Maris Tiller
FSEM – Forbidden Texts
08/31/2021
The article itself, in my opinion, is a bit unfocused. Blasi could have benefited from editing his work some more. There was much more time spent on historical context and Milton’s work than there was on Blasi’s own point about the work and what it can teach us about how we view the First Amendment. When the reader gets to the end of the article, it feels almost unfinished. Of course, context is very important in writing, especially in analysis. The reader may not have consumed (as I, and I’m assuming many of my fellow classmates have not read or really even heard of Areopagitica) the piece being discussed and therefore need it summarized for them. However, I think Blasi takes this too far, plying the reader with too much information that is not very necessary. Something that struck me was the fact that he spent nearly four pages explaining Milton’s religious beliefs and how one cannot separate the author from his religious convictions, something that could have been accomplished in perhaps a few paragraphs. Of course, this is important context to the piece as well as to Milton, but by spending so much time on it, Blasi draws away from his main point, that being that Milton’s writing can be applied very well to the modern day. The reason he addresses Milton’s religious convictions is to point out how the article might be considered dated to modern readers, which is important to address, but personally I think he could have addressed this without taking time away from his own arguments.
That being said, I find the points about censorship raised by Milton as well as Blasi in this piece interesting, because broadly, I agree. I believe, personally, that all information, no matter how controversial, should not ever be outright banned. To read these texts, to learn of them, and discuss them is how one becomes informed. Attempts to censor will only lead to ignorance and frustration. Besides that, controversial opinions can serve to critique corrupt power and can be used to seek out social change. While Areopatica might be dated in some aspects, as Blasi points out, I think that essential message is timeless: that the freedom to spread ideas and discuss them is essential in a society that calls itself free.