Figures of Speech in the Poem On His Blindness John Milton s - Sonnet also called On His Blindness is a poem about his struggles with blindness He shares his feelings about serving God while being unable to see Milton uses many figures of speech to make his thoughts clear and beautiful These devices help us feel his sadness and understand his faith Metaphor In the first line Milton says How my light is spent Here light is a metaphor for his eyesight He also calls his blindness a Talent which means his special gift of writing This shows how he feels sad because he thinks he cannot use his skills anymore Personification The poet gives human qualities to Patience Milton brings Patience to life in the poem Patience talks to him and gives him hope This personification makes the idea of patience feel like a wise and kind friend