Podcasts about on his blindness

Hosts: Fr Steve and Rich Budd with guest Sean O'Neill In today's episode, we talk about celebrating Christmas. We hear a reflection on Purification. And we hear a poem by John Milton, “On His Blindness,” read by Mary Ellen Small. *Note: the Feast of the Holy Family is not a Solemnity or Holy Day of Obligation.

That's right, we're back on poetry again! We finished the Odyssey and, hungry for more punishment, dove into Mary Oliver's work. Amelia humorously mistakes two vastly different modern poets; Sarah humorously botches an 20th century poet's name (wow). We discuss religion, medicine, nature, DOGS, cats, prose, and more religion.  Media DiscussedMary Oliver: Dog Songs, Evidence, "The Summer Day," "Wild Geese"Billy Collins: "Sonnet," "Introduction to Poetry"John Milton: "On His Blindness"E. E. Cumings: "anyone lived in a pretty how town" Claudia Emerson: "Frame, An Epistle"

Read by Terry CasburnProduction and Sound Design by Kevin Seaman

Today is the birthday of poet John Milton (1608), author of the epic poem “Paradise Lost.” We feature Milton's poem “On His Blindness.”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 – 1861) was one of the best poets of the 19th century, yet remains little known today and even less read. At a time when feminist literary criticism (among other relevant lenses) is ascendant, how did Barrett Browning go from an almost universally admired writer to one that is neglected in favor of her literary inferiors? In ArtiFact #19, Joel Parrish and Alex Sheremet tackle her classic sonnet sequence, Sonnets from the Portuguese, going through roughly half the poems line by line to uncover Browning's complicated views on love, art, and other subjects, highlighting her philosophical depth, technical skill, as well as her inversions of familiar tropes.   You can also watch this discussion on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nCaB4_tJCQ Timestamps:   0:24 – Introducing Elizabeth Barrett Browning + Sonnets from the Portuguese in context; William Blake, Walt Whitman, Shakespeare, John Donne; Browning's world-building, sonnet-units, and characterization from poem to poem 11:37 – Sonnet 1: “I thought once how Theocritus had sung…” – how Elizabeth Barrett Browning creates a world with values, assumptions, moods, and characters with their own narrative arcs; how a complex and even ambiguous view of love gets presented from the very beginning; the love of melancholy; love vs. death; introducing the objective-subjective distinction in Sonnets from the Portuguese 23:36 – Sonnet 3: “Unlike are we, unlike, O princely Heart!” – inverting the vocative cliché; the modernity of Elizabeth Barrett Browning; time and death as leveling forces for the objective + subjective divide 35:16 – Sonnet 12: “Indeed this very love which is my boast…” – a weaker sonnet that nonetheless has some redeeming features, such as ambiguity in the ending 40:49 – Sonnet 13: “And wilt thou have me fashion into speech…” – inverting the classic ‘I can't even express my love' trope in poetry; the use of literal images to offset generic and/or trope imagery; the subtle and underrated feminism of Elizabeth Barrett Browning 53:20 – Sonnet 14: “If thou must love me, let it be for naught…” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning seeks a more substantive love; cleverness from line to line; a lackluster ending 01:02:20 – Sonnet 15: “Accuse me not, beseech thee, that I wear…” – a truly great poem; some of the best clues to the narrator's thinking about love, relationships, and more 01:13:28 – Sonnet 17: “My poet, thou canst touch on all the notes…” – is Elizabeth Barrett Browning presaging theoretical physics; how the narrator's self-effacing words are strangely turned on the addressee 01:20:32 – Sonnet 18: “I never gave a lock of hair away…” – inverting the “lock of hair” trope in romantic writing 01:29:28 – Sonnet 19: “The soul's Rialto hath its merchandise…” – more sonnet-units, forming a unit with Sonnet 18; Alex makes a decent number of mistakes after failing to refer to his own notes 01:36:43 – Sonnet 22: “When our two souls stand up erect and strong…” – how Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses conventionally “positive” images to opposite effect 01:46:35 – Sonnet 25: “A heavy heart, Beloved, I have borne…” – turning the “heavy heart” cliché into a literal image that becomes the fulcrum for startling imagery 01:52:16 – Sonnet 26: “I lived with visions for my company…” – some good images, but a mixed bag 02:01:04 – Sonnet 33: “Yes, call me by my pet-name! let me hear…” – one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's greatest + most famous poems; the strange mix of feminist eroticism and invocations of childhood; how EBB plays off of John Milton's famous sonnet “On His Blindness” 02:12:29 – Sonnet 34: “With the same heart, I said, I'll answer thee…” – merely recapitulative of the greater and more daring preceding sonnet 02:19:08 – Sonnet 36: “When we first met and loved, I did not build…” – proto-feminism in its treatment of love as an “unowned thing”; some good images 02:22:27 – Sonnet 37: “Pardon, oh, pardon, that my soul should make…” – some of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most modern imagery; thematic connections between images help invert the familiar; the Hart Crane-like ending 02:29:49 – Sonnet 43: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most famous poem; a mix of daring images + conventional choices 02:41:02 – Sonnet 44: “Beloved, thou hast brought me many flowers…” – a great ending to the sequence; Alex and Joel disagree on the quality of the poem; how it recapitulates and refracts Sonnets from the Portuguese   Read the latest from the automachination universe: https://automachination.com Read Alex's (archived) essays: https://alexsheremet.com/ Thumbnail photo © Joel Parrish: https://poeticimport.com Tags: #ArtiFact, #Sonnet, #ElizabethBarrettBrowning

