By Praveena
John Milton
He wa born in December 1608 and he was an English poet and intellectual who seved as a civil servant for the common wealth of England under its council of State and later under Oliver Cromwell. He is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), written in blank verse , and widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever written. He died on 8 November 1674.
“When I Consider How My Light is Spent ” is one of the best known of the sonnet of John Milton.
Summary
Line1-8: When I consider how I spent my time when I had eyesight in the dark and wide world. Some questions disturb me . I have spent half of my life (milton become completely blind when he was 44) but I have not used the one talent ( of writing poetry) . Properly and it is lying with me uselessly although my mind wants to use it properly. By using it appropriately, I want to serve my master ,God and give him a proper amount of it when he asks me to explain. If I haven’t used my talent properly God will rebuke me. But then I ask myself this question;”Will God ask any one to do a job which needs daylight after denying him such light?”. To this questioy mind gives a reply.
Line9-14: God does not need man’s work,nor does he want the gift he has given to people. Those who accept their fate clamy also serve the lord. God is a royal person and he has at his command thousands of obedient angels who are willing to do anything at his command day and night. So the poet consoles himself by saying ” Even those who stand and wait als serve God ” . So he does not have to worry that God will be angry with him.
By Praveena
Littérateurs 