Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
WHEN I CONSIDER HOW MY LIGHT IS
SPENT
JOHN MILTON
(9th December, 1608 - 8th November, 1674)
ABOUT THE POET
• Well known for his epic poetry, Paradise Lost, John Milton was a 17th century English
poet who wrote poetry and prose between 1632 – 1674.
•
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Most of his works address issues ranging from religion to politics. They include;
Poems of Mr. John Milton (1645)
On Shakespeare (1632),
Comus (1637),
Lycidas (1638),
Paradise Regained (1671)
Art of Logic (1672),
Of True Religion (1673)
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• . In 1651, John Milton suffered from bilateral retinal detachment or glaucoma which
rendered him totally blind. This did not hinder Milton from writing poetry and prose.
• With the assistance of his friend and colleague, Andrew Marvel (an English
metaphysical poet), who transcribed his subsequent works, Milton continued to write
poetry and prose.
• He died at the age of 65 in London, England.
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SUMMARY OF THE POEM
• Often called Sonnet 19 or On His Blindness, Milton’s poem, When I Consider How My
Light Is Spent, can be considered an autobiographical poem as it presents the poets
personal feelings, emotions and thoughts when he lost completely his sense of sight even
before he reached mid-point of his life.
• The poem presents readers with the poet’s contemplation on his blindness, his fear of his
God-given talent (writing poetry) becoming useless, and the likelihood of not achieving
his ambition as a poet.
• Milton articulates his frustration with God for taking his sight – a part of his body which is
indispensable to his work as a poet. He wonders what will become of him when he meets
his maker to account for his deeds on this earth since he fears his dreams and aspirations
to write has been cut short by his blindness.
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CONT’D
• However, at the end of the poem, Milton seeks consolation in the fact that it is faith and
not labour that saves man.
• This protestant ideology that salvation is not dependent on one’s works but one’s faith is
echoed in Milton’s other poems like How Soon Hath Time.
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ANALYSIS OF THE POEM
Line 1-2
• The persona begins his lamentation by pondering over how he has lost his sight at the prime of
his life and has to spend the rest of it living in this big world in utter darkness. Line 1 which is
also the title of the poem presents the persona in a reflective and gloomy mood.
•
. Through
symbolism and the use of metaphor, the persona compares his sight (light) to money
or currency that can be spent.
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CONT’D
• Just as money gives man financial stability in life, “light” as used in the poem is
supposed to give the persona some sense of relief, purpose, peace and help him execute
his duties as a writer or poet. However, this happens not to be the case for the persona
because he has run out of his “light”.
• Line 2 compounds the persona’s plight as he must spend the rest of his life in darkness.
Imagine how frustrating it is to grope for something in the dark. This is the kind of
frustration the persona who was once vibrant must endure for the rest of his life in a
world of absolute darkness.
•
. The
persona’s situation is extremely sad because he has to live in darkness in a world
which he describes as already dark and wide
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CONT’D
• This hyperbolic statement substantiates the level of confusion in the persona’s mind and the
grief that has engulfed him.
• Again, the use of cacophony - the plosives present in Line 2 “this dark world and wide”
also affirms the intensity of the persona’s frustration and grief.
Lines 3-6
• The persona continues to lament and complain about his lost sight.
• He fears his greatest talent (writing poetry) which he will never hide except in death has
become useless as a result of his blindness.
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CONT’D
• Just as William Wordsworth defines poetry as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful
emotions and feelings”, it is obvious from Line 4 that the persona, being a poet, longs so
much to write in service of his maker.
•
The ideas to write about, the emotions to support these ideas seem to flow effortlessly, but
his condition has become a stumbling block.
•
By personifying blindness, the persona claims that his talent of writing poetry has been
caged, stifled and rendered useless by his lost sight
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CONT’D
• Biblically alluding to the Parable of the Talent in Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew, the
persona believes he must make good use of his God-given talent to serve his maker.
• He believes that this will enable him present a good account of his works during the day of
judgement.
• With his sight gone, and living in darkness, the persona fears he risks being rebuked by his
maker for suppressing his talent just like the servant who received one talent and hid it in the
ground.
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CONT’D
Lines 7-8
• The persona at this point, filled with grief, anger and disappointment, contemplates
questioning the ways of his maker. He wonders why God would bless him with the talent of
writing and later in life render him blind.
• Being a Puritan who believes in the authority of the Bible, Milton acknowledges how
blasphemous it is to question the ways of God. Consequently, he uses the adverb “fondly”
which is an archaic version of the word “foolishly”.
•
The rhetorical question in Line 7 is significant because it reveals the universality of the
persona’s plight. That is, every man at a point in his life faces difficulties (yoke) but it is
not more than the person can bare (mild).
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CONT’D
Lines 8-10
• To eradicate these blasphemous thoughts and grumbles from the persona’s mind,
“Patience”, a virtue often held in high esteem by Christians, is personified to speak sense
into him.
•
“Patience” points out that God does not need man’s works, deeds or gifts but only requires
man’s obedience and trust.
