Extra credit: 1 point
In Book V, a particular phrase caught my attention. From lines 538-540, the angel Raphael proclaims, "Freely we serve because we freely love as in our will to love or not: in this we stand or fall." I believe that in this proclaimation Raphael is trying to explain that like the angels, humans choose to freely serve God because they love God. It is because of our own free will that we choose to love God. Raphael further expresses the understanding to mankind that we are not forced by God nor our own nature to serve or love Him. I have interpreted that God has given us freedom of our own will. We are not obliged to serve God, but our desire for happiness and love from God directs us toward Him. Like Raphael and the other angels, we choose to follow God by our own free will.
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You have a good literal understanding of the passage, which is a necessary start for close reading, but the value judgment is about how readers are expected to respond. Here, for instance, what attitude are readers asked to take towards God and free will?
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