Question

Pls write a short summary on the poem "On his Blindness" by John Milton.

The Poem:
WHEN I consider how my light is spent
E’re 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, least he returning chide,
Doth God exact day-labour, light deny’d,
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 milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’re Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and waite.​

Answer 1

Answer:

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 future. He uses figurative language throughout the poem to express the fear that he’ll no longer be able to serve God with his writings. Midway through the poem, there’s a shift that focuses on religion and the realization that God doesn’t need Milton to write to serve him. Milton will serve him when he bears “his mild yoke.” If he lives in a godly way, that’s all God will really ask of him.