On His Blindness by John Milton (2023)

FAQs

What is the answer given in the poem On His Blindness? ›

Answer: The lesson 'On His Blindness' the poet teaches us that we must bear with our misfortunes and sorrows without complaining about them or losing faith in God and His justice. We must understand that whatever condition we are in. it is according to God's will.

He says that he desired to serve his Maker but because of this blindness he cannot do so.

Solution : Milton had become completely blind in the middle of his life. God had given him one precious talent, the talent of writing poetry. But this talent is now lying useless with him.

The sonnet "On His Blindness" teaches us a moral lesson. It teaches about the mighty weapon of success. That is patience. The human life is full of ups and downs.

The poem, 'Answer' by Carol Ann Duffy gives an answer to an implied, rather enigmatic question: “Will I always love you?”; “Will you marry me?”; “Would I still love you if …?” And to give an answer to these questions; the poet makes use of the traditional idea of the four elements; earth, water, fire, and air, with ...

Although we commit mistakes and face failures there is always a hope for a next chance in our lives. We must have a strong desire to try and make our life and our world better.

This sonnet is marked by a brooding sense of despondency arising out of his blindness. He feels sad that he will not be able to serve the God with his talent of writing poetry. In this poem Milton is very unhappy and feels sad because he became completely blind when he was in his forty-fourth year.

Analysis of John Milton's On His Blindness

Milton feels guilty that, due to the loss of his eye sight, he is not able to write poems in praise of God. He thinks that on the Day of Judgement, God might perhaps chide him for wasting the “Talents” given to him.

Patience is often personified in Christian art because of its role in helping one to achieve important virtues like courage and wisdom. The speaker is about to "murmur" his foolish question about whether God would be so cruel as to make impossible demands of work, but then his patience steps in to stop him.

In the 17^th Century, John Milton rewrites the story of creation in epic form to flesh out the characters and actions leading to the Fall. In both the Bible and in Paradise Lost, Eve is to blame from humankind's exile for the Garden of Eden and for giving into Satan's temptation.

What does the last line mean On His Blindness? ›

In these lines, the poet says that God has given him the talent of poetic composition, and if he cannot produce something worthwhile using that talent, he deserves to die. However, his talent has been rendered useless by losing his eyesight. Even so, he wishes to serve God by using his talent.

In the opening of Paradise Lost, Milton invokes his Muse, the Holy Spirit, to grant him “Eternal Providence” that he may achieve his goal for the epic: to “justify the ways of God to men” (PL I. 25- 26). Milton believed in a God that was infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient (Fallon 33).

Theme is the lesson about life or statement about human nature that the poem expresses. To determine theme, start by figuring out the main idea. Then keep looking around the poem for details such as the structure, sounds, word choice, and any poetic devices.

Saramago uses blindness as a metaphor for both personal misfortune and social catastrophe. The story begins when the first blind man loses his vision in his car while waiting for a traffic light to change. The man who helps him get safely home goes back and steals his car.

A moral is the meaning or message conveyed through a story. The moral is the meaning that the author wants the reader to walk away with. They can be found in every type of literature, from poetry to fiction and non-fiction prose. Usually, the moral is not stated clearly.

The poet is trying to teach us that we should do only one thing at a time if we do not do so then none of our work will be Done properly..

The general meaning is a kind of summary of what the author expresses in the poem. Thus, it is based on a reading of the whole poem. It should be expressed simply in one, or at the most two sentences.

"I" is referred to the rain in the poem.

A theme is the message, or lesson, that the reader learns by reading the story. Sometimes a story has a particular kind of message, known as a moral. A moral is a type of message that teaches a reader a life lesson, such as what is right or wrong, how to make decisions, or how to treat other people.

Answer: The most important thing that the poet has learnt is that children should be kept away from the television set or not to install the television set at all.

What lesson do you learn from this story? ›

A story's message, or theme, is what the author wants to teach you through his or her writing. Some stories have a specific kind of message called a moral, or a life lesson. You can find the message of a story by looking at the characters' actions and focusing on what is repeated throughout the story.

Answer: The poet is feeling sorry because he could not travel both the roads.

Ans: The poet is pained at the ageing and decaying of her mother.

(b) The poet doubts his coming back because one path would lead to another path.

(d) What does the narrator regret? Answer: The narrator regrets the fact that he cannot travel on both the paths. He also regrets the fact that he cannot come back to the start once he makes a choice.

At first, he is not sure whether God has acted justly in making him blind at the crucial moment of his life. Milton is not proud of his poetic talent as he knows that he is obliged to God for his oft. But the problem is how he will use that gift when he has lost his gift. He is indeed deeply troubled.

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, The poem begins with the speaker's consideration of how he has spent the years of his life, represented as his “light.” This light and being a metaphor for life are also a literal representation of Milton's life days in which he could see.

“Who best / bear his mild yoke” means the people who are most obedient to God's will (which is mild, not difficult). These people are the ones who serve God best. The image of the yoke is also Biblical; a yoke was a kind of harness put on oxen but in Matthew 11:29-30 it is an image for God's will.

