WE ARE NOT USB PORTS

While probing my periodicals for voice-heavy passages, I asked myself: How does my voice come through in my writing? How do I know that it’s me behind the words? I perused some of my more professor-popular papers, and found the ones I most enjoyed reading were—surprise-surprise—the ones I most enjoyed writing.  They concerned subjects I was comfortable with and confident in—subjects I loved.

What does this have to do with the assignment five? Lots. I  discovered in my search for voice-heavy passages, that they were identifiable through tone, strong stance; they made a statement, and let me the reader know that the author was well informed, confident and worthy not only of my attention, but my trust.

It’s about confidence, self assurance—charge. Let’s take a look at some examples from Jonathan H. Collett’s Milton's Use of Classical Mythology in "Paradise Lost."

But a more skillfully controlled handling of the myths to meet the demands of theme and genre must not be mistaken for a rejection of the gods and goddesses as a fertile source of imagery. (88)

This passage struck me as particularly voicey. Why? Because the author here assumes we have, or might potentially be making a mistake: we “must not be mistaken” regarding X. Though he supports the concern, the statement crackles with confidence.

But the express purpose here is to show how the poet's manipulation of this traditional, though now highly qualified, element of imagery in Paradise Lost can be a way of determining the underlying structure of the imagery as a whole in the poem. There are practically no instances in Paradise Lost of myth used exclusively for visual physical description as there are, for example, in Chapman, the Fletchers, or others of the "Spenserians," or in the similes of Homer. Milton's epic similes involving mythical comparisons are point for point relevant to the action of the story. (88)

Here the author takes an even stronger stance: “There are practically no instances in Paradise Lost of myth used exclusively for visual physical description…” --Straight mettle! a sense of—again—confidence: He's saying : Yes, I have examined this poem, and can assure you that X is not Y, but is in fact Z.

The myths likening Eve to the classical goddesses have been well covered by the editors and critics and need only some short comment here to make the picture complete. (93)

Here again we are reassured of the Collett's authority: “myths likening Eve to the classical goddesses have been well covered by the editors and critics…” The author makes it clarion clear that he is familiar with all that has hitherto been said concerning this issue (the myths likening Eve to classical goddesses): ‘Don’t  waste time worrying about this—trust me: this subject has been thoroughly covered; in fact the puzzle is all but complete; and it is I who have come to complete it!’

Is it all about confidence?—nope. But I do think that it plays a part. I imagine that voice has something to do with that thing they call "subjectivity." In class, the professor made a few remarks concerning some doctoral candidates he’s training, students that could tell you anything about what has been said about a subject, but not what they themselves thought. There is nothing wrong with cold, hard, de- -tached logical analysis, but let’s not forget: WE ARE NOT USB PORTS. Think about it, if it was only about what others thought, then how long would it be before our beloved field, blossoming with ideas, peeping with blessed possibilities, became a sterile steppe? 



Collett, Jonathan H. "Milton's Use of Classical Mythology in "Paradise Lost"" PMLA 85.1 (1970): 88-            96.Print.