Analysis Of When I Consider How My Light Is Spent

941 Words2 Pages

Not My Will, But Thy Will Be Done
The poem “When I consider how my light is spent” portrays the struggle of a talented man who is blindsided by a handicap (21-22). The poet, John Milton, is also the narrator in the poem using first person point of view to describe his struggle with the onset of blindness at the age of 43. This poem was an outlet for Milton to express his feelings towards becoming blind as a man, thus why only a year had passed between his onset of blindness and the dictation of this poem.
Through the poem, there is an exact rhyme such as on lines 1,3,2,4 “spent” and “bent”, “wide” and hide” with the last word of the line. The end rhymes of the fourteen lines create an ABBA ABBA CDE CDE pattern that would be consistent with …show more content…

There is a pattern of stressed sounds such as “I”, “light”, and “spent” as well as unstressed such as “when”, “my”, and “is” that are all taken from the first line of the poem. Through the entire poem there is a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, five stressed and five unstressed on each line, creating an iambic pentameter. Through the use of iambic pentameter Milton shows, his great ability and talent to write poems.
There are three allusions to the book of Matthew out of the New Testament as stated in the notes that are given on the poem (21). Lines one and two of the poem are remembering the part of Milton’s life that was spent in the light as well as sinking back to the reality of the large and dark world he now lives in. Matthew 25:1-13 is The Parable of the Ten Virgins, with the lesson being that you do not know when thing will change, so be prepared and be grateful for the things you have now (XXXX). Just as Milton did not know that he would become …show more content…

In Matthew 25: 14-30 it states that God has given every person talents, and nothing should hinder the talents that are given by God (XXX). The final allusion to the book of Matthew is during line eleven that is during the conversation Milton has with himself about God’s plan. Milton is reminded of God’s guiding hand and that the people who embrace his hand can fully serve him because they are guided in the direction he wants. Matthew 11: 30 states that God will not give you anything you cannot handle if you serve him and live by his ways

Show More
Related

  • Kay Boyle's The Life You Save May Be Your Own

    1615 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some people could lose faith or confidence upon losing vision, yet this sonnet teaches every individual to relight the extinguished flames in his or her eyes and discover a new world, one that makes us happy and moral people. Though Milton’s blindness has certainly damaged his “equipment for living” (Burke qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 8), Milton is able to find new equipment from his patience and meaningful desire. Milton says, “They also serve who only stand and wait” (14), meaning by being a patient individual, and accepting what we are given, we will one day be blessed with the ability to see what it is that each and every individual is looking for. Wanting to see and explore is a pivotal part of life, not just so one can carry out a daily routine, but, so one can learn to appreciate one’s many gifts, which each and every human being is entitled to and provided

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of My Papa's Waltz

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    Roethke’s poem has a regular rhyme scheme that can be expressed as “abab”. The only exception to this scheme would be the first stanza as the words “dizzy” (2) and “easy” (4) are slant rhymes. Only the end syllables of the two words sound the same. As a result, the use of a consistent “abab” rhyme scheme allows the poem to reflect the

    Read More

  • Theme Of Blindness In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    Blindness is most often perceived as just a physical disability especially when preconceived notions are embedded in one’s mind by society. Moreover an individual can be so ‘blind’ by worldviews and perceptions that the true humanity of someone that is actually blind can be overlooked. In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” (1938- 1988), Carver depicts a man versus man conflict in which the narrator was totally consumed with jealously because his wife had a ‘odd’ relationship with a ‘ blind’ man she befriended while working for him one summer.

    Read More

  • Analysis of My Papa's Waltz

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    The constant rhythm throughout the poem gives it a light beat, like a waltz; the reader feels like s/he is dancing. The rhyme pattern of...

    Read More

  • The Gospel of Matthew

    1550 Words  | 4 Pages

    The author’s intent is Christological. Jesus is the Son of God. He is God amongst us. Recognized titles in Matthew include Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, King, Immanuel. In addition, “the allusions and actions of Jesus of Matthew’s Jesus also communicate his Messianic claims.”2 The Gospel functions as a teaching tool and can be used liturgically. The author of Matthew intended it to be read and for his audience to understand, be engaged in and appreciate the literary devices and references. He “did not write for bad or casual readers, but in stead for good and attentive listeners. The ancient audiences were “accustomed to retain minute textual details”.3

    Read More

  • Richard Wilbur A Fire Truck

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    The essence of this poem is the author’s mastery of sound and rhythm and his excellent use of figurative language. Richard Wilbur purposely chose words that have few a syllables and require little to no change in mouth size and tongue movements to appease to the reader when read aloud. There is an ABAB rhythm scheme

    Read More

  • Sight in Cathedral

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vision is something many people take for granted every day. Society only deals with the matter of being blind if they are the less fortunate ones. According to the Braille Institute, "every seven minutes a person in the United States loses their sight, often as part of the aging process" (1). Only two percent of legally blind people use a guide dog and thirty-five percent use a white cane. Blindness can be caused from various different types of things including (in order) age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related cataracts. (Braille 1). However being blind does not mean a person is in total darkness. Some people can see lights and the shapes of objects, but the most import thing is for family and friends to provide hope and encouragement. The last thing a person who has lost their sight wants is to lose their family and support, which will led to loneliness. Likewise, in the short story "Cathedral," by Raymond Carver's, blindness is the key element in the story and shows in detail how the characters manage it. The theme Carver conveys in the short story is being able to see without sight and is revealed through the characters, tone and plot of the story.

