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The most important point to focus during your Master paper is:

Front and back=2
All answers should be written considering the length which should be 5-8 for each answer
Most important thing is you must know not to exceed or decrease the lengths
If you have written 5-6 pages for the first answer then next answers should be within 5-7 not more

It is a good technique to fetch marks properly as it shows balance of the candidate how to handle the stress

ON HIS BLINDNESS”

By: John Milton

CRITICAL APPRECIATION

Introduction:

The poem “On His Blindness” is an autobiographical sonnet in which John Milton expresses his feelings as a blind person. He is the greatest Epic writer in English and has written “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Regain” He has a number of poems to his credit.
The sonnet “On His Blindness” is perhaps one of the best and most popular of Milton’s sonnets. It is indeed a pearl in the ocean of English literature. It is a great sonnet of lofty tone and noble theme. It was written in 1655. Milton had started losing his eyesight from the year 1645. After some years he lost his eyesight completely. He was about 44 years at that time, when we remember that his great words “Paradise Lost” and “Samson Agonists” has not yet been written.
Strength of mind, power of will and determination, patience; all these traits stood him in good stead when blindness slowly came over his. What made him so sad was that the gist of poetry which had been given to him could not be used to advantage when he was suffering from blindness.
Here Milton bows down in humble submission to the will of God. The tone of patience and humility has perfectly mingled with that of great dignity. The poem is a human document, a revelation of the struggle in Milton’s own soul. It starts with a note of regret. Then there is a mood of doubt and questioning which however melts in the final attitude of complete resignation. The beauty and exaltation of moral feeling raise the poem to a great height. The poem is full of allusions to the bible.
The extreme simplicity of the language is its peculiar attractive. Two lines are wholly, several others are nearly, monosyllabic. It is a sonnet of Petrarchan type. But there is no division between the octave and the sestet-which is the characteristic of Italian or Petrarchan sonnet. There is a break in the middle of the eighth line.
The poet’s subsequent submission charms the readers. The monologue is simply fascinating. The league used is both easy and catchy. The metre, note and cadence is perfect.
The first thought of the poet as he lost his eye sight:
The poet thinks, in the beginning, that he will not be able to serve God as his sight is gone. As the poem develops, he begins to believe that God wants him to keep working, in spite of the fact that he lost his sight.
The poet starts the poem with ‘When’ thus he introduces his idea in the very beginning. According to him, he often thinks that half of his life or sight or intelligence has been spent in serving humanity, but now he has lost his eye sight and so his other half life is dark now and wide i.e. challenging as well.
Repentance for not making use of his talent:
The one talent (of writing) which he had, is useless now because without eyesight he cannot write. Thus, he believes that it’s the curse from the God that has been bestowed on him. The poet laments over the loss of his eyesight and wonders what this talent means for him now as without eye sight he cannot use it.
The sudden reconciliation:
The lament of poets turns into desire and wonder. He sys that he desired to serve his maker but because of this blindness he cannot do so. He wonders if God still wants to serve him in spite of the fact that his sight is gone. The poet sys that this foolish thought often haunts him.
The Personification of Patience:
The poet says that when such foolish thoughts come into his mind, the patience at once comes to reply that the work of man does not please. God, but the who best bear his mild yoke i.e. The one who remains patient and contented with what he has is most liked by him. God has huge Kingdom and there are thousands of angels who remain in motion to carry God’s order. They never take rest. The poet compares them with those who have talent and use it to serve God.
On the other hand, there are some other angels also who serve him just by standing and waiting before God. According to him, their service is equally valuable to God as that of the first category angels. The poet compares himself with the later Angels who just keep patience. Thus in the end, the poet is quite satisfied as he is also serving God just by keeping patience.
Conclusion:
In the end, he is assured that he is serving God Like the angles who just wait for the orders of God. The poem has number of Biblical references that depict Milton’s stern belief in God.
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On His Blindness- Analysis Line by Line:
The poet reflects on his blindness. He has become blind in the middle of his life. He therefore cannot make proper use of his poetic talent which is spiritual death for him to hide. His soul is earnestly desirous of serving God with his own talent that God have given him. He wishes to render a true account of his powers to God. He is afraid that god will rebuke him for not using his power. (Lines 1-6)
He anxiously asks-Does God require of a blind man’s service? (Lines 7-8)
Patient thinking make the poet conclude that God needs neither the service of man nor an account of the gifts bestowed by Him on man. Those who resign themselves to the will of God serve Him best. (Lines 9-10)
od is invested with royal power. Thousands of angels fly swiftly over land and sea to do His bidding. Those who have faith in God and calmly submit to God’s powers also render him services. (Lines 11-14)
The word “talent” has been used in more senses than one. In the Bible concept it means a coin or more generally speaking money. When the master gives some money, it is his duty to make use of it and increase it. Figuratively talent is a quality and therefore wealth. In this sense even vision may be recorded as a talent. It is by using one’s vision that one can do a lot of things. Milton was a pious Christian. His devotion and dedication to God are evident in the poem.! # Copied! Thank you❤️

