Pride and Destruction // Emma Kate Patterson

 A major theme we have explored in both works during out time in honors this year is how pridefulness can lead to downfall. I find it interesting that in book four line 39-41 Satan blames his down fall on the pride and ambition of God. Satan states in these lines," I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere/ Till pride and worse ambition threw me down,/ Warring in Heav'n against Heav'n's matchless King." This is an interesting concept because I for one do not believe that God can have pride. the Bible talks about how pride leads to destruction so I do not believe God can hold a quality that ultimately leads to destruction. I think this is an important concept to remember because ultimately Satan is deceitful and will blame his own problems on others. I do not think that God's pride led to Satans downfall. Conversely I think it is Satan's own pride that got him kicked out of heaven and ultimately led to his downfall. This ties back to the idea that pridefulness leads to down fall because it is Satan's pride that led to his downfall. This idea can also be found in the Bible when it talks about how pride ultimately leads to destruction. It also discusses how pride is of the world and we are to be focused on things above and not of this world. In 1 John 2:16 the Bible states," For everything in the world- the lust of the flush, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of one's possessions- is not from the Father, but is from the world." The Bible makes it clear that ones pride leads to their destruction and this is a common concept we have seen in both works we have read this semester.


I commented on Emma Landry's post and Isabelle Ferguson's post.

Comments

  1. Ian BlairSeptember 13, 2021 at 9:22 PM

    Excellent catch with the similarity between King Lear & Satan on their pridefulness! I think an important lesson with the theme of pride/ego really is to always have people around you who hold your pride in check, but on the flip side we also need those same people to encourage us & lift us up when our self esteem takes a hit. I think that in Satan's case in Paradise Lost, he only consulted himself, & he allowed spitefulness to consume him instead of taking that same struggle before God & wishing for it to be removed from his spirit.

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  2. Emily OttsSeptember 13, 2021 at 10:28 PM

    Absolutely right on God not having pride! Yes, He is above all and is perfect, but He has never had pride. If He did, He would have never sent his only Son to die a sinner's shameful death. Who would want to be known by the fact you child died shamefully? But because He loved, He humbled Himself to save us, and that is something a person with pride cannot do.

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