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The Blind Milton (Thomas Uwins, c. 1817) " When I Consider How My Light is Spent " (also known as " On His Blindness ") is one of the best known of the sonnets of John Milton (1608–1674). The last three lines are particularly well known; they conclude with "They also serve who only stand and wait", which is much quoted though rarely in context.
- Summary
- Themes
- Structure and Form
- Literary Devices
- Analysis of When I Consider How My Light Is Spent
- Similar Poems
- About John Milton
‘On His Blindness/When I Consider How My Light Is Spent’ by John Milton is an exploration of a moral dilemma faced by John Milton, and conveyed through his speaker, as he was forced to come to terms with his blindness. Milton’s speaker is faced with the impossibility of continuing his works. Works that are often considered to be the same as Milton’...
Milton’s themes in ‘When I Consider How My Light Is Spent’ are quite evident from the beginning. They include the future and fear about the future, God/religion, and writing/one’s career. Milton speaks passionately throughout this piece about his newfound disability. He knows he’s going blind and worries endlessly about what that means for his futu...
‘When I Consider How My Light Is Spent’ by John Milton is a fourteen-line, traditional Miltonic sonnet. This means that the fourteen lines follow a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBACDECDE and conform to iambic pentameter, where the volta occurs at line 9 with “That murmur, soon replies,” marking the shift from questioning to acceptance. Readers familiar wit...
Milton makes use of several literary devices in ‘When I Consider How My Light Is Spent.’ These include but are not limited to, examples of alliteration, caesurae, and enjambment. The first of these, alliteration, is a kind of repetitionconcerned with the use and reuse of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of multiple words. For example, “wo...
Lines 1-2
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 metaphorfor life are also a literal representation of Milton’s life days in which he could see. The second line expands on that, explaining that before even half of the speaker’s life had passed, he is forced to live in a world that is “dark… and wide.” Since Milton went blind at 42, he’d had the opportunity to use his writing skills, his “talents” in...
Lines 3-6
Milton speaks of his “talent,” this talent, his skills with words and love for writing, was his entire life. His livelihood and self-worth depended on it. This word “talent” is the most important in understanding these lines. As a biblical scholar, Milton was familiar with the texts of the bible and chose to reference The Parable of Talents from Matthew 25 here. When Milton refers to the talent, he relates the loss of his ability to read and write to the servant in Matthew 25 who buries the m...
Lines 7-8
At this point, Milton is finishing the sentence that he began at the beginning of the poem with the word, “When.” In short, he asks, “does God require those without light to labor?” He wants to know whether when he cannot continue his work due to his blindness, will God still require work of him.
Readers who enjoyed this poem should also consider looking into some of Milton’s other best-known works. These include‘How Soon Hath Time’ and‘On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity.’ The latter, ‘On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity,’ is also known as Nativity Ode. It was written in 1629 when Milton was 29 years old. It explores themes that include co...
John Miltonwas born on December 9, 1608, in London, England. He came from a middle-class family and went to school at Christ’s College Cambridge, where he originally intended to enter the clergy. After leaving university, he changed his plan and spent the next years studying independently for a career as a poet. During the years of the English Civi...
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By John Milton. 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. Lodged 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?”.
Keep reading or unlock them all now. In this context, “light” is a metaphor for both the speaker’s life span and his sight. Since this poem is called “On His Blindness” and we know that Milton went blind in 1652, “light” can be read throughout the poem as a conceit for sight. [1] —Caitlin, Owl Eyes Staff. Cite this.
Feb 19, 2022 · On His Blindness Summary. On His Blindness was composed in 1655. It was published without a title. It is one of the first references by Milton to his blindness. It refers to his in 1652. He had strained his eyes by reading late into. the night though blindness the doctors had asked him to avoid hard study.
Jul 29, 2024 · In his poem “On His Blindness,” Borges directly references Milton’s sonnet, showing how Milton’s work continued to resonate with writers centuries later. The famous line “They also serve who only stand and wait” has been quoted and alluded to countless times in literature, speeches, and popular culture.
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Mar 21, 2023 · Versions of When I consider how my light is spent include: "When I consider how my light is spent" in Poems &c. Upon Several Occasions (1673) "On His Blindness" in Poems That Every Child Should Know (1904) "When I consider how my light is spent" in Comus and other poems (1906) Categories: Versions pages. Poems.
