53. 501. On his Blindness(22)
1 When did Milton wrote his sonnet “On His Blindness”?
A: The sonnet “On His Blindness” may have been written in 1652.
2. What is the sonnet about?
A: The sonnet laments the blindness of Milton.
3. What type of sonnet is “On His blindness”?
A: On His Blindness is a Petrarchan or Italian type of sonnet with octave and sestet.
4: What does Milton mean by “era half of my days”?
A: Milton became blind in the middle of his life. He became totally blind in 1652 at the age of about 44.
5: “That one talent”
What is the double meaning of ‘talent’? Is there any allusion here?
A: Here talent means gift (poetic gift given to him by God).
Talent originally means o gold coin. It has the allusion to the Biblical story of one gold coin given by a master to his servant and the servant did not use the talent.
6: ‘Which is death to hide’
What does Milton mean here?
A: It meant that to hide the gift or to keep it useless is death to him. It is spiritual death.
7: What does Milton’s soul wish?
A: The soul of Milton wishes to serve God by writing great poetry.
8: ‘Lest the returning chide’
How does the line allude to the Biblical story of talents?
A: The master in the Parable of Talents rebukes the servant for keeping his talent (gold coin) useless.
9: ‘Doth God exact day-labour’
What is meant by day-labour?
A: Day-labour mans labour done in the daylight-the full amount of his work.
10: ‘But Patience, to prevent that murmur’.
What is meant by ‘Patience’? How is it used?
A: Patience means here patient thinking. Patience is personified here.
11: How does one serve God best?
A: One serves God best by submitting to the gentle control of God.
12: Who are the thousands at God’s bidding?
A: Milton perhaps means the angels traveling over land and oceans. God’s ministers (servants) are the sun, moon, stars, natural objects who work their allotted duties.
13: ‘Who best bear His mild yoke’
What is the ‘mild yoke’?
A: Mild yoke means the gentle rule. ‘They also serve who only stand and wait.’
14.What does Milton mean by ‘stand and wait’?
A: ‘Stand and wait’ means remain firm in faith and devotion to God.
15. Write a note on Milton as a Sonneteer?
Ans. Milton has written twenty-four sonnets only. But they are important from so many poets’ points of view. These sonnets helped him to develop a poetic style which helped him to write such an inspired poem as Paradise Lost.
His sonnets may be divided into four groups. Some of them are controversial, some on women, some personal and others political. But for his sonnets on Divorce-the controversial Sonnets-he is always great as a sonneteer.
Milton followed the classical pattern of the sonnet. He divides his sonnets into an Octave (containing eight lines) and a Sestet (containing six lines). These are further divided into two quatrains and two triplets. The rhyme-scheme followed in Octave is:
abba, abba
That is, the first, the fourth, the fifth and the eighth lines rhyme together whereas the second, the third, the sixth and the seventh lines rhyme together. ‘Spent’, ‘wide’, ‘hide’, bent’, ‘present’, ‘chide’, ‘denied’, ‘prevent’. But the rhyme scheme of the sestet varies. In his sonnet ‘On His Blindness’, the rhyme-scheme of the sestet is:
e d e, c d e.
That is, the ninth and the twelfth, the tenth and the thirteenth and the eleventh and the fourteenth lines rhyme with each other. need, best, state, speed, rest, wait
As regards the theme, his contribution in this field cannot be forgotten. Before him, from the days of Petrarch down to William Shakespeare, LOVE had been the theme of the sonnet. But Milton introduced a change and showed that the sonnet form could be used to present any theme. His “soul-animating strains” deal with other themes than love. The result was that when this form was used by a prolific poet like Wordsworth, he wrote more than five hundred sonnets on various subjects.
16. Write a note on the Characteristic features of the sonnet ‘On His Blindness’?
Ans. The most predominating features of this sonnet are autobiographical touch and divine element. As the perfect example of the highest dignity this sonnet is Milton’s greatest contribution to the bewildered and confused humanity. The sonnet gives a divine message of suffering, patience, resignation, dedication and submission to the will of God.
Scott James Remarks: “The sonnet expresses a profoundly sacred religious idea which forms the fundamental basis of our Christianity”.
Thus “On His Blindness” is a song of God. It is itself the highest the in God. It is the inner voice of man who has put his entire self on God’s justice. It shows Milton’s unshakable faith in Divine Justice.
“On His Blindness” is one of the finest sonnets in English poetry. It is an autobiographical sonnet; the sonnet brings before us the personality and character of the blind poet. Milton had become blind at the prime of his life. It created a sense of grief and despair and the poet’s life became a sad story of pathos, grief, despair and darkness. But the poet has a strong faith in God and believes in the benignity and mercy of God. The sonnet embodies the reasoned faith of the poet in the justice and greatness of God.
The sonnet also expresses a Divine Message. “Misfortunes may be a blessing in disguise for the faithful devotees of God. Man should only submit himself to the will of God in the spirit of resignation and pray to God in silence they will be done, lord.”
17. Write a note on the structure of the sonnet ‘On His Blindness’?
Ans. The sonnet ‘On His Blindness’ is not on English style. It is on petrarchan style. The entire sonnet can be divided into two parts-the octave and the sestet. The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is abba, a b b a, c d e, a d e. However, there is no break or change of thought after the first eight lines of the octave. The slight change in the middle of the 8th line converts the personal element into a universal appeal. There is no couplet in the end. Thus, the poet maintains a sort of uniformity of thought and expression from the beginning to the end.
