Milton & Light
Article and Poem
Read the poem and the article. Consider the questions posed at the end. Respond to whatever piques your interest. Return to the blog to comment on a classmate's ideas. Original posts and comments are due by Tuesday morning before school starts.
Read the poem and the article. Consider the questions posed at the end. Respond to whatever piques your interest. Return to the blog to comment on a classmate's ideas. Original posts and comments are due by Tuesday morning before school starts.
Milton struggles with his loss of vision and it's proven in his poem as he uses words like "dark world" and claims that God denies light to him. The idea of patience in the poem is something that a lot of people can't handle. To have patience with God is to trust in Him and know that there is a plan. Milton had to be patient as he was going blind and trust that God had a plan for him. When he writes about his light, he is speaking about his talent to write poetry and the way his light is spent is a metaphor for the way he uses that talent to teach about God's intentions. He uses it literally to explain his blindness and the "light denied" to him because of it. Connecting to the article, I get around 6-7 hours of sleep and I do experience panic when it comes to exams or homework. Milton has worked himself blind and will no longer be able to write. Mr. Bruni wants to ensure that this doesn't happen to children who struggle with anxiety or panic. Rest and relaxation is just as important as studying or cramming for a test. The article gives other examples similar to Milton and gives ways of how to avoid this.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing definitely happens to me. It's interesting how people push themselves to their breaking point when it comes to feeling accomplished or proving themselves and their talents to other people. It, to me, is one of our faults as people because we prioritize tests and a multitude of other things over our own health and wellbeing.
DeleteWith waning vision, Milton questions how his light is being spent. This light that he speaks of may be actual physical daylight, but it also is a metaphor for his gifts and his abilities. He's pushed himself so hard to use his light to serve his Maker to the best of his ability, but now, he's having a crisis because, even though he's pushed himself so hard, he's losing his vision; and when his vision is gone, he will no longer be able to use the daylight to write because it will do him no good, nor will he be able to utilize his talents and abilities. As he questions God, a personified Patience offers wisdom and tells him that God doesn't need people's work or for them to spend the gifts that he gave them serving him. Patience encourages the speaker to rest every once in a while because God doesn't need him to work so hard that he begins to lose his gifts. This relates to the article where students are pushing themselves so hard, resulting in dire consequences, both mental and physical. The article encourages students to take a break and rest, to get the recommended amount of sleep, and to take time to do things that they enjoy. As for me, I try to take time to do things that I enjoy and to allow myself to unwind; but maybe I do stress too much over making sure that all of my work is done, maybe I don't spend enough time doing what I enjoy doing. If I had to guess, I would say that I get about 6-7 hours of sleep each night depending on circumstances; however, sometimes it might take me some time to get to sleep because I am overthinking certain situations that are happening in my life. Maybe I do occasionally stress too much, but I do try to improve and find a balance so that what happened to Milton or the overstressed college students doesn't happen to me.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good analysis and very similar to my thoughts. I agree with the idea of both daylight and metaphorical light that Milton uses. I like the way you linked to the two passages to each other. Students need to take a break from their studies before they drive push themselves like Milton did.
DeleteThe parallel between the poem and lack of sleep has a lot to do with the need to feel accomplished. The article spoke a lot about how students will deprive themselves of sleep to be able to keep up academically and essentially prove to themselves and to others their intelligence. High level students, for reasons such as extensive homework, are known to circumvent the need for sleep in order to push themselves to the limit. The same can be said for Milton, who was one of the best writers of his time; his talent with words furthered him in his determination to put out the best work he could. From working so hard, his vision had started to go, which shows how people will hurt themselves in order to prove themselves to others. He sacrificed his vision, at the expense of working so hard, because he was passionate about what he did but pushed himself to far. These ideas hold true to people in general and their need to feel accomplished; the parallel between the poem and the article only exemplified this phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this analysis of the texts, and I like what you said about what people will do to feel accomplished. So often, people will push themselves so hard to find accomplishment and are never satisfied which only causes them to push themselves further, costing them something in the process. I agree that the parallel between the article and the poem demonstrates this.
DeleteLike Sean, I agree with everything that you've stated. I especially liked the fact that you used the word "phenomenon" when talking about Milton and the students, because it makes me think of a rare disease or event. Sometimes the world makes us feel like everyone should be, and is, fighting for high achievement in school and life, but the state of our generation is not healthy. The lack of self-care that many people provide themselves is frightening, but it is slightly comforting to note that some people in Milton's time did the same thing.
