On His Blindness by John Milton Objective Questions for TGT/PGT

Question: When did Milton wrote his sonnet “On His Blindness”?

Answer: The sonnet “On His Blindness” may have been written in 1652.

Question: What is the sonnet about?

Answer: The sonnet laments the blindness of Milton.

Question: What type of sonnet is “On His blindness”?

Answer: On His Blindness is a Petrarchan or Italian type of sonnet with octave and sestet.

Question: What does Milton mean by “era half of my days”?

Answer: Milton became blind in the middle of his life. He became totally blind in 1652 at the age of about 44.

Question: “That one talent”

What is the double meaning of ‘talent’? Is there any allusion here?

Answer: Here talent means gift (poetic gift given to him by God).

Talent originally means o gold coin. It has the allusion to the Biblical story of one gold coin given by a master to his servant and the servant did not use the talent.

Question: ‘Which is death to hide’

What does Milton mean here?

Answer: It meant that to hide the gift or to keep it useless is death to him. It is spiritual death.

Question: What does Milton’s soul wish?

Answer: The soul of Milton wishes to serve God by writing great poetry.

Question: ‘Lest the returning chide’

How does the line allude to the Biblical story of talents?

Answer: The master in the Parable of Talents rebukes the servant for keeping his talent (gold coin) useless.

Question: ‘Doth God exact day-labour’

What is meant by day-labour?

Answer: Day-labour mans labour done in the daylight-the full amount of his work.

Question: ‘But Patience, to prevent that murmur’.

What is meant by ‘Patience’? How is it used?

Answer: Patience means here patient thinking. Patience is personified here.

Question: How does one serve God best?

Answer: One serves God best by submitting to the gentle control of God.

Question: Who are the thousands at God’s bidding?

Answer: Milton perhaps means the angels traveling over land and oceans. God’s ministers (servants) are the sun, moon, stars, natural objects who work their allotted duties.

Question: ‘Who best bear His mild yoke’

What is the ‘mild yoke’?

Answer: Mild yoke means the gentle rule of God.

Question: ‘They also serve who only stand and wait.’

What does Milton mean by ‘stand and wait’?

Answer: ‘Stand and wait’ means remain firm in faith and devotion to God.