Donedra Invictus
Donedra Williams
April 30, 2014
P.1
Final Draft
Literary Analysis of “Invictus”
By (William Ernest Henley)
I believe that the theme of the poem “Invictus” is taking responsibility for your own destiny. No matter the challenges and obstacles we face in life we need to overcome them and become the master of our fate. Don’t let anything bring you down even though it looks bad. Keep pushing until your last breath, don’t ever give up.
In the first stanza, the speaker prays in the dark to “whatever gods”, for the strength he has to keep pushing forward and not letting any illness defeat him. This stanza includes a metaphor when it expresses his hardships and the night which I think represents the darkness of despair. Second, he does not pray for strength, but he gives thanks for the strength he already has. In the second stanza, he describes the condition he is in. He does not talk about God’s will or fate but he talks about his burdens. He expresses imagery when he says “under the bludgeoning of chance, my head is bloody and unbowed”. He’s giving description of how he is and how he is feeling, but through it all he asserts that he has overcome these burdens bravely and without complaint.
The third stanza is about death and what a trifle it seems to the speaker. The approaching years must stand and be ready to find the person not afraid and ready to overcome the hardships the future will provide. The speaker cannot prevent what is going to happen to him. The past has prepared the speaker for the future, nothing bothers him anymore.
The fourth stanza interprets how a person is in control of his or her life. Whatever life throws at them they are the “captain of their soul” meaning they can manage their own life. With the authority they have over their life, they will be able to choose their own road. Which means they are the master of their fate and the captain of your soul.
This poem is a very inspirational poem. Even through the trials and tribulations the speaker
April 30, 2014
P.1
Final Draft
Literary Analysis of “Invictus”
By (William Ernest Henley)
I believe that the theme of the poem “Invictus” is taking responsibility for your own destiny. No matter the challenges and obstacles we face in life we need to overcome them and become the master of our fate. Don’t let anything bring you down even though it looks bad. Keep pushing until your last breath, don’t ever give up.
In the first stanza, the speaker prays in the dark to “whatever gods”, for the strength he has to keep pushing forward and not letting any illness defeat him. This stanza includes a metaphor when it expresses his hardships and the night which I think represents the darkness of despair. Second, he does not pray for strength, but he gives thanks for the strength he already has. In the second stanza, he describes the condition he is in. He does not talk about God’s will or fate but he talks about his burdens. He expresses imagery when he says “under the bludgeoning of chance, my head is bloody and unbowed”. He’s giving description of how he is and how he is feeling, but through it all he asserts that he has overcome these burdens bravely and without complaint.
The third stanza is about death and what a trifle it seems to the speaker. The approaching years must stand and be ready to find the person not afraid and ready to overcome the hardships the future will provide. The speaker cannot prevent what is going to happen to him. The past has prepared the speaker for the future, nothing bothers him anymore.
The fourth stanza interprets how a person is in control of his or her life. Whatever life throws at them they are the “captain of their soul” meaning they can manage their own life. With the authority they have over their life, they will be able to choose their own road. Which means they are the master of their fate and the captain of your soul.
This poem is a very inspirational poem. Even through the trials and tribulations the speaker