life expectancy; synthetic fertilizers and pesticides tripled food production per acre and cut farm labour to almost zero; cars and planes let us criss-cross the world rapidly and comfortably; we can heat and cool our buildings at will; and nearly everything we use from margarine, paint, and shampoo to clothes, furniture, and electronics are made from oil. Even our solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars are produced with oil. However, thankfully for the global climate, oil extraction is nearing its geological limit. Production has already peaked in every country except Saudi Arabia and Iraq (both of which, incidentally, are under US occupation). When they peak, there will be a permanent scarcity of oil, with unpredictable but certainly unpleasant results. Start removing items from the list above and you’ll see what I mean. That’s why it’s important to decide now, while we still have time and resources, how we will handle that transition. For each petroleum product, we need to either learn to do without or create (and implement) an ecologically sound alternative. If left without heating fuel, Canadians will choose burning coal or firewood over freezing to death every time.

Specific alternatives are far too numerous to list here, so I will use the Paper or Plastic analogy. "Paper" (ethanol fuel, wind power, medicinal herbs, hemp, traditional soap, wood, etc.) is biodegradable, non-toxic, and carbon-neutral but requires considerable land to be mass produced, which means either reducing food production or expanding into natural habitats. One tank of ethanol consumes enough corn to feed one person for a year. It is mathematically impossible to operate our current economy entirely from natural sources. "Plastic" (gasoline, coal, pharmaceuticals, detergents, plastics, natural gas, etc.) is nonbiodegradable and contributes to global warming but can be stockpiled to compensate for shortages of natural goods. As well, anything high-tech is produced synthetically. Paper comes ultimately from solar energy, and Plastic comes from fossil fuels.

After weighing the pros and cons, the Paper alternative is usually better. With enough time and expertise, I’m sure we could create a detailed plan for the optimal post-petroleum economy. Is that the end of the story? No! We’ve forgotten the lessons of 25 years ago: the general public will usually choose plastic over paper. Canadians want to buy bananas and coffee beans at a supermarket, not grow potatoes and radishes in a rooftop garden. Even when Greens win seats in Parliament, we won’t have the muscle to compel the whole country to live green. They want an alternative that is not only more sensible but more convenient. That said, what should we do? Widespread change won’t happen without a serious energy shortage, but preparations can be put in place now. Urban renewal, cycling, green architecture, green chemistry, urban and organic gardening, cottage industry, off-grid energy, and energy efficiency initiatives will provide the infrastructure and expertise needed to scale up for the general population when petroleum becomes expensive or unavailable. In other words, when the time comes we want our green alternatives to be the most comfortable and effortless option for Canadians. A few years of practice and preparation will give us a head start. These are sensible short-term projects as well, and most are already part of the Green Party platform. The key, however, is to turn these ideas into brick and mortar. Don’t wait to convince everyone around you that it’s a good idea--find a way to do it yourself on a small scale.

The Green values of diversity and decentralisation will be especially important in a post-petroleum and global warm’d world. No one has all the answers; in the 21^st century, all bets are off. We should each use our own creativity, wisdom, and perseverance to work toward a green future for our community. Some projects will fail in the face of unprecedented obstacles, but together we can learn from our mistakes and learn to prosper once more.

Plastique : délicieux et bénéfique

« Papier ou plastique? » Il y a 25 ans, les supermarchés étaient un champ de bataille pour les verts. Que choisir--du papier sain et renouvelable ou du plastique suffocant et toxique? Ici au Canada, le plastique a remporté la victoire, mais avec la fin du pétrole qui approche, la décision est remit en question. Nous les Verts doivent identifier quelle était notre erreur… et ce qu’on fera cette fois.

En faite, cet article ne concerne pas les sacs d’épicerie. Cela a déjà une solution utilisée à travers le monde : les magasins vendent la nourriture en vrac et les clients apportent leurs propres barquettes. Quand le plastique sera cher, les Canadiens feront ça aussi. Cet article concerne plutôt les produits pétroliers qui n’ont pas d’alternative indolore. Une transition bâclé ou involontaire (c’est-à-dire, Libéral ou Conservateur) à une économie post-pétrole aura de conséquences sociaux et écologiques graves. Le Parti Vert est fier d’aborder des inconvenient truth; et bien, en voici une.

Grâce au pétrole, nous avons une très bonne vie. Notre système de santé, qui est pétrolier de fond en comble, nous a donné 30 ans de vie additionnels; les engrais et pesticides chimiques ont triplé la production agricole par km² et ont réduit la besogne presqu’à zéro; nous pouvons traverser le monde rapidement et confortablement par auto ou avion; nous pouvons chauffer ou rafraîchir nos édifices à volonté; et presque tous nos effets, de la margarine, peinture, et shampooing aux vêtements, meubles, et produits électroniques sont faites de pétrole. Même nos panneaux solaires, éoliennes, et chars électriques sont fabriqués avec le pétrole. Pourtant, heureusement pour le climat, l’extraction de pétrole approche sa limite géologique. La production a déjà passé son maximum partout au monde sauf l’Irak et l’Arabie Saoudite (tous deux occupé par l’armée américaine, sans doute une coïncidence). Quand leur production culmine et commence à diminuer, il y aura une pénurie permanente de pétrole, avec de résultats incertains mais certainement désagréables. Relisez la liste ci-haut et vous verrez le problème. C’est pour ça qu’il faut se préparer maintenant, quand nous avons le temps et les ressources pour le faire. Pour chaque produit pétrolier « essentiel » nous devons soit apprendre à s’en passer, soit créer (et mettre en pratique) une alternative écologique. Quelqu’un qui se trouve soudainement sans chauffage l’hiver choisira de brûler le bois ou le charbon pour éviter de mourir de froid.

