C LASS N OTES : “O N HIS B LINDNESS ” – J OHN M ILTON “M Y H EART L EAPS U P ” – W ILLIAM W ORDSWORTH Examine the poems from an analytical perspective.

“O N H IS B LINDNESS ” BY J OHN M ILTON When I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, And that one talent which is death to hide Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account lest He returning chide; “Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?” I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need Either man’s work or his own gifts. Who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best, His state Is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed, And post o’er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait.”

S UMMARY OF THE POEM This sonnet reveals the thoughts of a man who, having become blind at the age of 43, and with half his life still to be lived, fears that his blindness will prevent him from writing his major creative work. He remembers the parable of talents (Matthew 25:14- 30), where the servant is punished for not using his gifts profitably, by being cast into the outer darkness. Milton asks, "Doth God exact day labor, light denied?" He decides that God's work will get done, and that the best way he can serve is to bear his circumstances patiently: God accepts those who "only stand and wait."

S UMMARY OF THE PARABLE OF T ALENTS M ATTHEW 25:14-30 Before leaving on a long journey, a master leaves his wealth, in the form of talents (units of weight equal to an amount of money), with his servants. The first and second servants use their talents in trade and double their value; the third buries the one talent that he was given. When the master returns and calls his servants to account, he is overjoyed with the behaviour of his first two servants. The third servant explained that he was afraid of how the master had acquired the talent, so, instead of using it, he simply saved it for the master's return. His master punishes him by casting him out of the household and by giving his talent to the wealthiest servant.

T HE T WO M EANINGS OF “T ALENT ” First, talent means a person's natural gifts, often a creative ability. Second, talent means ancient monetary unit of gold or silver. Thus, the word has both connotative and denotative meaning.

M ILTON ’ S EXPERIENCES AS I NFLUENCES Milton became blind when he was middle aged. Milton was accustomed to using his poetic gifts to serve God. With the loss of his vision, he doesn't know how he will manage what he feels is his responsibility. A man of strong religious and political convictions and poetic genius, for over 10 years he has used words to fight for religious, civil, and personal freedom. Now, he muses on how a blind poet can serve God. Milton considers his one talent to be as poetic genius. His major goal has been to write great English epic. At this early stage in his blindness, he cannot imagine how it will be possible to do it.

Milton thinks it's a death to hide your gifts or abilities. Milton asks the question, "Does God expect a person who cannot see to perform work that requires vision?“ God's work in the world will be performed no matter what.

T HE USE OF CONTRAST IN THE POEM Contrast is an important technique in the poem. It is evident in the poem’s structure: the first 8 lines (octave) pose the critical question of how Milton can continue to serve God, the last 6 lines (sestet) respond with the fact that God will accept him for patiently bearing his affliction. Thematically, the contrast between "my light is spent" in (line 1) and "this dark world" (line 2) emphasize what Milton has lost in losing his eyesight. The contrast between "at his bidding speed...without rest" (lines 12-13) and "serve who only stand and wait" (line 14) emphasizes the idea that God accepts equally all kinds of service.

A LLUSION IN THE P OEM Milton's allusion to the parable of the talents enriches his concern about his inability to serve God now that he is blind. The parable makes it clear that God expects people to use their gifts, whatever those gifts may be.

P ERSONIFICATION Milton personifies Patience in order to emphasize the importance of the quality. T ONE The tone of the poem changes from one of concern about the effect of his blindness on Milton's life ( the question in the octave) to one of acceptance and resignation (the reply in the sestet).

P ARADOX : It is paradoxical that a blind man can serve God, and that those who "stand and wait" can serve God. One might have thought that the only way to serve God would be to do important deeds. T HEMES : There are many ways to serve God. Those who merely persevere also serve God.

“M Y H EART L EAPS U P ” My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die! The Child is father of the Man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety.

S UMMARY OF THE P OEM “My Heart Leaps Up” is a celebration of Wordsworth's joyful appreciation of nature. He's delighted that he is able to perceive and appreciate the natural world with the mind of a child, open to nature's wonder and beauty. This faculty for appreciation ("natural piety") is so important that he would die rather than lose it.

S TYLE Wordsworth's style achieves his goal: the union of imagination with simple means of expression. He believed adults should attempt to retain the attitudes toward nature that they had as a child, namely, a sense of wonder and appreciation of beauty. He conveys this complex philosophical idea through the use of paradox ("The Child is father of the Man"), and he expresses the joy of nature through his metaphorical use of a verb ("leaps").

P ARADOX "The Child is the father of Man" is the opposite of the usual way in which people think about the parent-child relationship. This formulation of the relationship reveals unity within each person from childhood to old age and implies a cause and effect relationship between early life-experiences and later reactions to life-experiences. Just as a parent teaches a child, it is possible to view the child as the teacher of the adult. The child views the world as a new and delightful experience, one that is filled with wondrous sights and events. Those who retain their appreciation of the wonder and beauty of the natural environment (and of life itself) lead far richer lives.

T HEME The appreciation of nature is a critically important aspect of one's life. A goal in life should be to preserve the view of the natural universe that one had as a child. M ETAPHOR The verb “leaps” is effective in that it conveys life, vitality, excitement, and enjoyment. Animals leap with vitality; people leap with joy. Wordsworth's “leaping heart” signifies his joyful reaction to the beauty in nature. N ATURAL PIETY Piety means faithful devotion. Natural piety means faithful devotion to nature.