On His Blindness

On His Blindness

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
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.”

Summary of On his Blindness

  • Popularity of “On his Blindness”: The poem, ‘On His Blindness’ was written by John Milton, one of the celebrated English poets and intellectuals, is a superb literary piece. The poem, published in 1673, discusses his personal thoughts on blindness. It explains how he accepts this natural defect and intends to serve his life in God’s obedience. The poem, despite its simple and straightforward subject matter, succeeds in universalizing its theme.
  • “On his Blindness” As a Representative of Man’s Obedience to God: The poem accounts for Milton’s tragic blindness and his optimistic stance toward it. He starts his tale by lamenting the fact that he is going to lose his ability to see. He fears he will not be able to use his god-gifted ability of poetic composition anymore. In the depths of his sadness, he finds himself grappling with the question of whether God intends for him to press on with the work that demands sight, despite God having deprived him of that precious sense. Finally, his patience subdues his foolishness. He realizes that God does not need man’s work. He is like a king, and humans are destined to serve their master.
  • Major Themes in “On his Blindness”: Realizing one’s strength, God’s obedience, and spirituality are the major themes of the poems. The poem clearly tells the story of the speaker’s worries about his blindness and how he patiently accepts it. In the first part of the poem, the speaker seems disheartened, sad, and discouraged. He thinks he won’t be able to enlighten the world with his philosophical and distinct poetic ideas. However, the second part exhibits his optimistic side. His spiritual heart responds to the foolishness that obstructs him from believing in his creator.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in On His Blindness

literary devices enable the writers by presenting their ideas, feelings, and emotions impressively. Their clever use makes a simple text lifelike. The analysis of the devices used in this poem is given below.

  1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /ai/ in “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?” and again the sound of /a/ in “And post o’er land and ocean without rest”.
  2. Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing, or idea of a historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. The writer alludes to the parable of talents in the third line, such as; “And that one talent which is death to hide”.
  3. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /n/ in “doth not need” and the sound of /w/ in “world and wide”.
  4. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /n/ and the sound of /d/ in “Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed” and the sound of /t/ in “And that one talent which is death to hide”.
  5. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,

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.

  1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “To serve therewith my Maker, and present”, “Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best” and “They also serve who only stand and wait”.
  2. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of the extended metaphors of God’s obedience throughout the poem, such as:

To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide.

  1. Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet has personified patience in the eights line of the poem such as,

I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies:

  1. Pun: A pun is a literary device that is also known as a “play on words.” Puns involve words with similar or identical sounds but with different meanings. The writer used this device in the opening lie of the poem where light refers to his eyesight as well his life before getting blind, such as “When I consider how my light is spent”.
  2. Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked in order to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. John posed rhetorical questions in the seventh line of the poem to put emphasis on his point such as “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
  3. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of suffering, acceptance and humbleness just to show how sufferings bring people close to their Maker.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in On his Blindness

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

  1. End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. The poet used end rhyme in it such as “wide/hide”, “bent/present” and “best/rest.”
  2. Sonnet: A sonnet is a poem generally structured in 14 lines, usually an iambic pentameter that expresses a thought or idea and uses an established rhyme scheme. This is a Petrarchan sonnet having an octave and a sestet.
  3. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABBAABBA CDECDE rhyme scheme.

Quotes to be Used

The lines from the poem “On His Blindness” are useful to quote in a speech that addresses the supremacy of God.

“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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