What Does Milton Mean By The Lines They Also Serve Who Only Stand And Wait?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Essentially, these lines mean that

those who are patient and bide their time waiting to be asked to do something are just as useful to God as those

who are always rushing about in service of him “without rest.” Milton is reassuring himself that every man has his place in the world, and we are all different, able to …

Contents hide

What is the meaning of they also serve who only stand and wait?

This page is about the saying “They also serve who only stand and wait” Possible meaning:

We all have a place in this world and we all perform a function, regardless of our ability or disability.

Who are those who stand and wait in the poem On His Blindness?

In the end, he talks about the

angels who serve God

. According to the poet, there are some other angels as well who just stand and wait. Though they do nothing, yet they are serving Him. Similarly, he is also serving God just by bearing his blindness.

Who best Bear his mild yoke they serve him best they also serve who only stand and wait?

“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.

What is the main idea of the poem On His Blindness?

“On His Blindness” centers

on Milton’s faith in God as he is losing his sight

. The poem is a sonnet that uses figurative language to express Milton’s fear, frustration, and acceptance. The poem signals a turn when Milton shifts from fear of punishment to realization.

What does Milton mean by his talent?

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. … This “talent” is “lodged” or buried within the speaker just like the money in the story. It cannot be used to make greater profit.

Who is referred as the task master in the poem on his having arrived at the age of 23?

Lines 13–14. Critics have differed as to the precise interpretation of these lines, but, in general, they suggest that whatever the outcome of the speaker’s life, it will be with God’s knowledge and in accordance with His world. The “great Task-Master” is

God

.

Who said they also serve?

The last line of the poem “On His Blindness,” by

John Milton

. The poet reflects that he has a place in God’s world despite his disability.

Who among the following dedicated his sonnets to the fair youth and the Dark Lady?


William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke

Further to this, Herbert was infamous in Court for his affairs with Mary Fitton, who is rumoured to have been the inspiration for the ‘Dark Lady’ in sonnets 127-154.

What does mild yoke mean?

mild yoke’ is a reference to

the very slight burden that man has to bear

. Serving God is not that great a task and therefore the burden – ‘yoke’ is not such a strain. The word ‘yoke’ is a reference to a wooden crossbar carried on the shoulders by a farmer or labourer or even a large farm animal.

Which virtue has been personified in the poem?

Answer: In “On His Blindness” by John Milton, the abstract concept of

patience

is personified.

What were Milton’s feelings when he lost his eyesight How did he plan to serve God?

All he has to do in order to serve God is

to stand patiently and wait like a servant posted in a king’s palace

, who may or may not be sent on errands or told to perform services of one kind or another. In other words, Milton is expressing unquestioning faith in the will of God.

What is the mild yoke given by God to Milton?

What Milton means by God’s “mild yoke” in “On His Blindness” is

the very light burden that man has to bear

. A yoke was traditionally a harness put on oxen, and it could be either heavy or light. The yoke or burden that God puts on us is, according to Milton, light, and therefore not very difficult for us to bear.

What is the conclusion of the poem On His Blindness?

Finally the poet concludes that

even if he is blind and unable to do any service to Him, he should only remain loyal to Him

. It must be remembered that even silent attendance is also a kind of service to Him. This sonnet bears Italian structure. It proves clearly that Milton’s faith in God is unshakeable.

What is the analysis of Milton’s sonnet?

When I Consider How My Light Is Spent’ is a sonnet written by the poet John Milton (1608-74). The poem is about

the poet’s blindness

: he began to go blind in the early 1650s, in his early forties, and this sonnet is his response to his loss of sight and the implications it has for his life.

Who serves God best according to Milton?

According to Milton in “On His Blindness,”

those who patiently bear the “mild yoke” of God’s will

are serving God best.

What does Doth God exact day labor light denied mean?

“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?” by using this sentence: “

The speaker is asking if God expects him to work given his light (sight) is gone.

How does the poet console himself answer?

The poet consoles himself

as he imagines her to be, after death, a part of nature;

where one day she will become connected with a part of the earth’s trees, rocks and stones. In this poem Wordsworth profound love for nature has been conveyed .

Who are the thousands at God’s bidding?