DeleteAs Milton references his “light,” he describes his dwindling time that he is able to see due to his increasing blindness both metaphorically and literally. He wants to spend his time serving God and feels pressured to fill his time while he has it. However, when Milton personifies patience, he does this to depict how everything will be taken care of if he continues to follow God and to not panic. The contrast between light and dark indicate the emotion of not wanting to be completely closed off from the world and his religion even after he only sees darkness. As I reflect on the ways I choose to spend my light, I have mixed emotions. I feel that I dedicate a vast amount of my time to social media, stressing over school work, and dance practices. This poem and article have opened my eyes to the areas I need to improve upon. Additionally, I know that I am a part of the students that do not obtain the recommended amount of sleep because of my high stress levels. Like Milton, I hope to spend my light with people and activities that make me the happiest; I should not overly worry over if my grades are not perfect since I am only human and putting forth my best effort. Referring to the article, many students feel powerless in the face of all of their stressors, which also represents me. I need to learn to control my stress and dedicate more time to spend with those around me. After all, we only receive a certain amount of light to share and experience, and once it is gone, it is gone.
ReplyDeleteI like your reflection on the matter. I definitely agree with you -- if I'm not stressing over school work and doing homework in between dance rehearsals, I'm wasting time playing games on my phone (ironically). I saw myself sadly agreeing with all of the struggles the article depicted, making me, as you said, feel powerless in the process.
DeleteAs someone who experiences a great deal of anxiety in relation to school and the work it provides, I often find myself struggling to relax and get the ideal eight to nine hours of sleep each night. My mind is often suffocated by upcoming deadlines, grades, and exams. That being said, I highly relate to the struggles mentioned in Frank Bruni's article. Clearly I am not alone in these views and feelings. As Bruni describes, both myself and my fellow peers find "the real culprit [for our lack of sleep] is panic". Alongside this, devices are extremely distracting. I tend to skim through social media, no matter how "exhausted" I am, simply so I feel caught up and less out of the loop socially. It seems to be a catch-22. I can either stay awake and study for hours for an exam I have the next morning, or peacefully sleep and ultimately fail my class. It seems as if most students cannot win.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. If I do not study for a test or finish homework, I would be happy to get more sleep; but I also would be upset in regards to my uncompleted assignments and not be able to sleep. I feel that, due to the new and growing technology we have today, there are more distractions available to us with the click of a button. This is what I partially blame for my need to go on Instagram or Twitter at least a few times a day, or I will feel out of the loop.
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DeleteThroughout the poem, Milton acknowledges his waning vision and ponders the effect it may have on his relationship to God. If he cannot see, how is he to uphold religious duties and sacrifices? This source of worry is addressed by Patience, who ensures Milton that all he must bear is the burden of life, and God will deliver no consequences. This relates to the article in that both reference how people weigh their worth on ability to achieve. Plenty of students, including myself, stress themselves out beyond belief in attempts to reach greatness. We place academic achievement above our own general well-being in hopes that we will not fall behind peers. Though during a very different time period, even Milton appears to have experienced similar existential worry. Just as he questions his ability to properly serve God in lieu of disability, students weigh just how much sleep they can do without to succeed; each desire only the best. Each must take a step back and take care of themselves, placing personal happiness and health above comparison to others.
ReplyDeleteI love that you saw how disability played into Milton's perspective on his purpose in life. This also connects to schooling, as children with learning disabilities are often left unidentified until later in life, which may lead them to push themselves unfairly in their attempts to succeed at school. My little brother is struggling with this right now, and it can be hard to understand his perspective. Luckily there are programs in place to accommodate kids who have a harder time learning due to a disability, but these are fairly recent modifications.
