A Prose Analysis of Miltons Sonnet XIX :: essays research papers

A Prose Analysis on Miltons "Sonnet XIX"      toilet Milton, a poet who was completely blind in 1651 wrote "Sonnet XIX"in 1652 this sonnet is his response to his loss of sight. The theme of thesonnet is the loss and be restored of primacy of experience. Milton offers hisphilosophical view on animism and God. Furthermore, "Sonnet XIX" exploresMiltons faith and kindred with God. "Sonnet XIX" suggests that man wascreated to work and not rest. The supportive details, structure, form, and foulness of context embodies the theme. The sonnet goes through two phases thefirst phase is Miltons movement addressed to God, "Why me?" he asked. Then,the second phase offers a resultant to Miltons dilemma. More over, the sonnetacts as a self-poem to Milton, himself.     In the beginning of the sonnet, Milton suggests that his primacy ofexperience find been deferred when he became blind. The words, "dark", &qu otdeath",and "useless" ( melodic lines 2-4) describe the emotional evince of Milton. His blindnesscreated a shrouded uncloudedness within his mind. Line three, "And that one endowment fundwhich is death to hide" is an allusion to the biblical context of the bible.Line three refers to the news report of Matthew XXV, 14-30 where a servant of the lordburied his single talent alternatively of investing it. At the lords return, he castthe servant into the "outer repulsiveness" and deprived all he had. Hence, Miltondevoted his life in paper however, his blindness raped his Gods gift away.A tremendous cloud casted over him and darkened his reality of life and theworld. Like the servant, Milton was flung into the darkness.     Line seven, "Doth God accurate day-labor, light denied?" describes thelimitations and burdens of a person who has lost his sense of place in life.Obviously, Milton is making a reference to his blindness in relation to lineseven. Line seven implies that once the usefulness of a man has diminished, hence is man doomed to wasting the rest of his remaining days. In separate words,has Miltons handicap made him into an obsolete machine? The quote "To be ornot to be,", (Hamlet, Act 3, Scene1) runs through Miltons mind. Shall hestruggle and fight in the webs of darkness, or shall he accept defeat. A senseof "dark clarity" - a sinister paradox occupies Miltons mind. His brain wasonce clear, set, and on confinement but now, it is clouded, unorganized, andfragmented.     However, in the darkness, a new form of clarity arises. "That murmur. currently replies, God doth not need Either mans work or his possess gifts" (lines 9-