Paradise Lost Book VI Question

The devil comes up with “infernal engines” in the night, which turn the tide of battle at least temporarily. Are the wicked more ingenious or resourceful than the righteous (think about this a little bit)? (from PHCprep AP English Literature and Composition)

Resourceful: "having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties."

Taking the above definition of resourceful into mind I would say no; The wicked are not more resourceful than the righteous.

So after the first day of fighting the good angels, loyal to God, seem to be the victors and the fallen angels devise a clever way to make the tables turn. These “infernal engines” are no doubt ingenious and resourceful, but the good angels quickly come up with a plan of their own. Although it does not require the building of artillery, they definitely found a quick and clever way to overcome the difficulty at hand by covering them in mountains. So I would say that in this situation the devils are not the only ones being resourceful.

The wicked will often have more options than the righteous, as they do not stave away from immoral acts. In war the wicked would be able to use their resources more fully. For example they might have no problem sending a child into immanent danger if it suited their purposes, whereas the righteous would have to think of a moral plan of action.

In life in general the wicked will be able to do more things, maybe even accomplish more things as they are willing to lie, cheat, steal and kill to get what they want. On the other hand the righteous, might be quite witty, but unwilling to sacrifice eternal morals for momentary success.

I think that if we, as Christians, use our minds and the vast amount of resources he has given us we will be surprised at how many “clever ways” there are to overcome difficulties. But we must never see how the wicked are “succeeding” in this falleng world and wish to be like them, because we know their “success” is but for a moment. And in serving God, ours is eternal.

And the righteous have one overpowering resource that the wicked don’t; The Holy Spirit. In times of trouble Christians have someone to lean on. They have someone to convict their conscious. They have a bubble of wisdom and protection that the wicked are unable to comprehend..