Research Paper on:
The Angels That Followed Satan in 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
actively choose to leave such a paradise. To leave the presence of God, and the exist as an enemy of God, from an conscious standpoint, seems somewhat incomprehensible. Yet, according  to Milton, and the history contained in the Bible, many angels did actively choose to leave the presence of God and join with Satan as outcasts of heaven. In the  following paper we examine why Miltons angels, in "Paradise Lost," decided to take the fall, join with Satan, and leave the presence of God. Why Follow Satan? It  is important to first note that angels were not necessarily considered to possess free will. This was something that was offered as a gift to the creation of man. We  see throughout Miltons text that free will is a very big issue between the angels and man. Angels are allowed to experience the power and the intensity of the love  that exists from God but they are not given free will. Mankind, on the other hand, does not have power nor does he truly experience the power of love as  the angels do. Mankind does, however, have free will. In a political sense this issue illustrates a condition wherein beings are not allowed freedoms. Milton himself "advocated freedom  of the press, freedom of speech, religious toleration among Protestants, the sovereignty of the people, the power of sovereigns deriving from those governed, and the natural right of a people  to change a corrupt government" (Simkins milton.html). Now, while the fallen angels were not necessarily up against an unjust system, Satan obviously thought so and he rebelled against it, convincing  his followers that a life which offered some free will, some sense of freedom from the servitude of an angelic position, was better and offered more opportunity for power, even