Top Questions and Answers about On His Blindness by John Milton

Study Guide and Most Common Questions and Answers about the poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton:-

Question: When did Milton wrote his sonnet “On His Blindness”?

Answer: The sonnet “On His Blindness” may have been written in 1652.

Question: What is the sonnet about?

Answer: The sonnet laments the blindness of Milton.

Question: What type of sonnet is “On His blindness”?

Answer: On His Blindness is a Petrarchan or Italian type of sonnet with octave and sestet.

Question: What does Milton mean by “era half of my days”?

Answer: Milton became blind in the middle of his life. He became totally blind in 1652 at the age of about 44.

Question: “That one talent”

What is the double meaning of ‘talent’? Is there any allusion here?

Answer: Here talent means gift (poetic gift given to him by God).

Talent originally means o gold coin. It has the allusion to the Biblical story of one gold coin given by a master to his servant and the servant did not use the talent.

Question: ‘Which is death to hide’

What does Milton mean here?

Answer: It meant that to hide the gift or to keep it useless is death to him. It is spiritual death.

Question: What does Milton’s soul wish?

Answer: The soul of Milton wishes to serve God by writing great poetry.

Question: ‘Lest the returning chide’

How does the line allude to the Biblical story of talents?

Answer: The master in the Parable of Talents rebukes the servant for keeping his talent (gold coin) useless.

Question: ‘Doth God exact day-labour’

What is meant by day-labour?

Answer: Day-labour mans labour done in the daylight-the full amount of his work.

Question: ‘But Patience, to prevent that murmur’.

What is meant by ‘Patience’? How is it used?

Answer: Patience means here patient thinking. Patience is personified here.

Question: How does one serve God best?

Answer: One serves God best by submitting to the gentle control of God.

Question: Who are the thousands at God’s bidding?

Answer: Milton perhaps means the angels traveling over land and oceans. God’s ministers (servants) are the sun, moon, stars, natural objects who work their allotted duties.

Question: ‘Who best bear His mild yoke’

What is the ‘mild yoke’?

Answer: Mild yoke means the gentle rule of God.

Question: ‘They also serve who only stand and wait.’

What does Milton mean by ‘stand and wait’?

Answer: ‘Stand and wait’ means remain firm in faith and devotion to God.

Top Questions and Answers about On His Blindness by Milton

Study Guide and Top Questions and Answers about the poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton:-

Question: When did Milton lose his eyesight?

Answer: Milton lost his eyesight completely in 1652. As early as 1644, the light of the earth was fast leaving him and the left eye became blind in 1650.

Question: Whose blindness does the poem refer?

Answer: The poem refers to the poet’s (i.e. Milton’s) blindness.

Question: How does Milton console himself at the end of the poem?

Answer: After suffering immensely Milton al last gets some hope. He console himself by saying that the best way to serve God is to obey Him by patiently carrying out His orders.

Question: What is the Parable that has been referred to here?

Answer: The Parable of “talent” is being referred to here.

Question: What does the poet mean by “light”?

Answer: “Light” means the light of the eye. It means eyesight. In the poem “On His Blindness” eyesight is compared to light.

Question: How does Milton compare himself through the word talent?

Answer: Milton thinks that he is like the third servant of the parable of Talents who kept his one talent (gold coin) hidden in the earth. He did not use his talent (poetic gift).

Question: “Which is death to hide”

What is death to hide?

Answer: Milton cannot use his one talent (poetic gift given to him by God). It is death not to use it. The third servant in the Parable of Talents hides the one talent given him by his master. The master threw him into outer darkness. Similarly, Milton would suffer spiritual death for his inability to use his poetic gift due to blindness.

Question: Why Milton laments his blindness?

Answer: Milton laments his blindness because he cannot us e his poetic gift given to him by God. He cannot serve God.

Question: Who is the maker? How does Milton wish to serve the maker?

Answer: God is the maker. Milton wishes to serve his God by using his poetic gift.

Question: Doth God exact day-labour-

What does the poet mean by ‘day-labour’?

Answer: Day-labour meant labour done in daylight.

Question: What is Milton’s question to God?

Answer: Milton asks if God would demand active service from him when he has denied the light of the eye o him.

Question: How can one serve God best?

Answer: One can serve God best by willing submission to the will of god and to God’s gentle rule.

Question: Who are the thousands who work at God’s bidding?

Answer: God have many angels who are His ministers. God through these ministers rules the universe. The sun, the moon rise daily and move in the sky at His bidding.

Questions and Answers about “On His Blindness” by John Milton

Top Questions and Answers about the Poem “On His Blindness”:-

How does Milton make up his mind to serve his maker in his sonnet “On His Blindness”? Analysis of the Sonnet "On His Blindness":

Milton’s “On His Blindness” is a famous autobiographical sonnet. The sonnet records the poet’s agony on his becoming blind but it ends on a note of reconcilement.

