In this poem the speaker, a poet, has become blind. Throughout the poem the speaker describes his struggle, trying to understand what God expects of him now that his sight has been taken. The speaker is upset that he cannot use his talent in a way that honors God. The speaker asks if God expects him to write without his sight. In the latter half of the poem, the speaker seems to realize that he can serve God without his poetry and calms down.
The title, “On his Blindness”, alludes to the blindness of the author, which he complains about, then comes to terms with in this poem.
The message of this poem is that you do not need to work hard to serve God, you just have to do what God wants of you.
The topic of this poem is an explaration of religion and faith.
In the first half the poem is written in a frustrated or confused tone, reflecting the author’s struggle to understand what God wants of him after taking his sight. In the second half of the poem the tone is more calm and gentle, reflecting the author coming to terms with his condition and realizing that he does not need to write poems to serve God.
This poem is written from the perspective of the author himself.
This poem is written in Iambic Hexameter, with an abba/abba/cdecde rhyme scheme.
“On his Blindness” is actually based on the author’s own experiences. John Milton was a religious man who had always loved reading and writing, often staying up late as a child to read books under candlelight. Later in his life he began experiencing severe headaches and he eventually went blind. “On his Blindness” is a poem in which Milton describes his frustration at being blind and his wavering faith, but comes to terms with throughout the poem.