Blog #2
At the beginning of John Milton’s
poem, “When I consider how my light is spent”, he refers to his world as dark
and his light as limited. He also expresses
his fear of not being able to serve God due to this darkness, which can also be
considered his blindness. The second half of the poem shifts to a reassuring voice,
supposedly God, telling Milton that there are many ways to “bear his mild yoke”
or to be obedient to His will and that he does not need the work or gifts of
man. This poem communicates an important message that having a disability does
not negatively affect your relationship with God or the strength of your faith.
Although this poem refers specifically to blindness, I think the message can be
applied to any type of setback one might have with their faith. When the voice
is comforting Milton, He implies that there are countless ways to be obedient
to God, making it a “mild” or simple task. In my own life, I find that doing
service can be considered one of these “mild” tasks. Taking a couple hours out
of my week to offer my help to others in need is a very simple task that helps
me obey God and strengthen my faith. In my case, my “disability” might be the
business and stress of being a college student and feeling as though I don’t
have time or being forgetful when it comes to practicing my faith. However,
being able to fit this time for service into a weekly routine helps me overcome
this challenge.
The poem “A Red Palm” by Gary Soto
tells the story of a man who spends his day working in a cotton plant field in
order to provide for his family. In the first stanza of the poem, the author
repeats the word “sigh” when referring to the chopping of the plants and the
exhaustion of the man. When Soto says “a sigh that will follow you into town”
it seems as though this idea of a “sigh” is also a sense of regret in the
man and dissatisfaction with his back-breaking job. Throughout the second
stanza, the author compares the hard work of the man to the tangible items that
can be provided for his family because of his hard work, specifically referring
to the fish, bread, and meat he can buy for each row of plants he chops. At the
end of the third stanza, the man interacts with his oldest son, asking him a mathematical
question which he also knew the answer to himself. This encounter represents
hope for the future of his son, specifically being hopeful that he will not
have to do the same difficult work that he has to do.
When serving at Tunbridge Public Charter
School last semester, it was prevalent that this same sense of hope for the success
of future generations is present. The teachers and staff members at this school
dedicate their time and effort to preparing the students of all ages and
backgrounds to be successful in life, in all aspects. They are constantly promoting
the physical and mental health of the students in addition to learning the
basic school curriculum. When I complete simple tasks like helping a student with
a math problem, I know that it is a small step to get them to their bright future.
Also, I feel that for young students to interact with college students like
myself empowers them to also pursue a college education. Just like the point of
view of the man in Soto’s poem, “A Red Palm”, the people who work at Tunbridge have
the hope that the students go on to pursue a positive and happy life.
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