Critically appreciate John Milton’s ‘On His Blindness’.
The speaker of the sonnet
‘On His Blindness’ laments his blindness and worries because he cannot work
anymore. Therefore he fears to be worthless in God’s eyes. In this specific
poem it is very likely that the speaker is identical with the author because
Milton became entirely blind shortly before he wrote this sonnet in 1652
(Bradford 88). Consequently, this sonnet deals with his personal way of coping
with his destiny regarding “himself as physically disqualified” (Bradford 88).
Milton’s perspective on life is deeply religious and shaped by his powerful
belief in God. This is demonstrated by his intertextual reference to the
Bible’s parable of the talent in Matthew 25 (qtd. in Miller 22). In the
17 thcentury religious poetry was very common and Christian
belief played a crucial role in human lives. Milton clearly emphasizes his
conception of serving God in line 5: “To serve therewith my Maker” and expects
God’s critical judgment on that in line 7: “Doth God exact day-labour”.
Thereupon the voice of “Patience” is interacting with the first speaker. These
two voices are having a dialogue which makes the poem dramatic.
John Milton criticizes our modern achievement-oriented society in his sonnet
“On his blindness” because nowadays performance is a precondition for high
regard and appreciation of somebody. However, his poem can serve as a statement
in favor of a person’s worthiness independent of one’s performance and
workload.
