Milton wrote and published his biblical epic Paradise Lost while he was completely blind, dictating the poem to others who would copy the words down for him. Similarly, Beethoven composed his celebrated 9^th symphony while completely deaf. As a result, neither of these seminal artists was able to appreciate their (arguably) greatest pieces of work for themselves, at least in the way they were meant to be enjoyed. It is remarkable to me that these two artists were able to complete their final works without use of the primary sense involved in creating them. Sure, Milton could have the poem read out to him and make changes based on what he heard, and Beethoven could allegedly feel the vibrations of the notes in the floor and “hear” his symphony like this. Still, it would seem to me that these disabilities would make for an incredibly daunting and challenging task.

I think that both of these men’s ability to overcome such adversity and still achieve greatness in their respective fields is a testament to their mastery of these disciplines. Some say that after 10,000 hours of doing anything one becomes a master of it, and these two certainly make a case for that argument. Their completion of these works in the face of such adversity is also a testament to the merit of determination. At the end of my university career, this makes me wonder if I could type without my sense of sight… Hopefully I’ll never have to find out!