Poetry 1st

On the occasion of losing his sight

John Milton (1608 : 1674)
1. Write short notes (hints) / an account on the poet?
 He was born in London in a rich religious family.
 His family brought him up for a post in the church.
 He wished to be a priest but he gave up the idea due to the sins committed in the
church at that time.
 Milton began to write poetry when he was a student in university.
 His masterpieces were "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Regained".
2. What is the theme of the poem? / main idea ? / What is it about?
How man can still serve god when he becomes blind.
The poet laments ‫ يندب‬the loss of his sight when he is still young.
3. This is an occasional ‫ مرتبط بمناسبة‬sonnet. Discuss
That’s true as Milton wrote this poem when he lost his sight (became blind)
4. The poem is an autobiography . Clarify
He writes about his own experience. Milton was totally blind. This was difficult for
any ordinary man and of course and more difficult on a gifted man like Milton. So he
was left sad. In this poem he shows his sadness, asking God why he was given such
bad luck.
5. What form did John Milton use in writing his poem?
This is an Italian sonnet. Milton didn’t follow the Shakespearean style but returned to
the original style.
6. Trace the difference between the octave and the sestet in Milton's poem.
Unlike Shakespeare, Milton followed the Italian sonnet. So he divided his poem into an
octave and a sestet.
Octet Sestet
1. 8 lines 6 lines
2. Question (problem) Answer(solution)
3. Milton speaks about himself Milton speaks about God (central
(central character) character)
4. (I / me / my) 8 pronouns (He / His / Him) 6 nouns and pronouns.
God is mentioned. The poet is not mentioned.
7. Why is the poet not mentioned in the sestet?
The central character in the sestet is God so the poet is not mentioned beside God as
the poet is so (tiny nothing compared to God).
8. How does the perspective differ in the octet and the sestet? Or Who are the
central characters in both the octet and the sestet?
The poet is the central character in the octet while God is the central character in the
sestet.
9. Why is the sestet more important than the octave?
The sestet is important because
It gives the solution ( accepting God's will ) to the problem (his sadness
for losing his eyesight).
 It shows the poet's religious belief (the poet is nothing compared to God)

1 Mr Akef Al Tahawy