give a brief summary and a critical appreciation of Milton's poem ' on his blindness'
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Answer:
The poem On His Blindness is an autobiographical sonnet in which he expresses his feelings as a blind person. The poet thinks, in the beginning, that he will not be able to serve God as his sight is gone.
As the poem develops, he begins to believe that God wants him to keep working, in spite of the fact that his job caused him to lose his sight. In the end, he is assured that he is serving God like the angels who just wait for the orders of God.
The poem has a number of Biblical references that depict Milton’s stern belief in God. The poem is written in the Petrarchan rhyme scheme.The poet starts the poem with ‘When’ thus he introduces his idea in the very beginning. According to him, he often thinks that half of his life or sight or intelligence has been spent in serving humanity, but now he has lost his eyesight and so his other half-life is dark now and wide i.e. challenging as well.
The one talent (of writing) which he had, is useless now because without eyesight he cannot write. Thus it is just a load from the God that has been bestowed on him. The poet laments over the loss of his eyesight and wonders what this talent means for him now as without eyesight he cannot use it.the lament of poets turns into desire and wonder. He says that he desired to serve his Maker but because of this blindness he cannot do so.
He wonders if God still wants to serve Him in spite of the fact that his sight is gone. The poet says that this foolish thought often haunts him.the poet says that when such foolish thoughts come into his mind, the patience at once comes to reply that the work of man does not please God, but the ‘who best bear his mild yoke’ i.e.the one who remains patient and content with what he has is most liked by Him.
God has a huge Kingdom and there are thousands of angels who remain in motion to carry God’s order. They never take rest. The poet compares them with those who have the talent and use it to serve God.
Explanation:
The sonnet “On His Blindness” is perhaps one of the best and most popular of Milton’s sonnets. It is indeed a pearl in the ocean of English literature. It is a great sonnet of lofty tone and noble theme. It was written in 1655. Milton had started losing his eyesight from the year 1645. After some years he lost his eyesight completely. He was about 44 years at that time, when we remember that his great words “Paradise Lost” and “Samson Agonists” has not yet been written.
Strength of mind, power of will and determination, patience; all these traits stood him in good stead when blindness slowly came over his.
What made him so sad was that the gist of poetry which had been given to him could not be used to advantage when he was suffering from blindness.
Here Milton bows down in humble submission to the will of God. The tone of patience and humility has perfectly mingled with that of great dignity. The poem is a human document, a revelation of the struggle in Milton’s own soul. It starts with a note of regret. Then there is a mood of doubt and questioning which however melts in the final attitude of complete resignation. The beauty and exaltation of moral feeling raise the poem to a great height. The poem is full of allusions to the bible.
The extreme simplicity of the language is its peculiar attractive. Two lines are wholly, several others are nearly, monosyllabic. It is a sonnet of Petrarchan type. But there is no division between the octave and the sestet-which is the characteristic of Italian or Petrarchan sonnet. There is a break in the middle of the eighth line.
The poet’s subsequent submission charms the readers. The monologue is simply fascinating. The league used is both easy and catchy. The metre, note and cadence is perfect.