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ENG1501 Poems and notes
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- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Eng1501 Poems notes and analysis
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ENG1501Notes of
Poems
Summary
,On his Blindness – John Milton
Please see below some suggested answers. You all did very well - the largest
problems were involved with misunderstanding what a pun is, the fact that
"talent" used to also be a type of money and is used here with both meanings,
and there was quite a bit of a lack of explanation on answers. But generally, an
excellent start to the semester!
1. What crisis is he facing?
The speaker is facing the crisis of losing his sight, just as Milton did in real life.
With his loss of sight, comes the loss of his ability to use his talent for poetry. In
his inability to accept what he sees as a grave injustice, he questions why God is
taking away his very ability to serve God. At the same time as this confusion, he
feels guilt for not having properly used his talent while he could.
2. Why is it so difficult for him to accept the predicament he finds himself in?
It is difficult for him because he sees his main talent, that which he believes he is
best at, being taken away – and struggles to this with his God’s reasons for doing
so – as he wishes to use these talents to serve God.
Answer the following questions to help you understand how Milton has used the
parable in his poem. Be sure to read through the text in your study guide for
guidance:
1. What do you think the word talent means in the context of the poem?
Here, talent has a dual meaning – both the God-given skills that someone
possesses – namely Milton’s talent with poetry, and also in the metaphorical
context of the poem – talent as it refers to currency. The poem hinges on a pun
on "talent" in the sense of "skill" and "talent" as a unit of monetary
measurement in Biblical times.
The speaker's ability to see is like a currency, which is unfortunately spent too
soon.
2. Do you think the word talent is the same as the modern meaning? Give
reasons?
In the parable the word “talent” is the name of a coin, but the word takes the
more modern meaning, in this poem – of gifts or special abilities we are blessed
with. This is of course also an extended metaphor about the “cost” of not using
his talents.
3. Describe the type of talent that Milton has been given by God and what he
feels about his talent
Milton has been given a gift, a talent, for writing poetry, just as the servants
were given coins. His argumentative ability in the poem itself shows how gifted
an orator he is.
4. What do you think is the significance of the parable of talents in the poem?
The parable about hiding the talent and not turning the master's currency into a
profit is used as an extended metaphor in which God is compared to the lord,
while the speaker is the third servant who has buried the money.
,For Milton - the biblical parable relates to punishment for not using his talents to
the full in the worship of God. Milton feels he will be called to account for his use
(or failure to use) of his gift, just as the servant was called to account for the fact
that he had not made his money grow like the other servants had.
Answer the following questions regarding imagery and puns in the poem:
1. At the sestet (last six lines of the poem) the speaker uses various images to
illustrate God’s will. List the images and explain what they mean.
The metaphor in the first half of line 11 compares God's rule over men to the
wooden yoke that guides farm animals. In the lines that follow, the poet presents
an image of servants rushing all over the world, by land and by sea, to serve
God. These "servants" are Christian soldiers, merchants, politicians, clergy, and
so on. Lines 11-14 form an extended metaphor comparing service to God with
service to the most powerful king in the world.
2. Identify the poet’s use of puns in the poem and explain how they work.
Your study guide has a useful section, which illustrated the use of puns in the
poem as follows: “In this poem, Milton uses a pun to put across an idea. For
example, “light”, understood literally, means the light of day – Milton has spent
his days up to now serving God by making use of his gift for writing poetry. But
now his light (eyesight) has been used up and “spent”. So, in fact, there is a play
on the meaning of both “light” and “spent”. The significance is that Milton
questions how he can serve God without light – both daylight to see by and
eyesight to see with.”
Additionally, the poem hinges on a pun on "talent" in the sense of "skill" and
"talent" as a unit of monetary measurement in Biblical times. The parable of
talents occurs in chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew, and it tells the story of
two servants improving their own lot by increasing the bounty of their master.
In the first section of the poem, the speaker compares God to the "lord" in the
parable who goes away on a trip and returns to ask what his servants have done
with their money. In the second section of the poem, "patience" explains that
God is more like a king who does not need all his servants to actively work for
him.
Additionally:
Line 1: The word "spent" becomes a pun when we read it in light of the
discussion of money and currency in the next few lines. The speaker's ability to
see is like a currency, and he has unfortunately burned through it too soon. That
"light" was supposed to last him all the way through his retirement!
Lines 3-5: The word "Talent" has a double meaning, as described above. The
whole Biblical parable about hiding the talent and not turning the master's
currency into a profit is used as an extended metaphor in which God is compared
to the lord, while the speaker is the third servant who has buried the money.
Line 6: The word "account" also has a double meaning that works on both sides
of the extended metaphor. In one sense, "account" is a story of justification for
, how the speaker has used his time on earth. In another sense, the "account" is
the amount of money the servant in the parable is able to show to his lord. The
servant must give this account after his lord has "returned" from traveling.
Line 14: The word "wait" is a pun. It means "wait" in the sense that the speaker
will wait until the end of his life to meet his ultimate fate, and also in the sense
that a person "waits" on a more powerful person simply by standing there until
he is needed.
List words or expressions in the English language which can be described as
oxymorons (you can draw on your own general knowledge of English to answer
this question. A good way to begin is to put together two opposites, as
Shakespeare does in Romeo and Juliet when he speaks of “loving hate”).
The most common phrase that comes to mind is “bitter sweet”. Others include:
Open Secret
Larger Half
Alone Together
Found Missing
Deafening Silence
1. What do you think the ‘brown-veined white’ of the title refers to? Remember
to quote from the poem to support your answer.
As you all correctly surmised, the brown-veined white is a butterfly native to
South Africa, as directly referenced by the poet (line 1). Much like the Romantic
poets use nature as metaphor for larger ideas such as the socio-political
undercurrent of their own countries’, the speaker uses the flight of these
butterflies, and other elements of nature, to mirror his own feelings.
There is also however a strong argument for interpretation of it as an extended
metaphor with the butterflies representative of colonialist powers. In addition to
being white themselves, these butterflies are representative of a temporary but
destructive regime (winter in this case). The choice of the “brown-veined”
butterfly could be interpreted as a reference to the lack of identity resulting from
the effects of colonization, or even acknowledging the fact that Africa is the
cradle of mankind. The argument is further supported throughout the poem, with
references to these white butterflies being representative of winter, traditionally
known as a difficult time and often utilized in poetry as such. “They bend the
grass under them” (line 3) can refer to oppression of the land and its peoples.
2. Read the first five lines of the poem carefully. In what ways do you think
butterflies can be like ‘snowflakes in a blizzard’ (line 2)?
In that within a large amount of white snow, the white butterflies, which would
themselves move and fall much like snowfall, could virtually disappear, unseen
by the naked eye.From this we can see further evidence to support the extended
metaphor, which the butterflies being indistinguishable – and by extension
responsible for - the chaos/difficulty that surrounds them.
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