    Read More

  • Blindness in Cathedral by Raymond Carver

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    In literature, blindness serves a general significant meaning of the absence of knowledge and insight. In life, physical blindness usually represents an inability or handicap, and those people afflicted with it are pitied. The act of being blind can set limitations on the human mind, thus causing their perception of reality to dramatically change in ways that can cause fear, personal insecurities, and eternal isolation. However, “Cathedral” utilizes blindness as an opportunity to expand outside those limits and exceed boundaries that can produce a compelling, internal change within an individual’s life. Those who have the ability of sight are able to examine and interpret their surroundings differently than those who are physically unable to see. Carver suggests an idea that sight and blindness offer two different perceptions of reality that can challenge and ultimately teach an individual to appreciate the powerful significance of truly seeing without seeing. Therefore, Raymond Carver passionately emphasizes a message that introduces blindness as not a setback, but a valuable gift that can offer a lesson of appreciation and acceptance toward viewing the world in a more open-minded perspective.

    Read More

  • Started Early - Took My Dog, by Emily Dickinson

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dickinson begins the first line of her poem by writing in iambic tetrameter. In the second line she switches to iambic trimeter and proceeds to alternate between the two. This rhyme scheme proves to be particularly effective in complimenting the subject of the poem-- the ocean. When a reader looks at the poem it is easy to see the lines lengthening then shortening, almost in the same fashion that the tide of the ocean flows and ebbs.

    Read More

  • We Wear the Mask

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    To begin, the sound of this poem can be proven to strongly contribute an effect to the message of this piece. This poem contains a traditional meter. All of the lines in the poem except for lines nine and 15 are in iambic tetrameter. In this metric pattern, a line has four pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables, for a total of eight syllables. This is relevant in order for the force of the poem to operate dynamically. The poem is speaking in a tenor of veiled confessions. For so long, the narrator is finally speaking up, in honesty, and not holding back. Yet, though what has been hidden is ultimately coming out, there is still this mask, a façade that is being worn. In sequence, the last words in each of the lines, again, except for lines nine and 15, are all in rhythm, “lies, eyes, guile, smile, subtleties, over-wise, sighs, cries, arise, vile...

    Read More

  • The Interpretation Of Emily Dickinson's Poetry

    1905 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first stanza is rhymed abcb and the second defe. Wolosky mentions that Emily Dickinson wrote almost all of her poetry in this hymnal verse form – but almost always for purposes other than those of the church hymn. In this poem, Dickinson used various meters: the common iambic and even hymn meter, it shows that “Dickinson was a consummate metrist” (Cooley 84). For example, verse one, three, five, and seven have the hymnal feet ux ux uux ux, whereas u is the unstressed and x the stressed syllable. The feet of line two and six is an iambic tetrameter (ux ux ux ux) where an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed. The fourth and eighth line follow the feet ux ux ux (u), whereas the last unstressed syllable appears only in the fourth and the last verse therefore is a trimeter (Meyer 46). Her usage of dashes and the different meters in this poem furnishes evidence for her reasoning is not finalized or even inscribed and that the lines must proceed. With the help of the reader’s imagination the line of thought can be accomplished in different possible ways. Through these incomplete rhyme schemes and abrupt stress patterns the openness of Emily Dickinson’s poems are supported. Because of the poem’s brevity they seem simple to interpret at first glance but exactly that is what makes it difficult to grasp. Emily Dickinson let it open therefore it could signify

    Read More

  • The Hidden Meaning of Robert Frost's Mending Wall

    435 Words  | 1 Pages

    This is a long one-stanza narrative poem. All the lines have five stresses and are written in iambic pentameter or blank verse, which was also Shakespeare's chosen meter in his plays.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is a very straight forward structure to this poem that contributes to the complexity and unity of the poem as a whole. The rhyme scheme follows a very straight forward ABAAB variation. This rhyme scheme flows throughout the poem with no variations and adds to the organic unity of the work. The meter of this work follows iambic tetrameter which, when read aloud, adds to the thoughtfulness of the speaker. However, the meter is interrupted during one line of the poem which reads, “I shall be telling this with a sigh” (line 16). This line brings attention to itself in order to alert the reader to the ambiguity of the statement, which will be discussed later. The poem itself is constructed with four stanzas with five lines in each stanza which adds to the unity by giving the poem a sense of a full circle and rounded out. Throughout the poem, the rhythm is slow and thoughtful, as if the speaker is reflecting on the choices that he has made in his lifetime. This slow rhythm adds a layer of complexity by demonstra...

    Read More

  • An Analysis of the Epic Poem, Beowulf - The Style of Beowulf

    1687 Words  | 4 Pages

    The poetic conventions used by this poet include two half-lines in each verse, separated by a caesura or pause. The half-lines are joined by the oral stressing of alliterative words in the half-lines, both consonants and vowels (Tharaud 34). “At least one of the two stressed words in the first half-line, and usually both of them, begin with the same sound as the first stressed word of the second half-line” (Donaldson 67). When a word was stressed in the first half-line, its alliterative counterpart was stressed in the following half-line; the words could either complement each other, like holy/heaven or sin/enemy, or they could contrast each other like happy/wretched or warm/winter.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of Jonh Milton's Sonnet 8

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kerrigan, William, etal. The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton. Random House. New

    Read More

More about Analysis Of When I Consider How My Light Is Spent

Open Document