In his famous poem “When I Consider How My Light is Spent”, Milton wrote about his increasing blindness and questions his God as to why this happened to him and how it is possible to serve Him by being thus. In this 17th Century poem, the main poetic devices are the following:
prosody, situational irony, and tone
.
When I consider how my light is spent figurative language?
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.
When I consider how my light is spent metaphor?
The metaphor is complicated. The speaker says that
his light can be “spent
,” and this word suggests that he is thinking of something like an oil lamp. … The word “spent” also makes us think of money. Milton is reflecting on how he has used or “spent” his vision, now that it is gone.
When I consider how my light is spent Question Answer?
In “When I consider how my light is spent,”
Milton reflects on blindness
. This was an important topic for him, since he lost his own sight in the mid-1650s. Because of this blindness, the speaker feels unable to complete the work that the speaker had planned to do—and that God expects the speaker to perform.
What does light denied refer to?
‘
Doth God exact day
-labour, light denied?’ There three lines refer to the speaker’s desire to write and praise God, but, with his lost sight, he feels as if he cannot do either. … The speaker is asking if God expects him to work given his light (sight) is gone.
What do you mean by mild yoke?
Lines 10-11 “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 it is an image for God’s will.
What is the theme of On His Blindness?
The main themes in “On His Blindness” are
loss and human frailty, biblical authority and duty to God, and grace
. Loss and human frailty: Milton explores the experience of losing his sight and worries about the implications of his blindness in his relationship with God.
What is literary devices in a story?
Literary devices are
specific techniques that allow a writer to convey a deeper meaning that goes beyond what’s on the page
. Literary devices work alongside plot and characters to elevate a story and prompt reflection on life, society, and what it means to be human.
Why is the poet confused why can’t he serve God?
Expert Answers
The speaker is
initially unhappy with God for making him blind
; he thinks this means he’ll no longer be able to serve him. He’s spent nearly half his life serving the Almighty through his God-given gift of writing, yet that gift has now been cruelly snatched away from him due…
How is the tone of the poem?
The tone of a poem is
the attitude you feel in it
— the writer’s attitude toward the subject or audience. … Tone can be playful, humorous, regretful, anything — and it can change as the poem goes along. When you speak, your tone of voice suggests your attitude.
How does the poet console himself?
How does the poet console himself? Answer: The poet here feels sorry for he could not make his career properly.
His talent is still unripe.
What is the meaning of sonnet 19?
The sonnet
addresses time directly
, as it allows time its great power to destroy all things in nature, but the poem forbids time to erode the young man’s fair appearance. The poem casts time in the role of a poet holding an “antique pen”. The theme is redemption, through poetry, of time’s inevitable decay.
What do you mean by light in the poem On His Blindness?
When the speaker notes that his or her “light is spent” in the poem’s first line, this means
literally that the speaker has lost his or her eyesight
. (Hence the poem’s alternate title, “On His Blindness”). That literal meaning is probably the key one for the poem. But there is a secondary, symbolic meaning.
What is John Milton’s masterpiece?
Milton is best known for
Paradise Lost
, widely regarded as the greatest epic poem in English. Together with Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes, it confirms Milton’s reputation as one of the greatest English poets.
Why does the persona consider his one talent useless On His Blindness?
He feels that God has gifted him with this ability of creating poetry to use for His work, and Milton longs to use his talents for God’s purposes, saying that his “soul [is] more bent/ To serve therewith [his] maker.” In this moment in his blindness, Milton (presumably speaking as himself in this poem) considers his …
What do you mean by yoke ‘?
(Entry 1 of 2) 1a :
a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals
(such as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together. b : an arched device formerly laid on the neck of a defeated person. c : a frame fitted to a person’s shoulders to carry a load in two equal portions.
