Question

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?” In Sonnet XIX by John Milton, the speaker feels that upon losing his eyesight, his talent has been rendered useless. Why does blindness have this effect on his talent?

A. The speaker feels that without sight, he will not be able to write, study his work, or read other material.

B. The speaker feels that without sight, money is worthless.

C. The speaker feels that he won’t be able to see the results of his endeavors.

D. The speaker feels no one will want to read work written by a blind man.

Answer 1

A. The speaker feels that without sight, he will not be able to write, study his work, or read other material.

At age 42, John Milton was already totally blind, an he expresses in these lines of the poem how he feels he wasted his time while he could see in different things that he thinks aren´t enough.

Answer 2

The given excerpt above is actually taken from the poem "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent" which was written by John Milton. And based on the excerpt, how blindness has influenced the speaker's talent is that he feels that no one would be willing to read a work written by a blind man. The answer would be option D.