On His Blindness by: John Milton

ON HIS BLINDNESSSonnet 16 by John Milton (1655)

JOHN MILTON

1608-1674 (66)

Birthday: Dec 9, 1608 at Spread Eagle in

Bread Street, London

an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man

of letters, and a civil servant for the

Commonwealth (republic) of England under

Oliver Cromwell.

Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep

personal convictions, a passion for freedom

and self determination, and the urgent

issues and political turbulence of his day.

his best works, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained

were written after he became blind.

he is remembered as the greatest English writer of

the 17th century.

His eyesight began to fail in 1644

By 1651, he was totally blind (43)

He died of kidney failure on November 8,1674 (66)

without pain or emotion, according to testimony at the

time no one in the room noticed his passing.

JOHN MILTON’S WORKS (38)Poetic and dramatic works (10)

1631: L'Allegro

Il Penseroso

1634: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle

1638: Lycidas

1645: Poems of Mr John Milton, Both English and Latin

1655: On the Late Massacre in Piedmont

1667: Paradise Lost

1671: Paradise Regained

Samson Agonistes

1673: Poems, &c, Upon Several Occasions

Political, philosophical and religious prose (27)

1641: Of Reformation

Of Prelatical Episcopacy

Animadversions

1642: The Reason of Church-Government Urged against Prelaty

Apology for Smectymnuus

1643: Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce

1644: Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce

Of Education

Areopagitica

1645: Tetrachordon

Colasterion

1649: The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates

Eikonoklastes

1651: Defensio pro Populo Anglicano [First Defence]

1654: Defensio Secunda [Second Defence]

1659: A treatise of Civil Power

The Likeliest Means to Remove Hirelings from the Church

1660: The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth

Brief Notes Upon a Late Sermon

1669: Accedence Commenced Grammar

1670: History of Britain

1672: Artis logicae plenior institutio [Art of Logic]

1673: Of True Religion

1674: Epistolae Familiaries

Prolusiones

1682: A brief History of Moscovia, and other less known Countries lying Eastward of Russia

as far as Cathay, gathered from the writings of several Eye-witnesses (1682)

1823: De Doctrina Christiana

PETRARCHAN SONNET

• A lyric poem with 14 lines

• Popularized by Italian priest Petrarch

• Rhyme schemes of ABBA, ABBA, CDE and CDE

• Originated in Sicily in 13th century with Giacomo da Lentino, a lawyer

• “sonnet” Italian word “sonetto” meaning little song

• The most common theme between the 13th and early 16th Centuries of

sonnets was LOVE

• In later time also focused on religion, politics and other concerns of the

reading public

METERIambic Pentameter

-a line has five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables, for a

total of ten syllables.

Example:

1…….2………..3…………..4…………5

When I | con SID | er HOW | my LIFE | is SPENT

1………….2…………..3……………4……………….5

Ere HALF | my DAYS | in THIS | dark WORLD | and WIDE

Eight-line Stanza (octave)

Presents a theme

Forms the proposition, which

describes a “problem” or

“question”

Rhyme scheme is ABBA, ABBA

Six-line stanza (sestet)

Develops the theme

Proposes the “resolution”

Rhyme scheme is CDE, CDE

or CDC, CDC

Typically, the ninth line initiates what is called the TURN or

VOLTA, which signals the move from proposition to resolution.

ON HIS BLINDNESS

1 When I consider how my light is spent A

2 E're half my days, in this dark world and wide, B

3 And that one Talent which is death to hide, B

4 Lodg’d with me useless, though my Soul more bent A

5 To serve therewith my Maker, and present A

6 My true account, lest he returning chide; B

7 “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?” B

8 I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent A

9 That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need C

10 Either man’s work or his own gifts. Who best D

11 Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His State E

12 Is Kingly; Thousands at his bidding speed, C

13 And post o’er land and ocean without rest; D

14 They also serve who only stand and wait. E

When I consider how my light is spent

“light”

–this word clearly alludes to the speaker’s loss of sight

-the poet thinks of how his “light” is used up or

wasted.

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide

–the speaker in this poem feels vulnerable. Rather than becoming

blind when elderly, he has become blind in middle age.

-He now inhabits a world that seems “dark” in at least 2 senses:

it is no longer physically visible, and it is a world full of sin and

spiritual darkness.

-The world, moreover, is not only dark but also “wide” Milton will

somehow have to navigate, both literally and figuratively, in a

world which will prose many dangers.

And that one talent which is death to hide/ Lodged

with me useless,

“talent” – the gift of writing

“lodged” - stuck

-alluding to the famous passage in the Bible (Mathew 25:14-30)

“Parable of Talents” to the punishment for one talent that is

buried and not utilized may lead to an analysis suggesting

Milton fears his own spiritual punishment, or spiritual “death,”

for the uselessness of his blindness.

though my soul more bent/ To serve therewith my

Maker, and present

“maker” –reference to God

-Milton is saying that now that he is blind, his desire to

serve God is increased.

My true account, lest he returning chide;

“true account”-his good work

“chide” – criticize

-he wishes to give a good account of himself and his

service to God.

-refers to the second coming of Jesus, he

is worried that God will criticize him for

not using his talent

“Doth God exact day labor, light denied?”

-can be paraphrased as “Does God demand that

which cannot be given?”

-Milton asked if God just wants lesser tasks since

his blindness denies him from using his talents.

I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent

“Patience”

-is not a personal trait of the poet, rather God’s Holy Spirit

-personifies it and having it answer Milton’s question

That murmur, soon replies,

“murmur” -complaint

-Patience speaks and explains the nature of God

“God doth not need/ Either man’s work or his own

gifts

-God is sufficient unto Himself. He

requires nothing outside of Himself

to exist and be happy.

Who best/ Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best

“yoke”

-Biblical word for God’s will

-the people who are most respectful to God's will are the

ones who serve God best.

-those who endure their misfortune

without complaining.

His State/ Is Kingly; Thousands at his bidding speed,

And post o’er land and ocean without rest;

They also serve who only stand and wait.

- These lines mean that the whole world are servants to God.

There is more than one way to serve God, and Patience is

telling the poet that even his waiting, caused by his

blindness, can be a kind of service to God.

Octave:

he shows revolt and is

frustrated with his

blindness

Sestet:

Acceptance and

resignation to God’s will

SUMMARY

In this sonnet, the speaker meditates on the fact that he has

become blind (Milton himself was blind when he wrote this). He

expresses his frustration at being prevented by his disability from

serving God as well as he desires to. He is answered by

"Patience," who tells him that God has many who hurry to do his

bidding, and does not really need man’s work. Rather, what is

valued is the ability to bear God’s "mild yoke," to tolerate whatever

God asks faithfully and without complaint. As the famous last line

sums it up, "They also serve who only stand and wait."

EXAMPLES OF FIGURES OF SPEECH

Alliteration: my days in this dark world and wide (line 2)

Metaphor: though my soul more bent/ To serve therewith my

Maker (lines 3-4)

The author compares his soul to his mind

Personification/Metaphor: But Patience, to prevent/ That

murmur, soon replies.. (lines 8-9)

Paradox: They also serve who only stand and wait.

SUBJECT MATTER

• Lamentation

• Concern over judgment

• Acceptance

• Trust and Faith

THEME:

Kamsahamnida!