Read the following poem carefully before choosing your answer:
When I Consider How My Light is Spent
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?'
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, 'God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.'
How does the structural turn (volta) that begins in line 8 ('But Patience...') reinforce the thematic development of the poem?
- AIt maintains the speaker's original sense of frustration by emphasizing the physical hardships of blindness.
- BIt isolates the word 'prevent' at the end of line 8 as a declaration of complete defeat, ignoring how the sentence continues into line 9.
- It transitions the speaker's tone from anxious self-doubt to quiet acceptance of divine will.Answer
- DIt introduces personification to show the poet's skill in using classical rhetorical devices without altering the poem's central conflict.
- EIt serves as a direct biographical record of Milton's personal regret over losing his sight rather than a constructed speaker's spiritual struggle.