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“Waiting for Godot” is an existentialist play because it has clear tints of existentialism in it. If we study the term existentialism we would come to know that it is a philosophical doctrine which lays stress on the existence with his concrete experience and solidities. However, “Waiting for Godot” is an existentialist play for it embodies Christian existentialism. Christian existentialism stress the idea that:

“I God only, man may find freedom for tension.”

For Christian, existentialism religious leads to God, whereas according to the Atheistic Existentialism, it is based on the idea of Jean Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger who state that:

“ is alone in a godless universe.”

The comparative study of both philosophies helps us to prove “Waiting for Godot” as a Christian existentialistic play.

We know that man is confronting the problem of his existence as a being. He is striving for his survival and to control the bridle of the pacing time. He is struggling to save his “individuality” and this very idea leads to the philosophy of existentialism.

The word “Existentialism” stands for one’s “awareness” of one’s “beingness”. It stands for a vital principal of life. “Waiting for Godot” resembles the existentialist literature because it deals not only with existence or identity but also with the momentary and the internal time. The time mentioned in “Waiting for Godot” is related to man’s mental condition. For instance, the major problem for the tramps is to make time pass in such a way that they are least bothered by it. Vladimir and Estragon constantly complain of the slowness of time passing and do their best to hurry it with their futile diversions. Estragon says:

“Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.”

But we know that outside the natural time, its consequences flow on. For example, the tree has grown five or six leaves. Pozzo has grown blind and Lucky dumb. Here Estragon remarks:

“They all change, only we not.”

It should be noted that waiting the natural course of time, they think they would believe themselves from all of their problems without doing any effort. They might die naturally and save the effort of hanging themselves.

There is a distinction between the momentary and eternal time for it deals with the question of existence and identity. This difference can also be seen in this play. In “Waiting for Godot” physical time is sometimes taken seriously and sometimes it is ridiculed or condemned. Estragon once succeeds in confusing Vladimir about the passage of time as well as about the day of week. In the same sentence the tramps speak of a million years ago and in the nineties. We have no reason to be certain that the second description is anyone factual than the first.

Doubts about time make the tramps doubtful about their existence and identity. One tramp claims to be of the part, it is doubted by the other. Their own identity and existence in time is also questionable. One day seems to have elapsed between the first act and the second, yet it becomes extremely difficult to differentiate this day with the previous by any important physical evidence.

The play “Waiting for Godot” has all the traits of existentialism both Vladimir and Estragon represent the man in general who is facing the problems of his existence in this world. They are interdependent like all other man. Hope for salvation is the subject of play and is the problem faced by the whole human race. Representing the man in general, the two tramps realize the futility of their exercise and we note that they are merely filling up the hours with the pointless activity. Hence their ‘waiting’ is mechanicaland deals with problem of existentialism.

To conclude we say that the whole picture shows a pretty hopelessness. Neither time nor existence, neither reality nor memory or the past have any meaning or significance. Acts are meaningless, time does not flow consecutively, memory seems deceptive, existence is an impression or perhaps a dream and happiness is extremely and affliction is crystal clear through the situation of two tramps. They are on the point of becoming hollow philosophies of existence but demand no other equipment in an audience than the bond of common perception.

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