When God gives us some talent, it is our duty to use it effectively so that it increases and multiplies. It is a sin to hide one’s talent and not use it. Milton says that god has given him talent to write and express profound thoughts. And it would be wrong not to use his talent through creative enveavours, but unfortunately he has become blind. God has taken away his vision. Light denies to him, and he is plunged in profound darkness. The how can he do the job that he is expected to do. One way to serve God is to use the talent God has given him. Bur this he can not be because he is now blind. So the poet feels and agony of helplessness.

But then patience personified gives him consolation. He realises that Good needs neither man’s work nor utilisation of his gifts. All that he expects is a complete surrender to his will, a readiness to serve him. The poet is like angel who patiently waits for god’s command.

Poetry Analysis of the Poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton

On His Blindness- Analysis Line by Line:

The poet reflects on his blindness. He has become blind in the middle of his life. He therefore cannot make proper use of his poetic talent which is spiritual death for him to hide. His soul is earnestly desirous of serving God with his own talent that God have given him. He wishes to render a true account of his powers to God. He is afraid that god will rebuke him for not using his power. (Lines 1-6)

He anxiously asks-Does God require of a blind man’s service? (Lines 7-8)

Patient thinking make the poet conclude that God needs neither the service of man nor an account of the gifts bestowed by Him on man. Those who resign themselves to the will of God serve Him best. (Lines 9-10)

G

od is invested with royal power. Thousands of angels fly swiftly over land and sea to do His bidding. Those who have faith in God and calmly submit to God’s powers also render him services. (Lines 11-14) 

The word “talent” has been used in more senses than one. In the Bible concept it means a coin or more generally speaking money. When the master gives some money, it is his duty to make use of it and increase it. Figuratively talent is a quality and therefore wealth. In this sense even vision may be recorded as a talent. It is by using one’s vision that one can do a lot of things. Milton was a pious Christian. His devotion and dedication to God are evident in the poem.

Summery of the Poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton

“On His Blindness”- Summery Analysis/Substance:

The sonnet “On His Blindness” is a personal meditation. This sonnet may be compared with “How soon hath time...” Milton is here concerned with the proper use of the talent which God has given him. He is bereft of his eyesight. His despair is voiced by Samson in his utmost agony-“O dark, dark, dark, amid the blazed of noon.” The poet laments his blindness. He has become blind in the middle of his life. So he can cot serve God with his poetic gift. He, however, earnestly wishes to use his poetic talent which is the gift of god for the service of him.

He afraid that God might scold him for spending his days idly. But the mood of the octet changed suddenly as Milton nourishes a more optimistic view in the sestet.                                 

His ambition was the highest that any writer of that time could have and he has afraid that with his blindness he would no be able to write great poetry which he long cherished. Milton believed in the Parable of talents, which showed that God expected man to use and improve the gist he had been granted.

He compares himself with the third servant in the Parable of Talents. He fears that he will be rebuked by God, as the third servant was rebuked by his master for not using his talent. But then, the question comes to his mind-Does God demand service even from a blind man? Soon his doubt passes and faith in God returns. He comes to believe that God does not demand man’s active service. Persons who resign themselves to the will of God are his best servants. All he demands of man is complete resignation to his will. Those who bear his dispensations without protest and remain ready for his decrees serve him best.

"On His Blindness" Sonnet by John Milton (1608-1674)

John Milton is one of my most favourite poets. The poem “On His Blindness” written by John Milton is a famous autographical sonnet. It is one of most poems written by Milton. The sonnet reflects the poet’s agony on his becoming blind but it ends on a note of reconcilement. In this poem, poet’s whole hearted submission to God, his determination, devotion and noble thinking charm me a lot.

The poem may have been written as early as 1652 (some people consider in 1655).

On His Blindness (Sonnet 16)

                        -John Milton (1608-1674)

When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. 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."

Critical Appreciation of the poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton

Critical Appreciation of The Poem "On His Blindness" By John Milton:

The sonnet “On His Blindness” is perhaps one of the best and most popular of Milton’s sonnets. It is indeed a pearl in the ocean of English literature. It is a great sonnet of lofty tone and noble theme. It was written in 1655. Milton had started losing his eyesight from the year 1645. After some years he lost his eyesight completely. He was about 44 years at that time, when we remember that his great words “Paradise Lost” and “Samson Agonists” has not yet been written.

Strength of mind, power of will and determination, patience; all these traits stood him in good stead when blindness slowly came over his.

What made him so sad was that the gist of poetry which had been given to him could not be used to advantage when he was suffering from blindness.

Here Milton bows down in humble submission to the will of God. The tone of patience and humility has perfectly mingled with that of great dignity. The poem is a human document, a revelation of the struggle in Milton’s own soul. It starts with a note of regret. Then there is a mood of doubt and questioning which however melts in the final attitude of complete resignation. The beauty and exaltation of moral feeling raise the poem to a great height. The poem is full of allusions to the bible.

The extreme simplicity of the language is its peculiar attractive. Two lines are wholly, several others are nearly, monosyllabic. It is a sonnet of Petrarchan type. But there is no division between the octave and the sestet-which is the characteristic of Italian or Petrarchan sonnet. There is a break in the middle of the eighth line.

The poet’s subsequent submission charms the readers. The monologue is simply fascinating. The league used is both easy and catchy. The metre, note and cadence is perfect.