★★★On His Blindness ★★★
John Milton
★★Summary:-----
At the beginning the poet is worried that he has become blind before half of his lifetime.He was a religious minded man,and he believed that God had gifted him the poetic talent to serve Him through writings.His poetic talent has become useless,though his soul is more bent to serve God.He fears that if he does not serve Him, He(God) will chide him.It says that God does not need either His own gifts or man's service. God's state is kingly.Thousands of angels speed over land and ocean without rest at His bidding.So Milton assures himself that he is not sinning by falling to work for truth.The ending line of the sonnet gives us the moral that "They also serve who only stand and wait".
★★Rhyme Scheme:-----
Rhyme scheme is the ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of the lines of a poem or verse
★Being a sonnet the rhyme scheme of the poem is abba abba cdecde
"spent"=a
"wide"=b
"hide"=b
"bent"=a
"present"=a
"chide"=b
"deny'd"=b
"Prevent"=a
"need"=c
"best"=d
"state"=e
"speed"=c
"rest"=d
"wait"=e
Here last word of the 1st line is "spent" and last word of the 4th line is "bent". Both have same sound.So we can mark it "a".
Then,the last word of the 2nd line is "wide" and last word of the 3rd line is "hide". Both have same sound. So we will mark it " b".
Again,the last word of the 5th and 8th line's are "present" and "Prevent".Both word have same sound. So we can mark it "a".Further again the last word of the 6th and 7th line's are "chide" and "deny'd". Both have same sound. So we can mark it "b".
In the sestet, the last word of the 9th and 12th line's are "need" and "speed". Both have same sound.So we will mark it "c".And the last word of the 10th and 13th line's are "best" and "rest". Both words have same sound.So we can mark it "d".And finally the last words of the 11th and 14th lines are "state" and "wait". So we can mark it "e".
So at last we can find out that the rhyme scheme of the poem is abba abba cdecde.
★★Tone:---
Tone is a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength.
The poem begins with the tone of lamentation.The poet wonders how his light is spent before half of his life span. Now he has nothing to do in this dark and wide world. He is very sad to think that his poetic talent that he had got as a gift from God, will stay unused in his heart and mind till his death. His heart wants now more and more to serve the purpose of God by the religious writings. But he has no way to write as he is fully blind. This part of the poem conveys the deep lamentation of the poet.
The sestet carries the tone of consolation when the poet asks himself if God desires full service from a helpless blind devotee like him.God does not need human service or any gift from a man. God is the king of the world and his kingdom is all over the land and ocean. He is almighty, he has thousands of angels to obey his order at a quick speed. The patience consoles the poet saying that the persons who do their duties as assigned by God, and those who stand and wait with patience serve the purpose of the Creator. In this part, the tone ends with consolation.
★★Structure:---
The poem is a sonnet.A sonnet is a lyric poem consisting of fourteen iambic pentameter lines intricate by a rhyme scheme. Its a Petrarchan sonnet. The Petrarchan sonnet is divided into octave and sestet. Octave consists of eight lines rhyming abba abba and sestet consists of six lines rhyming cde cde or cdcded.Octave asks a question or conflict, the sestet tries to give the answer or solution to the problem or conflict. This turning from octave to sestet is called volta in literary term.Following the Petrarchan form,the rhyme-scheme of the octave is abba abba and that of the sestet is cde cde. The subject matter of this sonnet is the inner conflict of the poet. A question is raised in the octave and is answered in the sestet.
So, structurally its a Petrarchan sonnet.
★★Theme:---
Theme is the central idea in a piece of writing. The whole body explains the theme.
The central theme of the poem is the inner conflict in the mind of a man. This poem shows the poet's inner conflict who had wished to do his best to serve God by his writings. But he couldn't complete that because he became blind at a very early of his life. The poet was a religious man, and he firmly believed that God had given him the poetic talent to serve Him through writings. When he became totally blind, he felt a sense of guilt that God will give him severe punishment for his failure to do the duty assigned by his Master. Then the poet thought that he was not responsible for his blindness. Rather God was responsible for his sufferings. This sense of guilty created an inner conflict in his mind.
★★Authors Position:---
When an author writes to persuade,he/she will have his/her own position on the subject.The author's position is an author's opinion about the subject.It may be subjective or objective.
Subjective means where the writer can use his/her own feelings,emotion, and own choice.
Objective means where writer cann't use his/her own feelings,emotions and own choice.
This is a subjective poem because the poem uses his own feelings,appeal,experience,conflict. So its a subjective poem.
★★Figures of Speech :----
Figures of Speech means use of ornamental elements into a piece of writing.
★Alliteration:---
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sound.
*"Days and dark"
*"world and wide".
★Metaphor
Metaphor is an indirect comparison between two far-faced things without using "as" or "like".
*" though my soul more bent,
To serve therewith my Maker".
Here,the poet indirectly compares his soul to his mind.
★Personification
Personification is a figure of speech in which the writer gives an imaginary life to a lifeless thing or character.
*"But Patience, to prevent,
That murmur,soon replies".
Here,the poet personifies Patience.
★Paradox
Paradox is a short,witty but self-contradictory statement and universally true.
*"They also serve who only stand and wait".
Its a paradoxical statement that is obviously true.
***To err is human.
-----Written by Krishna Mandal