Analysis Of When I Consider How My Light Is Spent

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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

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