John milton

Sonnet 19 On his blindness

by

Nariman

Qadr

On his blindnessJohn milton Greatest English poet

after Shakespeare(1608-1674)

About poet

0 John Milton was born on December 9, 1608, in

London

0 lived on Bread Street in Cheapside

0 Milton began to lose his sight in 1644, but went

completely blind around 1650.

0 he died November 8, 1674 in London, England

The poem

0On his blindness0The poet is blind.

0This is a very religious poem.

On his blindness - John Milton0 When I consider how my light is spent,

0 Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,0 And that one Talent which is dear to hide,

0 Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent0 To serve therewith my Maker, and present0 My true account, lest He returning chide,0 'Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?'

0 I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent0 That murmur, soon replies, 'God doth not need0 Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best

0 Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His State0 Is Kingly: thousands at his bidding speed

0 And post o'er Land and Ocean without rest;0 They also serve who only stand and wait.'

When I consider how my light is spent,

The poet is thinking of how he is spending his time.

His life

The time he has left to see.

2 Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide

He is thinking of how he has spend his life before his blindness. Now he is spending his days in darkness.

Ere: before

Half of his life he could see – the other half he is now spending in blindness

Dark world: he is blindWide world: in darkness everything seems endless

Alliteration: world and wide

And that one talent which is death to hide

Talent: the gift of writing

He can’t write now because he is blind

4. Lodged with me useless,

The talent of writing poetry is now useless because the poet cannot see.

Lodged: he is stuck with this talent

Soul more bent: his soul now seems determined to use this talent.

5 though my Soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker

He wants to use his talent (writing) to serve his Maker.

Maker: God

and present: he wants to give to God something.

To serve therewith my maker and present,my true account ,lest he returning chide.

0 Maker=reference to God 0 Chide =criticise 0 True account ,his good work0 He only wants to serve God with his talent 0 He did not use his talent and now he is worried that

God criticise him. 0 returning chide: God will return. He is afraid

God will scold him for not proving what he has done with his talent.

• ‘Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?’

Exact: authority / expectancy

How can God expect him to work a full day, if he withholds his eyesight?

The poet suddenly wonders if God is fair in expecting him to make something of his talent when he is blind.

Metaphor: God is compared with an employer: will God expect a worker to work when there is no light?

Will God expect work that you must do in daylight from him when he cannot see?

• I fondly ask, but Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies

fondly: showing affection and love.

He shows God he asks this question as someone who loves Him and not as someone who judges God.

Personification: of the virtue (patience) and he answers himself

prevent: Patience wants to stop the complaint from reaching God to protect the poet.

Murmur: argue/ complain

• ‘God doth no needEither man’s work or his own gifts:

God does not need anything from man.

God does not need work or gifts.

God does not need your gifts because God gave you the gifts/talents that you have

• Who bestBear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His State is Kingly:

The image of an ox being yoked is used here.

The one who copes well with the mild burden God has given them, serves God well.

The poet’s yoke is his blindness. If he accepts his blindness and copes with it, he serves God well.

God rules like a true King. He is a king.

Kingly: to be proud

• thousands at his bidding speedand post o’er Land and Ocean without rest

Thousands at his bidding: there are thousands of people that do what God commands.

Speed: move fast

Post: travel fast

They travel around the world without rest

• They also serve who only stand and wait

You don’t have to travel around the world to serve God. If you only stand and wait, you also serve God.

Stand and wait: are ready.

Poem • Type: Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet,

consisting of an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines).

• Stylistic devices: Elision, Inversion, Alliteration and Assonance.

• The genre of this poem is to learn how to be who you are without asking.

• The form of the poem is a Petrarchan Sonnet a poem of 14 lines.

• The poem is organized by 14 lines of pattern of rhyme.

• The poem contributes to the rhyme meaning because at the end of each sentence words rhyme with one another.

• Ex. wide, hide, chide, denied, need, speed, best, rest.• Rhyme Scheme: ABBA, ABBA, CDE, and CDE.

themes of poem

0 The theme of the poem is: accepting the love of god unconditionally even though you have a physical disability.

0 The theme of the poem is: that God will always love you no matter what happens to you in life.