An Analysis Of Henley's Essay 'Invictus'

People who really understand this poem take the meaning to heart. This is why it is one of the most well known poems. Henley doesnt just come right out and say it he uses many diferent figures of speech to get his mesage across to the readers. In “Invictus” he uses three main elements of speech. He uses imagery, personifiation, and metaphors.

Be strong because things will get better. It may be stormy now, but it never rains forever. Evan Camerchial once said this meaning to be strong during tough times and never give up. I think this quote relates to “Fly Away Home” by Eve Bunting. Andrew, a little boy who lives in the airport with his dad shows us that he is strong through tough times and he never gives up.

Hardships have the power to make a break a person, as Roman poet, Horace, once said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant”. Everyone has or will have to face adversity at some point in their lives, it is a universal truth. Although misfortunes usually have a negative connotation, depending on the struggle and how one deals with it, it is likely the person will come out of misfortune better prepared for the world. Contrastly, if a person never experienced any hardships, they would lack a sophisticated understanding of the world and lack the ability to handle difficult situations. Adversity gives people strength they can not obtain with success.

“No pressure, no diamonds.” This amazing quote was once stated by Thomas Carlyle. It emphasizes the importance of the challenges and difficulties life puts us through, as without these hurdles, humankind would not have advanced this far. These adversities and hardships often bring out the mental strengths in people, and can even bolster their will to elevate or propel themselves to success. Heroic and exceptional human beings people are strengthened through the demanding struggles, bringing about their large mental capacities and high morale and thereby resulting in one’s development of hope and resilience and graciousness. Unfortunately, hardships can also cause the downfall of people. Some just cannot handle the stress, and they crumble

Have you ever had to persevere through a difficult time in your life? Many people have had to aswell , but four people took this to another level. The three pieces “Rising Through the Rubble”,”The Noble experiment”, and “Invictus” portray people persevering through a difficult time in their life.

Obstacles. Everyone has been forced to overcome them at some point in their life. These obstacles have shaped everyone and helped them become the person they are today. Challenges are a part of life and everyone will face them at some point in their life, but it is how people handle it that determines their future. This idea can be seen in many pieces of text including the following poems. “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley and “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” by Tupac both convey the idea that obstacles are important in everyone’s life and help shape everyone as a person on the way to their dream.

A time of difficulties always comes and goes and it has always been known to stay strong during those times. This, in many ways, connects to countless people, including great writers who often describe their difficult times through acting or other forms of writing. William Ernest Henley was an author who used his challenges to write a poem. This was a dramatic but motivational poem that heavily used rhetorical devices to describe how he managed through his darkest times. William Ernest Henley took use of personification, connotation, and alliteration in the poem “Invictus” to prove that anyone can overcome obstacles by staying strong and believing in themselves.

“God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers” Psalm 18:31. This quote from the bible speaks to many people in many ways. For me it shows that from any hardships that comes your way you can face it and push through it. I believe that through bad times and hardships God will help you through all things.

According to Philip Emeagwali, “The hardships that I encountered in the past will help me succeed in the future.” In my own words this quote addresses that hardships creep around every corner and if you face them determinedly you will end up stronger in the future. This quote relates to the novel The Outsiders by informing people that tough moments in life are hard to overcome. Just like Ponyboy has to learn to overcome the death of his best friend, Johnny. The main theme that S.E. Hinton tries to convey through the novel is: hardships lurk wherever you let them. She implies that you should stay strong and courageous through tough times.

The true meaning of human nature is revealed through man's response to adversity. Hardships represent a sour lemonade on a warm summer day in terms of a constantly advancing race. Agreeing with the ideas of the Roman poet Horace, adversity does not build character; it simply reveals qualities that would not manifest sans difficulty. Adversity reveals one's true character in response to unavoidable challenges that require endurance, expression, and skill.

Throughout the course of time, freedom and independence have been something either granted or needed to be achieved. In the passages of Invictus, The Declaration of Independence, The Crisis-Number 1, and The Myth of Prometheus it is discovered that whoever intends to gain freedom or independence must either work for it, or sacrifice for it. Throughout the lines of the documents and stories, it is easy to tell that achieving freedom is something easier said then done. While most people needed to sacrifice for freedom, the independence was always worth the struggle.

Adversity is inevitable, but it is because of challenges and hardship that progress our society. The Roman Poet Horace once believed, that when faced with adversity, our true talents and capabilities are revealed. Throughout history and even in today’s world, there are numerous circumstances in which people have overcome and even began to thrive after enduring their hardships; sparking and unveiling talents in which may have never been revealed if such hardship had ever occurred. Horace’s statement that adversity manifests talent accurately justifies that in order to progress and reveal one’s true capacities, one should face adversity head on. Some may argue that in face of hardship, some situations are too adverse and difficult to overcome.

“No man is given more hardship than he can endure.” This beautiful motto is from the short narrative “Everything That Happens, Happens as It Should”. A Roman slave named Blasius works for the mighty leader, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who believes in this statement. I strongly agree with this saying. I believe that nothing extremely terrible will happen to someone who isn’t strong enough to survive it. Yes, a person may become flustered or nervous when something bad happens, but in the end, I believe that they will overcome the difficulties. My foremost evidence for my belief in this statement is the bible verse “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13. When reading the Bible, this verse explains the idea of the motto said

I choose to read Invictus and I really enjoyed it. The last two sentences of the last stanza say “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” (Greenblatt 1660) These lines mean to me that no matter what is going on around me whether it be physical, in my society, family, or government, and out of my control I decide how it will affect me even if it is meant for harm. I am the one who decides if I will let whatever beat me down or if I will learn and rise above it. I really liked the poem because of the moral of it. I took away that even though people might hurt my outside they could never really break me (my inside/soul). After reading the poem it made me feel empowered and strong which I liked.

A boy who is being bullied at school doesn't know what to do or who to go to. He has become depressed and a shell of who he once was. He wants to talk to someone about what he is going through. He talks to his friend. His friend says he can not give into the bullies and give them what they want. He has to get stronger for the next bullies to come. Hardships are very common among people who are struggling, but they can not give into those struggles, instead of giving in they need to get stronger. This idea can be seen in many pieces of the following poems.“Invictus” by William Ernest Henley and “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes both convey the message that people who are struggling throughout a