Question #1:

“When I Consider How My Light Is Spent” by John Milton, portrays both aspects of kronos and kairos. Just by looking at the title we can see that this poem is going to have some aspect of time in it. Speaking about going blind is the effect time has literally taken on his eyes. While on the other hand, his worries about his acceptance into heaven and the use of his acquired talents, allows his experience to do the speaking. He is obviously upset about losing his sight because he’s a writer, yet at the same time his understanding of religion allows him some comfort in the process. Both concepts are a good balance to the poems somewhat negative tone.

The poem itself is a religious themed sonnet; presented in the form of an intended twelve line stanza. I chose this poem because I thought it fit both aspects of time and experience, while sending two strong messages. To take a look at what you have been doing with your life, and to not worry so much about the afterlife when you have your faith. Through kronos and kairos John Milton is able to directly express his meanings to the reader.

“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, I felt also strongly conveyed both time and experience in its theme. The road is a metaphor for the choices we make in life, but it also reflects on time as an important factor in the overall flow of life. In line eleven “And both that morning equally lay”, he talks about being young and needing to chose a path before his time runs thin. While in the last stanza he speaks looking back at the time he made a decision and seems very pleased with it. Only through experience could you look back and say that you had a good time. The strong metaphors here work well to deliver an aesthetically pleasing take on things.

I chose this particular poem because of its softer approach to the aspects of time in contrast to my choice by John Milton. The message of making a good choice in the time you are given is almost paradoxical in the poem. If you need experience to make good choices, but with time both limited and needed its almost impossible to make a logical choice based on experience. I feel this poem at heart is strongly a kairos influenced poem based on the factors of kronos. Yet in the end everything is as simple as walking an out-of-the-way path.