Puisque les options spécifiques sont si nombreuses, je vais les classer de Papier ou Plastique. « Papier » (carburant éthanol, éoliennes, herbes médicinales, chanvre, savon traditionnel, bois, etc.) est biodégradable, non-toxique, et carbone-zéro, mais sa production en masse exige beaucoup de terre. Il faudra réduire les récoltes alimentaires ou défricher des habitats naturels. Carburer votre auto avec du éthanol une fois utilise assez de maïs pour nourrir quelqu’un pendant un an. Il est tout à fait impossible de maintenir notre économie 2007 par moyens naturelles. « Plastique » (essence, charbon, drogues, détergents, plastiques, gaz naturel, etc.) sont non-biodégradable et contribuent à l’effet de serre, mais ils peuvent suppléer à un manque de produits naturels. Tout ce qui est high-tech est produit ainsi. En fin de compte, Papier vient de l’énergie solaire et Plastique vient des énergies fossiles.

La plupart du temps, l’option Papier est plus sensée. Avec assez de temps et savoir-faire, nous pourrions sans doute créer un plan détaillé de l’économie post-pétrole idéale. Le débat est-il réglé? Hélas non! On a oublié la leçon des années 80 : le publique préfère le plastique. Ils veulent acheter des bananes et des grains de café à une épicerie et non cultiver des patates et des radis dans leur jardin. Même quand les Verts seront au Parlement, nous ne pourrons pas forcer les Canadiens à voir la vie en vert. Ils veulent une alternative à la fois sage et commode. Cela dit, que devons-nous faire? Tôt ou tard, les circonstances obligeront chaque Canadien à chercher des alternatives au pétrole; si nous mettons en œuvre ces alternatives à petite échelle dès maintenant, il y aura une réserve d’infrastructure et de compétences quand le temps viendra de l’augmenter au reste du pays. Autrement dit, on veut que l’option verte soit l’option la plus évidente et commode pour les Canadiens. Quelques années de pratique et de préparations nous aideront à atteindre ce but. Des projets rénovation urbaine, cyclisme, architecture vert, chimie vert, agriculture urbaine et bio, industrie artisanale, énergies douces ou conservation d’énergie sont importants maintenant, mais ils le seront davantage d’ici 10 ans. La plate-forme Parti Vert contient déjà une vision semblable; ce qu’il nous faut c’est des Verts pour les exécuter. N’attendez pas de convaincre le publique--trouvez un moyen de le faire vous-même.

Les valeurs Verts de la diversité et la décentralisation seront indispensables dans un monde post-pétrole et effet-de-serré. Nul ne sais ce qui se passera ni la manière qu’on devra réagir. Chacun doit utiliser son créativité, sagesse et persévérance pour construire un futur vert dans son communauté. Certains projets vont faillir à cause des obstacles énormes du 21^e siècle, mais ensemble nous pourrons apprendre de nos erreurs et apprendre à prospérer de nouveau.

I am your pamphleteer

(tip-'o-the-hat to The Weakerthans)
Hello world!
Allow me to introduce myself: I am Beloved by Millions, currently a lowly engineering student in Montreal. In a few weeks I will graduate and up anchor (so I make no promises about future content). Please do not assume from my letterhead that this blog is the self-absorbed bellyaching of a jilted lover—you will see in a moment why I chose this emblem and moniker. Those who abhor talking about “feelings” can skip to a more substantive entry, "Plastic is good for you."

Like most pamphleteers (“bloggers” nowadays), I want a way to pour my heart out, a microphone that no-one can take away from me. If I have an audience of zero, so be it; I don’t need anyone’s recognition or approval. But I would like to think someone out there will read my words and learn a little more about the human condition. So here goes…

In the course of my studies, I met the woman of my dreams. She is an honest-to-god Muse, with an indomitable spirit, a fascinating mind, the face of an angel, and the body of a beauty queen. I could sing her praises all day, but the specifics aren’t important—I’m certain some of those reading have met the man or woman of their dreams, so they know how I feel. To those who haven’t, there is nothing I can say to convey it. As you might have gathered by my broken-heart letterhead, she and I did not live happily ever after. Although we remain close friends, these days she lives 9000 km away in the Middle East.

In the 3 years we've been apart, I’ve written her dozens of blog-style dispatches containing a crystallization of my thoughts and feelings. She rarely writes back, and when we speak on the phone we generally talk about superficial matters. She says that she loves to read them, and I continued to do so for so long because that way I could feel close to her again. Recently, though, I’ve had second thoughts: it’s probably unhealthy to be so emotionally exclusive towards someone I have no romantic future with. So that’s why I started this site: this way anyone who is interested can find out what I am thinking. It symbolically marks my entry into a wider world. Although it is dedicated to her, and she is probably among its audience, my inamorata is not the subject of this blog. I am enriched by my love for her, but I no longer feel constrained by it. My handle “Beloved by Millions” is a tacit admission that neither this blog nor its author are beloved by more than a select few… but those few make all the difference!

So without further ado, I will step up to the mic. “Is this thing on...?”