“Alas! that I am utterly dispossessed of everlasting joy, that I may not reach up my hands to heaven nor may I look upward with my eyes, nor indeed shall I ever hear with my ears the sound of the clearest trumpet” (Christ 91). “Christ and Satan” tell, of the Lucifer’s fall from the heavenly kingdom and his way of dealing with it. One way is to cry out from hell with speeches like that of the one previously stated. The Christian version of this story is lackluster compared to the Anglo-Saxon version. The “Anglo-Saxon version has more substance and dramatic speeches that are being cried out from the bellows of hell. In fact, the Christian version is almost completely devoid of substance. The entire poem of “Christ and Satan” is full of complex…show more content… Then why is this passage in what is believed to be a form of Anglo-Saxon religious text? Well, simply put, to educate. This passage is here to educate the Anglo-Saxons in the ways that Satan uses to con them. By identifying Satan’s speech as venomous, even though his words do not appear that way is to help to teach the Anglo-Saxons. Not just this passage, but also the whole work of “Christ and Satan” can be seen as a text to educate people on the lies and manipulations that Satan uses to trick people into sinning. Satan using lies to manipulate people into sinning is not a new idea, but to a group of people like the Anglo-Saxons who are just learning this new religion, something like this could come as a surprise. Maybe, the Anglo-Saxons did not even realize this until it was pointed out, never-the-less, this passage would be a way to introduce a key element to the Anglo-Saxon about their new religion—Satan…show more content… Usually besmirched is defined as meaning to have one’s intergrade or reputation tarnished by others. The Oxford English Dictionary defines besmirched as to soil. When looking at this word choice and the spots that it is meant to lead that reader into thinking a certain way. “Now I am besmirched by my deeds, wounded by evils; now I have to bear this shackle of torment burning upon my back” this is meant to be read as that Satan is only soiled by what he did (Christ 91). The other places that this word shows up attempts to give off the same perception. Using this word, as opposed to a word like forsaken or unredeemable, is Satan trying to downplay what he did. Satan was trying to make it not seem like him trying to drive God out of heaven is not truly an unforgivable act, even though it really is. This is best seen when Satan says, “I am to endure this punishment, the misery, torment and pain, deprived of blessings, besmirched by my former deeds, because I thought to drive the Lord, the Ruler of the hosts, from off his throne.” (Christ 92). Satan uses several rhetorical tricks in the piece “Christ and Satan” but, this is the most subliminal one because it is not something that the average person reading this text would pick up on. No matter how subtle the rhetoric is, in the end it will still accomplish its intended purpose, with Satan that purpose is to get one to question the will of God and to eventual sin against