•
It is important to note that the tone present in the poem transitions from frustration and
doubt to humility and acceptance from the above lines and beyond. The octave contains a
tone of doubt and frustration while the sestet contains a tone of humility and acceptance.
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Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
Lines 11-14
• In these final lines of the poem, “Patience” continues to console the persona and put his
mind at rest. It further argues that man must simply follow the directives of God in order
to be considered faithful servants and not only rely on their works. T
• The oxymoron present in Line 11 “mild yoke” biblically alludes to the Gospel of
Matthew 11:29-30 which states that people who are most obedient to God serve Him
best.
• . “Patience” explains to the persona that like a farm animal wearing a yoke, true servants
of God must allow Him to manipulate and control their fate
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
• Comparing God to a king, “Patience” tells the persona that thousands cross land
and sea without rest just to do God’s bidding.
•
This means that man can serve God in a variety of ways and not just limit himself
to his deeds/talents/gifts.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
FORM AND STRUCTURE OF THE POEM
• Made up of fourteen lines, Milton’s poem is a Petrarchan Sonnet.
NB:
• The Petrarchan sonnet is named after the Italian poet, Petrarch.
• It is divided into two stanzas, an octave followed by a sestet.
• It has a tightly woven rhyme scheme of abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd.
• The Petrarchan sonnet often presents an argument or debate in the mind of the
persona.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
• While the octave states a problem, expresses an emotional tension, presents an
argument or asks a question in the persona’s mind, the sestet provides answers
or clarification and releases tension.
• The sestet in a Petrarchan sonnet is introduced by a “Turn” or “Volta” which
marks a shift in the direction of the argument.
• Similarly, Milton’s poem can be divided into an octave (a poetic stanza made up
of eight lines with a rhyme of ABBAABBA) and a sestet (a poetic stanza made
up of six lines with a rhyme of CDCDCD or CDECDE).
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
• The first eight lines (octave) of Milton’s poem is a thoughtful reflection and
lamentation of the persona’s loss of sight.
• The turn or volta can be identified in Line 8 when the persona says “…But
patience to prevent…”.
• The use of the coordinating conjunction “But” in Line 8 is what initiates a turn in
the direction of the poem.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
• The last six lines (sestet) of the poem provide some kind of consolation to the
persona and releases the tension that has been built up in the mind of the
persona.
• This section of the poem focuses on the patience needed by the persona in order
to accept his fate and not spill out blasphemous words because he is angry and
frustrated.
• The last six lines of the poem entreats the persona to obey God’s directives and
not consider salvation to be solely based on one’s works or deeds.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
THEMES
 The clash between Faith and Reason.
 Spiritual Doubt
 The virtue of patience
 The recognition of physical disability
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
LITERARY DEVICES
SYMBOLS
 Light: this symbolizes the persona’s vision or eyesight
 Dark: symbolizes the persona’s plight as a blind man
 Yoke: Even though “yoke” usually symbolizes bondage or slavery, the persona
gives it a more positive meaning by describing the yoke as mild. Instead of
representing God’s oppressive nature, yoke is used in a way that it represents
God’s loving nature
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
• Talent: symbolizes man’s works or deeds
ALLUSION
Line 3: “And that one Talent which is death to hide”
• In Milton’s poem, the persona alludes biblically to the Parable of the Talent in
Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew.
• He compares God to the master who gives out Talents to his servant and also
compares himself (the persona) to the servant who buried his Talent.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
Line 11: “Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best”
This part of the poem also makes a biblical reference to Matthew’s Gospel where
God encourages man to take upon himself His yoke since it is easy and his burden
is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
METAPHOR
CONT’D
 Line 1: When I consider how my light is spent,
The persona compares his vision to a source of light that has the tendency of
running out.
 Line 10-11: …Who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best
Here, the persona compares God’s ruling over man to a wooden yoke that is used
to guide farm animals.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
 Line 11-14:
… His state
Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.”
This presents an extended metaphor as there is a comparison of man’s service to
God to man’s service to a king on earth.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
PERSONIFICATION
Line 8-14:
But patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies…”
The virtue of patience is given the human attribute of being able to speak as it
consoles and advices the persona to have faith in his maker rather than pleasing
him with his works.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
ALLITERATION
Line 2: “this dark world and wide”
Line 14: “serve and stand”
HYPERBOLE
Line 12-13:
Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
ENJAMBMENT: An idea or thought in a line that does not come to an end but
rolls over to the next line
Line 8-12:
But patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly.
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
CONT’D
RHETORICAL QUESTION: A question asked without expecting an answer
but instead lay emphasis or create a dramatic effect.
Line 7:
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
REFERENCES
• http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5791
• https://sites.google.com/site/poetryfinalassignment/analysis
• Tearle, O. (2022). A Short Analysis of John Milton’s “When I Consider How
My Light Is Spent”. Interesting Literature: A Library of Interestingness.
Retrieved from https://interestingliterature.com/2020/03/when-consider-light-
spent-analysis-milton-sonnet-blindness/