Analyzing Henley's Poem 'Invictus'

Dunbar and Randall both use interesting imagery in their poems to display how the character truly feels. In the “Ballad of Birmingham,” stanzas

In Poetry authors use a range of literary techniques. These techniques can include the use of rhyme, alliteration, personification, similes, metaphors and imagery. The poems that will be compared in this essay include: My Country by Dorothea Mackellar, The Eagle by Alfred Lord Tennyson and Old Man Platypus by Banjo Patterson.

“Being unconquerable lies within yourself; being conquerable lies within your enemy” -Sun Tzu. The novella Anthem and the poem “Invictus” both have the same theme of being unconquerable. In the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand the main character, Equality, lives in a society where you do everything for everyone else. Nothing is personal. Equality starts breaking laws and does things for himself.

The poem ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley forms thorough comparisons regarding theme with Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ as Henley conceives themes of fate, circumstance, and struggle in his literary piece. These thematic connections are shown when the protagonist, Okonkwo, of ‘Things Fall Apart’ is faced with the task of emerging from poverty and becoming a man that is successful, yet feared. He is also challenged with his own inner demons as the white man reshapes his way of life, driving Okonkwo to a fate much different than what he

11. A poet can work its magic on the reader by “choice of images, music of the language, idea content, and cleverness of wordplay” (Foster 17).

As we journey through life and engage in a myriad of physical and emotional experiences, we renew our understanding of the world and ourselves. Composers Ang Lee and William Ernest Henley amplify the intrinsically complex journey of overcoming obstacles allowing the audience to gain deep insight into the challenges each individual is faced throughout their lives. Through spiritual revelations and realisations Ang Lee's film 'Life of Pi' reveals significant attitudes of individuals in order to survive. Similarly, the poem 'Invictus' composed by William Ernest Henley accurately explores the changes of attitudes in life through emotional and intellectual discoveries. Both composers enable great discoveries about society and ourselves through communicating

The main theme of both the poem and documentary is the ability to thrive even when hit by a difficult trial. Even though Darius Monroe went to jail, he was still able to become a filmmaker because he had hope, he conquered all the obstacles that was in the path of getting his goal. In the poem “Invictus”, William Henley was going through some rough times and he truly was adrift in a dark pit, but he embraced it and had hope that everything was going to be okay. “I am the master of my fate,

symbolic richness, but at the same time the poem supplies the reader with a wide

use of rhyme and rhythm, the very heart of the poem. The poet’s use of

In the excerpt, “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison explores the defining issue of racism in America by highlighting the use of power white people use to oppress black people. He signifies the start of black people’s oppression through the inclusion of the white man’s role. Ellison expresses how white men exercises their power in many forms like political, class, and racial to continue to make blacks feel inferior. The idea of the white man’s power is exercised in “The Meaning of a Word” by Gloria Naylor when she argues that the use of “nigger” as a social term is not internalization racism in America. This paper will compare the cause of white men using their power to continue to make other races feel inferior as told by Ellison’s claim and

Poems are typically written in a distinctive way to convey a specific message to the reader. The words or diction construct a poem by depicting ideas, feelings, setting, and characters. Therefore, a poet must chose his/her words with great care to create the appropriate message and to allow the reader to comprehend the general meaning. Thomas Hardy composed The Man He Killed, a poem demonstrating the effect war has upon soldiers and how war changes friend into a foe. The informal diction used by Hardy adds to the general meaning and impact of the poem. Idiom, specific and concrete words, and rhyming are all combined to form the diction of the poem, which enhance the

Imagine someone dying from a sickness. They know that they are on their last leg. They can either fight to stay alive, or they can give up hope and pass away. People control their own fate. Controlling their own fate means that they decide when it is time for them to die, and don’t just lay down and accept death. This idea can be seen in in many pieces of text including the following poems. “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley and “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas. Both authors express the theme of people control their own fate.

“Invictus” by William Earnest Henley is a short poem about being courageous through hardships, and holding on to your pride despite life trying to take it away. William Earnest Henley wrote this poem at a young age while struggling with a severe deadly disease. The theme, speaker, and symbolism all create a powerful message that is summed up in one word: Invictus, the Latin word for “unconquerable.”

A girl has people saying mean things about her. The bullies are trying to push her down and make her miserable but she realizes that she is in control of her own life and no one can push her down. People will try to knock others down, but everyone is in control of his or her life. This idea can be seen throughout both poems using literary devices. “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley and “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, both convey the message that everybody is in control of his or her life and do not let anybody or anything change that.

The poet’s ability to use basic words, structure and rhythm appropriately enables him to create a smart and crisp poem. The simplicity of the poem allows the readers to recognize the serious subject-matter of the poem, which is war.