A Speech For The Liberty Of Unlicensed Printing By John...

‘Areopagitica: A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing’ was written by John Milton in which he argued against censorship and defended free speech and freedom of the press. John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, man of letters, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He was born in Bread Street, London on 9 December 1608. He was known best for his epic poem Paradise Lost. Milton s verse and writing reflect deep individual feelings, a passion for freedom and self-assurance, and the important and contemporary issues and political turbulence of his day. Writing in English, Latin, Greek, and Italian, he was able to gained global name and fame within his lifetime. But he also earned international†¦show more content†¦Areopagitica is full of divine and classical references which Milton uses to strengthen his argument. This is particularly fitting because it was being addressed to the Calvinist Presbyterians who comprised Parliament at that time. The Areopagitica was an attack directed against the Licensing Order Act of 1643, which demanded that an author s work be approved by the government in order for it to be published. Milton sets off his writing with historical evidence noting that Ancient Greece and Rome did not follow to the practice of licensing. In some cases, blasphemous or irreligious writings were burnt and their authors punished, but it was after production that these texts were rejected rather than prior to it. Milton s point is that, if a text is to be rejected, it should first be examined, refuted, and condemned rather than restricted before its ideas have even been expressed. Milton indicates that licensing was first instituted by the Catholics with the Inquisition. This fact appealed to Parliament s religious beliefs since it was dominated by Protestants, and there were conflicts between the Protestants and Catholics in England. Milton provides historical examples of the aftermat h following the Inquisition, including how there were popes in Rome beginning in the 14th century who becameShow MoreRelatedFreedom of Speech3842 Words   |  16 PagesFreedom of speech Freedom of speech  is the freedom to speak freely without  censorship. The synonymous term  freedom of expression  is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations, such as on hate speech. The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a  human