A Reflection on The Poem "When I Consider How My Light is Spent" by John Milton

After reading the poem, When I consider How My Light Is Spent, written by John Milton, my initial reactions regarding this poem produced a sense of confusion on the point Milton was trying to get across due to the analytical elements being used. The figurative language and metaphorical thought was hard to entirely understand and grasp exactly what Milton was trying to discuss within the poem itself. Not only was the language presented hard to understand, the structure of the sentence created confusion due to the lack of knowledge and information that was given to the audience and the reader.

Although the poem is hard to completely understand, I was able to relate and connect to this poem solely from the tone and feelings that were put into it, and as a result, understand each sentence that he writes. While I understood that this poem was considering one's disabling affliction in light of a time-less truth, Milton’s use of literary techniques of metaphorical representations, irony, and satire cause room for misunderstanding of what he is trying to convey. For example, the title of the poem: When I Consider How My Light Is Spent.

Milton uses a strong, yet confusing metaphor in the title of the poem itself when he refers to "light". It can be understood that the poem directly associates with Milton's view of the world which reflect that the use of "light" is a plausible metaphor for vision. Milton also presents the key point on how God plays an important part in his life, transforming his point of view from his perspective.

From what I was able to understand, the theme of the poem included a moral lesson that reflects on human beings as a whole. While the theme can be understood after analyzing the metaphors and sarcasm of the speaker, it is somewhat clear it deals with aspects of hope, dreams, and plans in regards to God, yet more specifically, the theme of religion.

One aspect of the poem that I did not fully understand was the idea of "talents" due to the different variations it can mean depending on the context. It becomes hard to completely understand what he means because both uses of the term could be implied, but when trying to figure out which use he was trying to portray, causes confusion and uncertainty.