Glorifying terrorism

[wolfinthewood]

I think it is time to glorify a suicide-killer and terrorist.

Manoa. Come, come, no time for lamentation now,
Nor much more cause, Samson hath quit himself
Like Samson, and heroicly hath finish'd
A life Heroic, on his Enemies
Fully reveng'd, hath left them years of mourning,
And lamentation to the Sons of Caphtor
Through all Philistian bounds. To Israel
Honour hath left, and freedom, let but them
Find courage to lay hold on this occasion,
To himself and Fathers house eternal fame;
And which is best and happiest yet, all this
With God not parted from him, as was feard,
But favouring and assisting to the end.
Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail
Or knock the breast, no weakness, no contempt,
Dispraise, or blame, nothing but well and fair,
And what may quiet us in a death so noble.
Let us go find the body where it lies
Sok't in his enemies blood, and from the stream
With lavers pure and cleansing herbs wash off
The clotted gore. I with what speed the while
(Gaza is not in plight to say us nay)
Will send for all my kindred, all my friends
To fetch him hence and solemnly attend
With silent obsequie and funeral train
Home to his Fathers house: there will I build him
A Monument, and plant it round with shade
Of Laurel ever green, and branching Palm,
With all his Trophies hung, and Acts enroll'd
In copious Legend, or sweet Lyric Song.
Thither shall all the valiant youth resort,
And from his memory inflame thir breasts
To matchless valour, and adventures high:
The Virgins also shall on feastful days
Visit his Tomb with flowers, only bewailing
His lot unfortunate in nuptial choice,
From whence captivity and loss of eyes.
Chorus. All is best, though we oft doubt,
What th' unsearchable dispose
Of highest wisdom brings about,
And ever best found in the close.
Oft he seems to hide his face,
But unexpectedly returns
And to his faithful Champion hath in place
Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns
And all that band them to resist
His uncontroulable intent,
His servants he with new acquist
Of true experience from this great event
With peace and consolation hath dismist,
And calm of mind all passion spent.

John Milton (1608–1674)

from Samson Agonistes (ante 1671)

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Comments

Those crazy rebel Puritans.

[plaidder.livejournal.com]

But surely Samson can't possibly be a terrorist. He's in the Bible! And on our side!

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

Re: Those crazy rebel Puritans.

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

You beat me to it.

No one on our side is ever a terrorist, even if they appear to do the same things a terrorist does, like destroy buildings in a suicide attack. Because if God is on your side, you're never a terrorist. And God is always on "our" side. Unlike terrorists, who have ... well, yes, they say they have God on their side too, but clearly they don't, because God would never be on their side because he's on our side.

I think I need to go lie down now.

Re: Those crazy rebel Puritans.

[wolfinthewood.livejournal.com]

And if someone is not on our side, totally, in everything, then he must be a terrorist. On Wednesday the once proud British Labour Party roughly ejected a delegate of eighty-two for shouting 'Nonsense' in response to some particularly egregious nonsense about Iraq in a speech by the Foreign Secretary, and then detained him *under the Prevention of Terrorism Act*. To add to the bitter irony, decades ago the delegate came to this country as a Jewish refugee from the Nazis. Okay, yesterday the Party apologised and let him back into the conference - but only after they grasped that they had made a major cock-up in presentation.

Re: Those crazy rebel Puritans.

[morgan-dhu.livejournal.com]

Does anyone over there still read 1984? Most days, it seems as though most people on this side of the Atlantic have forgotten it was ever written.

And it's still one of the best critical literary examples I know of, of the wholesale use of language and imagery to mould social and political thought.

There are times when I look at the news - especially US networks like FOX - and I could swear Winston Smith is sitting right beside me, waiting for the latest revisions on the chocolate quotas amid all the bigger lies.