In the context of these lines Milton compares

God

with a King and contrasts Him with a lord. In these lines Milton says that God has innumerable (thousands) working at his state moving speedily from place to place (Thousands at his bidding speed). These tasks need men to have light and vision.

What is approaching the poet first?

What is approaching the poet fast? Answer:

The poet here reveals a secret of his life. He says that he is now grown up.

Why does the poet think that he is unable to serve the God *?

Why is the poet unhappy with God in “On His Blindness”?

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…

What is the name of Satan’s Palace in Paradise Lost?


Pandæmonium

is the capital of Hell in John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost.

When I consider how my life is spent John Milton?

My true account, lest he returning chide; “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”

Which is Milton’s Favourite book?


Paradise Regained

is connected by name to his earlier and more famous epic poem Paradise Lost, with which it shares similar theological themes; indeed, its title, its use of blank verse, and its progression through Christian history recall the earlier work.

Why Milton wrote Paradise Regained?

In the poem’s induction, Milton announces that he will complete the history of sin and redemption begun with Paradise Lost. Thus, Paradise

Regained retells Luke’s account of Jesus’ temptation in the desert by Satan

. Milton begins his story with Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist.

Is Paradise regained a sequel?

An epic poem in four books by Milton, published 1671. It is

a sequel to Paradise Lost

, and deals exclusively with the temptation of Christ in the wilderness.

Why is Sonnet 18 about a man?

Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” is

written to immortalize the young man for whom he lusts because of his borderline perfection and beauty

. In order to do this Shakespeare compares him to Summer, the season that is generally regarded as the most beautiful.

Does 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.

Why does God need man’s work?

In the first half of the poem, the speaker asks whether God requires

physical labor

from those who cannot see (or have no light). Patience (personified) then appears to explain that God does not need man because God does not need anything. … Men who “best / Bear his mild yoke” offer the heart that God requires.

What is a sonnet explain the different kinds of sonnets also give a detailed account of Shakespeare as a sonneteer?

While the Petrarchan sonnet consists of two parts, an eight line opening followed by a six line “turn” in which the poet reflects on his first eight lines (these are often put together as one long stanza), the Shakespearean sonnet consists of

three quatrains followed by a couplet in which the poet is able to deliver

What is the meaning of Shakespearean sonnet?

Filters. The definition of a Shakespearean sonnet is

a poem with three quatrains, using a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef, followed by an ending couplet of two lines with a rhyme scheme of gg

. An example of a Shakespearean sonnet is one of Shakespeare’s love sonnets.

What is the metaphor Milton references about bearing his burden What is the image used?

Sonnet 19:

When I consider how my light is spent

Summary & Analysis. by John Milton.

Who best Bear his mild yoke they serve him best they also serve who only stand and wait?

“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.

What is the talent to which the poet refers?

The “talent”, the poem On His Blindness means the art of writing poetry. According to the poet, this talent is

gifted by God to him for serving humanity

.

What is virtuous Behaviour?

Virtue (Latin: virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior

that shows high moral standards

: doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong.

Which figure of speech is used in poem On His Blindness?

The poem, “On his blindness” is based on the word Light. Light here refers to his eyesight as well as his life before getting blind. The figures of speech which have been used here are

personification and alliteration

.

What is the main idea of the poem On His Blindness?

“On His Blindness” centers

on Milton’s faith in God as he is losing his sight

. The poem is a sonnet that uses figurative language to express Milton’s fear, frustration, and acceptance. The poem signals a turn when Milton shifts from fear of punishment to realization.

What caused John Milton’s blindness?

By 1652, Milton had become totally blind; the cause of his blindness is debated but

bilateral retinal detachment or glaucoma

are most likely. His blindness forced him to dictate his verse and prose to amanuenses who copied them out for him; one of these was Andrew Marvell.

What are Milton’s feeling in the poem On His Blindness?

“Dark,” “death,” and “useless” all denote Milton’s feelings about his blindness. It is certainly not a happy place for him. Instead,

he feels lost given he is unable to see the things around him

.

What does Milton mean by death to hide?

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. … This “talent” is “lodged” or buried within the speaker just like the money in the story.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.