“Light denied” in this context means blindness. Notice that there is an undercurrent of blame in this metaphor. “Denied” suggests that someone took his sight. This reveals both the speaker's anger over losing his sight and his inability to express this anger at God.

Dickinson uses personification to convey how death is like a person in her poem “Because I could Not Stop for Death.” This is shown when she conveys how death waits for her.

Why did Milton lose his sight? ›

Milton's vision had been declining over the years, but in 1652, he went completely blind. The exact cause is unknown, though he claimed it was because 'I never extinguished my lamp before midnight' in his youth. The most likely cause was glaucoma.

John Milton (1608–1674) has often been regarded as the greatest poet of his time, yet he did not compose his most famous work, Paradise Lost, until after he had become blind in both eyes.

As Aristotle states, the tragic hero's misfortunes must be a result of an error of judgment rather than a flaw in character, and Eve, though ambitious, remains a perfect being before the Fall. Her mistake occurs when she considers Satan's argument, finally giving in to her ambitious desire to become like a god.

The last two lines of the poem mean the acceptance of reality. The poet made a choice and accepted the challenging path. He took and unexplored path in his life. He wanted to do something different in his life so he chooses the less travelled road.

The last two lines of the poem mean that the poet accepts reality. The poet made a choice and took the challenging path. He wanted do something different in his life so he choose the less travelled road.

The last two lines have the quintessence of the poem. The poet expresses his opinion that it becomes difficult for a normal human being to change his/her decision. The poet intends to walk on the first road but he couldn't do so because life does not offer multiple chances to choose.

Then he invokes the Holy Spirit, asking it to fill him with knowledge of the beginning of the world, because the Holy Spirit was the active force in creating the universe.

Milton's God is Trinitarian – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three Persons in one God – and so his conversation expresses relationship within and between himself. God the Father takes upon him the facet of justice, God the Son that of mercy.

To censor truth is to all but compel it to mingle itself with error, to hide itself even further from our view. Rather than try to suppress it, we must allow it to follow its own winding course; then only will we be able to seek it out in all its forms.

The central theme of a poem represents its controlling idea. This idea is crafted and developed throughout the poem and can be identified by assessing the poem's rhythm, setting, tone, mood, diction and, occasionally, title.

What is the story blindness about? ›

An ophthalmologist tries to diagnose his distinctive white blindness, but is affected before he can read the textbooks. It becomes a contagion, spreading throughout the city. Trying to stem the epidemic, the authorities herd the afflicted into a mental asylum where the wards are terrorised by blind thugs.

Blindness is also used as an analogy to moral deficiency. The doctor's wife, who uses her sight to kill one of the hoodlums lamented, "Perhaps I'm the blindest of all, I've already killed and I'll kill again if I have to" (p. 172). And blindness was understood to be caused by fear.

The story of blind Bartimaeus is a testimony of one man's determination to be healed. He refused to be silenced when others tried to shush him as he cried out to Jesus. As Jesus walked through Jericho, Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

Answer: poet is a person who creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be a writer of poetry, or may perform their art to an audience.

Expert-Verified Answer

He patiently explains to himself that since God is a king, he does not need human labour or gifts.

It is about the inner blindness of human beings. This simple poem describes three animals and their apparent blindness. Firstly, the poet talks about the mole that gropes for worms in its “chambered hole.” Secondly, there is the bat which twirls softly by, in the evening sky.

The last four lines convey the message that those who are not determined and lack confidence face defeat. And those who set their targets and make sincere efforts are not disturbed by any obstacle.

The theme of a poem is the message an author wants to communicate through the piece. The theme differs from the main idea because the main idea describes what the text is mostly about.

Answer: The poet is feeling sorry because he could not travel both the roads.

What promise did the poet have to make answer? ›

Q: What was the promise the poet had to make? Ans: The poet had to make the promise that whenever an oak-tree is felled, he must promise to plant two oak-trees. Q: By whom did the poet find himself surrounded?

When Milton says that talent is "death to hide," he is referring to the money in the Biblical story and also to his own "talent," in the sense of a skill or trade.

Answer: The poet sees the snake as a beautiful creation of Nature. Moreover, it is a green garden snake and not a harmful one. He wishes that it should not be assaulted with the stick. It should be allowed to go under the water into the reeds to hide without being hurt.

The poet is the speaker of the poem.

The speaker of a poem is the voice of the poem, similar to a narrator in fiction. The poet might not necessarily be the speaker of the poem. Sometimes the poet will write from a different perspective, or use the voice of a specific person, as in a persona poem.

A moral is the meaning or message conveyed through a story. The moral is the meaning that the author wants the reader to walk away with. They can be found in every type of literature, from poetry to fiction and non-fiction prose. Usually, the moral is not stated clearly.

The Purpose of Poetry: Connection

Form and content cannot be separated in a poem. A poem means exactly what it says in the form it is written. It can be shorthand to talk about the form and the content of a piece of writing, but in reality form and content cannot be separated; form is content and content is form.