What does sonnet 19 by John Milton mean?

What does sonnet 19 by John Milton mean?

Likely written in the mid-1650s, after Milton lost his eye-sight, the poem reflects on the physical and spiritual challenges the speaker faces as a blind person. He feels unable to complete the tasks that God has set for him, and worries that he is squandering his capacity to serve God.

What is the meaning of they also serve who only stand and wait?

This page is about the saying “They also serve who only stand and wait” Possible meaning: We all have a place in this world and we all perform a function, regardless of our ability or disability.

What is the meaning of the poem On His Blindness?

“On His Blindness” centers on Milton’s faith in God as he is losing his sight. The poem is a sonnet that uses figurative language to express Milton’s fear, frustration, and acceptance. The poem signals a turn when Milton shifts from fear of punishment to realization.

When I consider how my light is spent Meaning?

The speaker thinks about how all of his light has been used up (“spent”) before even half his life is over. As a man without light, he now lives in a world that is both “dark and wide.” The speaker says that his light can be “spent,” and this word suggests that he is thinking of something like an oil lamp.

What is the solution in Sonnet 19?

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 19 is about the destructive power of time which consumes everything in its path. Eventually, time will also destroy the poet’s beautiful young friend. However, although the poet can do nothing to prevent this, he defies time by asserting that the friend will live forever through his verse.

What human attitude is evident at the end of the sonnet?

What human attitude is evident at the end of the sonnet? “They also serve who only stand and wait.” This last line of the poem “On His Blindness” by John Milton relates to a person exercising patience and faith despite their circumstances. The person in this poem feels they are unworthy and useless to God.

What is troubling Milton On His Blindness?

In “On His Blindness,” Milton expresses the worry that his loss of sight means that he will no longer be able to serve God. Milton was a deeply devout Christian, so this was a very important concern for him. The personified figure of Patience assures him that God doesn’t need “man’s work or his own gifts”.

At what age John Milton lost his sight?

43 years
The year 1652 was not a good one for Milton. By March or April, at the age of 43 years, he was completely blind in both eyes; in May, his wife died 3 days after giving birth to their fourth child; and 6 weeks later, his third child and only son, John, also died.

What are the words in Milton’s Sonnet 19?

The poem’s syntax is fairly complex, especially compared to contemporary poetry. Milton uses words like “yoke” and literary devices like syncope to craft his lines.

What does the poet say at the end of Sonnet 19?

In Sonnet 19, the poet addresses Time and, using vivid animal imagery, comments on Time’s normal effects on nature. The poet then commands Time not to age the young man and ends by boldly asserting that the poet’s own creative talent will make the youth permanently young and beautiful.

When did John Milton write on his blindness?

On His Blindness, Sonnet 19, or When I consider how my light is spent to which it is sometimes called, is a sonnet believed to have been written before 1664, after the poet, John Milton, had gone completely blind. The poem’s syntax is fairly complex, especially compared to contemporary poetry.

What was Milton’s service to God in the sonnet?

In fact, his service to God is in patiently bearing the burden (his blindness) that has been placed upon him for, the truth is that “They also serve who only stand and wait”. In this sonnet, the speaker meditates on the fact that he was blind (Milton himself was blind when he wrote this).