John Milton (1608-1674) is second only to Shakespeare when it comes to poets in the English speaking world. But before he could write his greatest masterpiece, he lost his vision and fell blind, becoming completely unable to write. As a deeply religious man who loved God, Milton could not understand why God would strip him of his sight and rob him of his chance to pen Paradise Lost. After profound reflection, Milton showcases his vision of God and humility in the only way he knew how: with poetry. Then, he wrote Paradise Lost from behind the dark canvas of his eye lids.LinksVisit our website: https://www.wellreadchristian.comCheck our our blog: https://www.wellreadchristian.com/blogFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellreadchristianTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/WellReadChrist1Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfGxz4OH1-hVD0fL9AWR4Xg

Why would the gardener be convinced Alix was going to London, when she hates London? Agatha Christie, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. With the pandemic still skulking outside the windows, we need your help more than ever. And in case you’ve forgotten: a $5 donation gets you an $8 coupon code for any audiobook at the store. Thank you so much for stepping up, and helping to keep us going strong. We’ve got three new titles available at the store at classictalesaudiobooks.com. Scaramouche, Leave It to Psmith, and The Inimitable Jeeves are now available as standalone audiobooks. For those who are financial supporters, you can use your monthly coupon codes to $8 or $17 off each of these new titles. App users can hear the poem “On His Blindness”, by John Milton, in the special features area of their app. September Sleuths continue with a lovely little mystery by Agatha Christie. It doesn’t actually feature a sleuth, but it is a fantastic example of the short form mystery. Agatha Christie excels in both the short and long form fiction, which is a further testament to her genius. I hope you like today’s story. And now, Philomel Cottage, by Agatha Christie. Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!      

In Friday Bore'em 3, we discuss when we realized we were going to be professors, "On His Blindness" by John Milton, and the things that we are enjoying amidst the days of coronavirus.

Hello from Suffolk, England. Here's five minutes of civilised calm to start your day right. With John Milton's On His Blindness. "They also serve who only stand and wait." From the show: "Learning in Wartime" by CS Lewis The Gilgamesh Flood Tablet, first translated by George Smith @crcuthbert @seaskycraster (SeaWindowCraster) Rock Island Line, sung by Lonnie Donegan Sign up to receive email alerts and show notes with links when a new episode goes live at marcsalmanac.substack.com Please share this with anyone who might need a touch of calm. If you like Marc's Almanac please do leave a review on Apple podcasts. It really helps new listeners to find me. Have a lovely day. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/marc-sidwell/message

We can hear you cringing. "Poetry? Really?" It's a dreaded subject for many of us. Why does it have to be so hard to understand? Does it really mean anything, anyway? And even if it does, is it worth the effort? We hope to make a case for why it is. And, by going line by line through one of our own favorite poems, we offer some tips for unlocking the secrets of poetry in your own reading. By the by, this is the final episode of our first season of BiblioFiles! Thank you to all who have stayed with us in 2016 as we've experimented and learned from our successes and failures. We've been so inspired by your interest in renewing and growing the Great Conversation. Your input has been a great help to us, and we're looking forward to an awesome 2017 season! If you haven't had a chance to offer your suggestions, we'd love to hear them via email at adam@centerforlit.com. Referenced Works:"Spring and Fall: to a young child" by Gerard Manley Hopkins Márgarét, áre you gríeving Over Goldengrove unleaving? Leáves like the things of man, youWith your fresh thoughts care for, can you? Ah! ás the heart grows older It will come to such sights colder By and by, nor spare a sigh Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie; And yet you wíll weep and know why. Now no matter, child, the name: Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same. Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed What heart heard of, ghost guessed: It ís the blight man was born for, It is Margaret you mourn for.  –"A Work of Artifice" by Marge Piercy (1936-present)–"On His Blindness" by John Milton (1608-1674)–Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (1882-1956)–George Herbert (1593-1633)–Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)–Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)–Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)–John Donne (1572-1631)–David Middleton (1949-present)–Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)–Christian Wiman (1966-present) We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing adam@centerforlit.com, or you can visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the conversation.

J Milton read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://classicpoetryaloud.podomatic.com/ Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------- On His Blindness by John Milton (1608 – 1674) When I consider how my light is spent E're half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one Talent which is death to hide, Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, least he returning chide, Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd, 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 milde yoak, they serve him best, his State Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed And post o're Land and Ocean without rest: They also serve who only stand and waite. First aired: 20 November 2007 For hundreds more poetry readings, visit the Classic Poetry Aloud index. To learn a little more about the poems and poets on Classic Poetry Aloud, join the mailing list. Reading © Classic Poetry Aloud 2008

J Milton read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://classicpoetryaloud.podomatic.com/ Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------------------- On His Blindness by John Milton (1608 – 1674) When I consider how my light is spent E're half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one Talent which is death to hide, Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, least he returning chide, Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd, 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 milde yoak, they serve him best, his State Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed And post o're Land and Ocean without rest: They also serve who only stand and waite. First aired: 20 November 2007 For hundreds more poetry readings, visit the Classic Poetry Aloud index. Reading © Classic Poetry Aloud 2008

Milton read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://classicpoetryaloud.podomatic.com/ Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------------------- On His Blindness by John Milton (1608 – 1674) When I consider how my light is spent E're half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one Talent which is death to hide, Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, least he returning chide, Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd, 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 milde yoak, they serve him best, his State Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed And post o're Land and Ocean without rest: They also serve who only stand and waite.