“On His Blindness” is an autobiographical sonnet. It also brings before as the religious faith of the poet. The sonnet is a Divine Message to the suffering humanity. Though intensely a personal poem it has universal human appeal. It breathes the spirit of Christian humility and patience. It is sincere in utterance and lofty in tone. It has simplicity of expression, lucidity in style and sublimity and dignity of thought. With its classical structure the sonnet illustrates the pride of English poetry. The sonnet embodies the purity of the Bible and chastity of devotion.
18. Write a note on Milton’s firm faith in God as is reflected in the sonnet ‘On His Blindness’?
Ans. Milton through the sonnet ‘On His Blindness’ gives expression his firm faith in God. At first, he is not sure whether God has acted justly in making him blind at the crucial moment of his life. Milton is not proud of his poetic talent as he knows that he is obliged to God for his oft. But the problem is how he will use that gift when he has lost his gift. He is indeed deeply troubled. Min is a thoroughly religious an. He is God fearing, dutiful, conscientious. He wants to fulfil his ‘s mission if God lets him do so. Through the mouth of Patience, he tells himself that God is just and magnanimous. He has plenty of people ready to serve Him all the time. But He does not make any discrimination between those who are His active servants and those who simply wait an opportunity to serve Him. Both are equal in the eyes of the Lord. Thus, Milton consoles himself.
19. Write a note on Autobiographical element in the sonnet ‘On His Blindness’?
Ans. The sonnet “On His Blindness” was composed in unusual circumstances. Milton had been working very hard for a few years before 1652 (when he became blind). His eyesight had been under great strain for a long time. But he went on with his work ignoring the advice and the repeated warnings on his doctors. When, at last, he lost his eyesight completely, he realized the gravity of his situation. He had been planning and preparing himself from his early youth to write a monumental work in poetry for the welfare of mankind. Now the question before him was how he could put his poetic talent to use. Now it appeared to him that God perhaps did not want him to fulfil his life’s mission. Otherwise, He would not have snatched away the light of his eyes at the very moment when he was thinking in terms of writing that great poem.
The sonnet is an attempt to Analyse and evaluate the new situation of the poet’s life. He has become blind almost in the middle of his career. This dark, terrible world has now become a mere terrible place for the blind man. He also knows that God has sent him into this world with a purpose. He endowed him with a special gift of composing great poetry. The question is if this gift should remain idle with him or it is the will of God that the poet should lie idle of the rest of his life. These and such like questions are struggling within him to find an adequate answer. After much contemplation the poet does find an answer. They also serve those who only stand and wait. That answer, expressed through this sonnet, satisfies not only his own trouble and conscience but will continue to inspire and sustain all troubled souls in similar situations in time to come. Thus, the poet has a universal appeal.
20. Give a critical estimate of the sonnet ‘On His Blindness’?
Ans. Introduction: On His Blindness is one of the best sonnets of John Milton. It contains one of his first references to his blindness. It makes us sympathies with the poet as we read his agony at his blindness; we are ennobled as we realize his firm faith in God’s sense of justice and mercifulness.
21. Comment on the title and themes of the Sonnet.
Ans:- The title of the sonnet suggests the theme. But this title was not given by Milton. The theme is his blindness only in appearance. For, though the sonnet begins with the reference to his blindness, it is not the theme. The main theme is removal of doubt in God’s Sense of Justice: The reference to his blindness is simply the starting point of his doubt regarding the justice of God. But this doubt is removed by an element of faith. Thus, the sonnet seeks to justify the ways of God to men-a pursuit which Milton had throughout his life. It was this pursuit which led him to compose the best English epic, Paradise Lost.
The theme of the sonnet may be said to be revolutionary. It is so because before Milton, sonnets were written on love. But Milton introduced a revolutionary change, for his sonnets are sometimes personal, at other times, these are political; sometimes controversial, complimentary and topical. On His Blindness is one of his personal sonnets. It reveals the poet’s feelings about his being blind.
22. Comment on the style of the sonnet.
Ans:- The structure of the sonnet is strictly Petrarchan. That is, there is an octave containing eight lines, rhyming:
abba, abba
and a sestet rhyming:
c d e, c d e.
But Milton differs from the classical sonneteers in one respect. The conventional classical sonnet has a definite pause at the end of the octave whereas Milton carries the sense to the sestet.
The sonnet is remarkable for the poet’s brilliant use of the parable of Talents. The allusion to the Parable haunts most of the lines of the Sonnet. The poet uses it to express the doubt in the mind of a God-fearing man. But patient reflection on the problem leads the poet to express his firm faith in God’s Mercy, Goodness and Sense of Justice. He does not need our services. In fact,
His state is kingly, thousands at His bidding speed
And post ov’r land and ocean without rest;
Therefore, the ideal condition for man is to wait for his turn knowing
They also serve those who only stand and wait.
The sonnet is remarkable for the poet’s sincerity of feeling, clarity of thought, majesty and grandeur of style, sublimity, high seriousness. There is dignity in tone, the sonnet is very musical also. In fact, the style of the sonnet foreshadows his epic style. He has made use of musical words and phrases.
Latinism is visible here as a quality of his style. His style here in this sonnet is also marked by the use of allusions, references and figures of speech. He has beautifully used Metaphor, personification and Rhetorical Question in this sonnet.
Thus “On His Blindness” is certainly one of the best of Milton’s sonnets. If we were required to make a list of the best sonnets of English, it would certainly be one of them.