Creative writing major researches the meaning of Paradise Lost

The case against anyone selecting Milton?s Paradise Lost for their own reading pleasure seems virtually open and shut. It is full of biblical references, countless footnotes and iambic pentameter, good versus evil, and it is long, difficult, and just plain hard to read.  Mark Imielski '08 says he was trying to find the reason why anyone should read it and says that the experience became more personal over the course of the reading.

Exercising his freedom of choice, he turned his evaluation of the lengthy classic into a research project, ?Why exactly do I have to read this again. An honest guide to understanding and interpreting Paradise Lost.? ?I wanted the experience of explaining the virtues of reading it without any critical influence -- just pure emotional reading,? he says.

Imielski, a creative writing major from Hoffman Estates, Illinois, says that his focus has been contemporary poetry, but the references to Paradise Lost were becoming a constant. ?I never felt the need to read any huge epics, but I felt I was missing out on these references and other things. So I decided that I had to do this. It was a way to get out of my comfort zone. A way to test myself.?

Like anyone who has reviewed Paradise Lost, Imielski found many different interpretations. ?The fall of man is so weighty and it means so many different things to different people. I found it interesting to read about God and free will and choices. It got me thinking and questioning in ways I never had before. It was really exciting,? he says.

Like the critics, Imielski found that Paradise Lost takes some effort to understand, but ?the rewards come if you can stay the course. It changed the way I approached reading and understanding poems. Contemporary poems are shorter and easier to interpret. But following the sounds and meter and how the words work together over the course of 800 lines in the books in Paradise Lost, forces you to keep reading.  It lulls you into a sense of security. Eventually I was able to submit to the work, and it became more enjoyable.?

Always interested in writing, Imielski searched for colleges that had a good writing program. Visiting Knox?s campus, he attended a creative writing class and says, ?I had honestly never experienced a class like this. Within the first five minutes of seeing what was going on and how the students and professor interacted together I was sold on coming here.?

When he is not reading or writing poetry, Imielski spends his free time managing WVKC.  The Knox radio station is entirely student-staffed and was recently ranked 10th in the nation in popularity among students in the 2007 edition of the Princeton Review publication, The Best 361 Colleges. He is also a member and poetry editor of Cellar Door an online literary magazine at Knox.

Imielski defines his Knox experience in one word. ?As trite as it sounds ? growth.  Knox has made me become a lot more mature and a lot more driven than I could have imagined. It opened up a lot of opportunities for me and made me realize I could do these things if I wanted to. I?m happy to have chosen the right place.?

As he gets ready to turn the page on the next phase of his life, Imielski looks ahead to five to 10 years from now and says he sees himself destined to earning a Masters in Fine Arts degree and writing a book. ?That would be great, and it is sort of up to me if that happens.?