Question

Read the passage.

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?”

When John Milton wrote his Sonnet XIX, he was facing the physical challenge of blindness.What fears are described in these lines of verse from the sonnet?


The speaker describes how he fears that his blindness may prevent him from serving God through poetic writing.


The speaker describes how he fears that he may have spent all of his savings.


The speaker describes how he fears that blindness has robbed him of his one talent.


The speaker describes how he fears that he does not have the patience to continue writing poetry.

Answer 1

The speaker feels his talent has been rendered useless.

Step-by-step explanation:

This would be for certain Gradpoint answers. I just did it and it was correct.

Answer 2

Option A

Step-by-step explanation:

John 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 the sonnet is the loss and regain of primacy of experience. Milton offers his philosophical view on animism and God. In the beginning of the sonnet, Milton suggests that his primacy of experience have been deferred when he became blind. The words, “dark”, “death”, and “useless” (lines 2-4) describe the emotional state of Milton.