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Speaker: John Milton himself, struggling with blindness. ‘ On His Blindness ‘, ‘ Sonnet 19 ‘, or ‘ When I consider how my light is spent’, which it is sometimes called, is a sonnet believed to have been written before 1664, after the poet, John Milton, had gone completely blind. The poem’s syntax is fairly complex, especially ...
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- October 9, 1995
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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.
“Sonnet 19,” more commonly called "When I consider how my light is spent," is a poem by the English poet John Milton. Likely written in the mid-1650s, after Milton lost his eye-sight, the poem reflects on the physical and spiritual challenges the speaker faces as a blind person.
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.
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. (It is thought he began to go blind in 1651; he wrote this poem about a year later.) Below, we offer some words of analysis of the poem. Summary
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?”.
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Feb 19, 2022 · 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. This made his life difficult and hard.
