Each of us is defined to some extent by our suffering. When we experience a great loss, the grief can be overwhelming. We can become paralyzed by our emotions, tormented by questions, our faith tested. “On My First Son” by Ben Jonson describes a father's tortuous conflict caused by the death of his firstborn son. John Milton searches for answers and self-esteem after going blind in his sonnet [When I consider how my light is spent]. Both poems are powerful messages of pain and affirmation that address our universal need for connection. Each work is as relevant today as it was when it was written in the seventeenth century. Although they differ in the form and nature of their losses, each poem asks the same question: What is the purpose of my suffering? Both poems are written in iambic pentameter. [When I consider how my light is spent] is an Italian sonnet with the rhyme structure abbaabbacdecde. Milton's sonnet has a very formal tone and the words are spoken gently, as if he has already spent a lot of time considering and dealing with his loss of sight. "On my first son" is written in heroic couplets. Line 3 is two bars longer than the rest of the lines, as Jonson laments too little time spent with his son. It wiggles from loving memories to anger and confusion. His thoughts and emotions present themselves as a fresh, raw and painfully wounded wound. Milton wonders what his purpose is now that he can no longer write words on a page, “that one talent that is death to hide” (line 3) “lodg 'd with me useless,” (line 4). His job was to serve God through writing for most of his life until he went blind. He fears he will spend the next half of his life in darkness, with nothing... half the paper... something different In this society we tend to hide our weaknesses and ridicule those who don't do their part. When we lose the ability to work, we sometimes lose our identity and sense of purpose ; we wonder how we could survive without them. We can find ourselves through a renewed faith in a higher power, we can console ourselves by seeking others who understand our situation, and we can refresh ourselves by connecting with the wonderful abundance of fine arts and great literature. “On My First Son” and [When I consider how my light is spent] are timeless snapshots of the human condition. We suffer because we have the capacity to love, to serve and to lose. We suffer because we realize our dearest desires and our worst nightmares. We suffer simply because we have the capacity to suffer.