Chapter 2: Poems by Milton

Answer. In the poem, the poet Milton states that humans can conquer the power of time by attaining immortal life in heaven. The poet asks for time to escape since it might also face death while humans gain everlasting happiness. Thus, time personifies to be jealous of human life.

The “lazy leaden-stepping hours” refers to a clock describing the slow movement of time, measuring hours with “leaden” hands. The “plummet” or a pendulum in a watch clock that moves slowly refers to the time’s action. Therefore, time’s movement is bounded to a clock and forced to end with the end of human life, whereas a human soul is immortal and manages to exist even after death.

Answer. In the poem, the things associated with the temporal are the temporary things that exist to a certain point. Human qualities like “Envy”, “lazy”, “womb”, “greedy”, vain”, “glut”, “plummets”, “leaden”, “hours”, and “mortal”,” Death” and ” Chance” are the limitations of human life, seemingly enslaved by Time.

The things associated with the eternal are “Love”, “Peace”, “Truth”, “Joy”, “Throne”, “soul” and” Stars”, which shall attain in heaven.

Answer. According to different individuals ‘ perceptions, the poet John Milton has portrayed the common conception of time as moving too slowly or too fast. Time is both our limitation and our opportunity. In every individual’s mind, time acts as an intangible tool that controls the lives of creatures. Time also serves as the part of the field in which we may create and fulfil our destiny. Time is a known force that stimulates a person’s lifespan forward, making necessary changes in all passing moments, but humans should not be affected by its influence.

Time has a physical reality, not simply in the movements of clocks and planets but also in limiting experience to only one event at a time. The ageing of our bodies reminds us that entropy and decay define time as the condition of impermanence. Time can only affect a person’s life as long as they are alive. Therefore, its power is limited.

The poet explains that we must understand that there is only one end in the race against time, i.e., death. Time swallows everything in our lifetime, but it should also end like everything else in the universe. Time’s power stops when the human soul is freed from its global home and is managed by death to the divine field, where endless happiness is waiting, along with a joyous connection with the Creator. Humans must, therefore, celebrate every moment of their life because, in the race against the “glut” and “greed” of time, they will be the true victors.