DeleteI know that many of my classmates and I struggle with balancing self-care and schoolwork or other achievement. I, personally, have already pulled three all-nighters this year alone in preparation for classwork, assessments, and other assignments in various classes. Though it is essential to impress upon children the importance of hard work and determination, the fact that I consider myself lucky for only experiencing three sleepless nights highlights some of the neglected aspects of childhood development in our culture: self-care and responsible habits are often put on the backburner in favor of academic achievement. This becomes especially problematic when standardization warps society's concept of success so far that the pathway to an "accomplished" life becomes narrow enough to push off most of the next generation. Whether they be the next blue collar workers, artists, or even menial laborers, their capacity for excellence is no longer based on their essential role in every day life, but rather a faux ruler crafted to weigh and measure across impossible conversions, as even the most integral skills are shoved aside in favor of the most revolutionary. That being said, the line "who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best" rings true for many who don't thrive in traditional classroom settings. I think Milton's words are rife with wisdom, and I would like to heed them better in the oncoming semester.
ReplyDeletePulling an all nighter at times seems vital in order to accomplish just tomorrow's tasks, and it stinks. There should never be a night where a student feels the need to completely disregard any sleep at all for fear of failure. I agree that self-care is often put aside when it comes to academic achievement; students should try and meet their max potential, but also make sure to put themselves first.
DeleteThe personification of Patience in “When I Consider how my Light is Spent” illuminates Milton’s hope and steadfast belief in God. As Milton loses more of his vision, he begins to wonder what purpose he serves for God; Patience responds that bearing his burden of blindness is the best way to serve, and his duty is to “stand and wait” until he is called upon. I enjoyed Milton’s explanation of duties and servitude in this section. In the second text, “Today’s Exhausted Superkids,” Burni discussed the inability of tired students to deal with “minor setbacks” on a regular basis. The mild burden that the students have connects to Milton’s burden, as both the students and Milton worry that they are not doing enough. The excerpt was very thought-provoking to me, as I see many students like the ones described in our class and school. Schoolwork and high achievement has become our burden to carry because the narrative of “You will only be successful in life if you do X, Y, and Z!” has been spouted at us since middle school. Everyone is worried about getting the top grades and ACT scores, and for what? All of us hope that we’ll win scholarships and get a college education for free, but we have no guarantees. The anxiety and panic that surrounds myself and other students is ill founded but deeply rooted in our fears about the future. I think that we can all take a page from Milton’s poem, and remember that we all can serve (maybe not God, but Humanity) in our own ways.
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely right about most people believing that achieving certain standards is the most important thing in the world. It's like if they fail to do that, their life is essentially over even though it really doesn't matter in the long run. I lkike how you compared that to Milton discovering bearing the burden of his blindness was simply enough. Society as a whole needs to find a happy medium between shooting for success and fearing failure.
DeleteIn the poem, Milton uses light to represent both his talent and his literal vision. He wants to make the most out of his talent, so he works himself to the bone, disregarding his personal health in the process. It's not until patience is personified and sort of puts Milton in his place that he realizes the absurdity of his actions. God does not need a human's work or talent so much that they should go blind in order to utilize it. They should just use the gift of life they were given in order to be happy. This connects to the article because a lot of children feel similar to the way Milton originally did. They believe, if they don't succeed in academics, their lives are over. Somewhere along the way, society decided that reaching certain standards or expectations is the only way to find happiness. In actuality, its those beliefs that prevent people from finding happiness even if they succeed in reaching their goals. If they fail, however, it's even worse because some people believe their lives are over and would rather kill themselves than live a failure. People need to realize that it's okay not to be the most successful possible because they don't need to be. They are driving themselves to death to reach standards that don't matter, and they don't have to.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis. I feel like this is a genuine thing coming from you since you are the epitome of chill and go with the flow. I think it's a shame that people prioritize succeeding over mental and physical health in the sense that the article mention. How success is only a measure of a spot in U-Penn.
DeleteI feel as if everyone can relate to Milton’s poem to some degree whether it be working yourself ragged like the students in the article or just existing. Milton’s poem is about using his talent to serve God, yet he does it in such an extreme fashion that his light, and possibly his life force, is waning. It’s only when he decides to call on Patience to help him slow down and breathe. Patience says that man’s work is not needed to please God; that idea can be seen in everyday life. In the article, and in our class, we can see how everyone is stressing about classwork, jobs, and extracurriculars. Considering that this is the end of the college search time, we are in a generally stressful time and it prevents us from having a moment to breathe. So as Milton’s life force possibly waned, if looking at light that way, students lose sleep and energy resulting in a downward spiral. Both pieces serve as a reminder to take a moment and relax as that is the best thing to do at certain times.
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