On+His+Blindness

ON HIS BLINDNESS TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS **-** //By Megan Raverty//

__**1. IN WHAT TWO SENSES IS THE WORD //TALENT// EMPLOYED?**__

1. //Currency// -reference to the parable of the talents : Matthew 25:14-30 -a “talent” was used as a unit of currency in biblical times -parable reference is about a man who was given one talent and did not try and double it or do anything good with what he was given -in the parable, the servant is punished for hiding his one talent rather than putting it to good use

2. //Skill// -Milton did not use his talent’s the way he should have -did not use them to benefit others, which is ultimately the purpose of talents

__**2. IS MILTON’S TALENT IN FACT USELESS? WHY OR WHY NOT?**__

-yes because he did not use it, therefore it was as if he didn’t have it in the first place -when you are given a talent, you must put it to use or else it was pointless to have it to start with

__**3. DO YOU THINK THE WORD //WAIT// IN THE FAMOUS LAST LINE SUGGESTS MERE SUBMISSION TO THE FACT THAT GOD HAS ORDAINED MILTON’S BLINDNESS? EXPLAIN.**__

-//wait// is a pun -speaker will wait unti the end of his life to meet his ultimate fate -we all have a place in this world to serve, no matter our abilities or disabilities -God has a purpose for us all, and as Milton learns, you need to trust in His plans and have patience that they will be revealed to you

***I found this summary on the internet that seemed to capture the main ideas of this poem and helped explain the metaphor of Milton's blindness:** //"Milton uses complicated wordplay to describe why the speaker has a hard time serving God. His "blindness" is like a lamp that runs out of fuel, like the daylight that turns to night, and like a currency that hasn't been used to maximum effect."// ([])

=﻿**//__On His Blindness - John Milton__//**= Katarina Hedler

Genre: Petrarchan Sonnet (Rhyme Scheme ABBA ABBA CDECDE) Influence: Christianity

Distinguishable Poetic Devices/Style: -Allusion ("my Maker", "He" -> means God) ("thousands" -> means Angels) ("talent" -> reference to parable of the talents) -Symbolism ("When I consider how my light is spent" -> light = life) ("Ere half my days in this dark world and wide" -> dark = death, sinful) -Personification ("but Patience... soon replies")

Historical Period/Influence: -Christianity (God) is the influence (the persona is a believer) -17th century England -written at time of religious controversy

Characters/Relationships: -Persona -Patience -God -God is the Persona's idol, Patience is it's mentor

Setting/Plot: -Persona despairs due to sudden lack of talent, wonders how will serve God -Patience informs Persona that as long as it shares God's character, it will please God (worth of spirit), and that it will eventually spend eternity with God

Thematic Observations: -"Light" repeated -> represents life, goodness -"Dark" used as contrast to light. Persona sees no middle ground between the two; everything is either good or bad -everything to do with God shows his supremacy to that person -> "Kingly", "thousands at his bidding speed", doesn't actually speak to God himself -everything not godly is perceived as being bad -> "restless", "useless", "death"

Quotable Quotes: -"When I consider how my light is spent" -> Persona is evaluating what it's accomplished in its life thus far -"I fondly ask, but Patience, to prevent/that murmur, soon replies" -> Patience is the mentor that guides the persona so that it doesn't make any mistakes, and so that it understands God's morals