Analyzing Invictus

Here my thoughts stop and will not go any farther. All that meets me, all that floods over me are but feelings--greed of life, love of home, yearning for the blood, intoxication of deliverance." "aside. We will be superfluous even to ourselves, we will grow older, a few will adapt themselves, some others will merely submit, and most will be bewildered;--the years will pass by and in the end we shall fall into

Henley, the author of the poem, doesn’t come direct in the writing, instead the reader has to infer what the poem is about. The lesson taught in the poem is similar to the one taught in the documentary mentioned above. “Invictus,” is about one’s journey of not letting their dark times defeat them. Henley refers to himself in the poem but this doesn’t mean the theme of “Invictus,” only affects him.

Overall, the author sets a very dark and ominous tone, especially since he speaks a lot about darkness. The author begins by describing a city. The way in which he describes it, though, makes the city seem dead. He uses the phrase “eternal dark” to describe the city, which he then goes to say drips to the stars.

Through “Invictus” William Ernest Henley shows that if people did not run into obstacles in their life, no one would know who they truly are. The use of imagery shows this theme in that it allows the readers to feel and see the pain that the writer is going through. For example, William Henley says, “I have not winced nor cried aloud./ my head is bloody, but unbowed” (6 & 8). This device is being used to demonstrate the difficult journey that the author was given to go on, in order reach his dream and be in control of their life. It shows the theme of this poem because it speaks about the low points in a person's life and about how by not giving in they become stronger. This device also shows that though they have been beaten down multiple times they refuse to be broken. Another device that Henley uses is diction. He uses this device to stress the importance of different words

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,

Throughout the novel one can notice a constant reference to the darkness, as symbolizing a heaviness and resignation that afflicts deeply the characters and also the atmosphere of story.

But at a point, one must leave the comfort of the light. This symbolizes that one does not have comfort and help from others when stepping into a foreign path of life. Afterwards, when the poem says “A Moment - We uncertain step For newness of the night-.” These two lines confirm that “darkness” is the unknown path people walk. When walking into the unknown, one becomes hesitant and makes an “uncertain step.” But after taking a stride “Then [fits one’s] Vision to the Dark - And [they] meet the Road - erect - .” In the line before, it had said “A Moment”, now the poem states that “Then.” This signifies that when one first goes into the unknown, they have to wait until their “eyes” adjust to the dark. “Then” or after they adjust to the darkness, they are able to “meet the Road”. The “road” signifies one’s future since the poem is about one’s journey into the new unknown and people do not known what their future holds for them. When meeting their future, they stand “erect” or tall to illustrate the imagery of confidence since they can now see in the

“Invictus” is a lyrical poem that anticipates the audience to be those that persevere in the face of adversity. The lyrical poem contains four quatrains with a rhyme scheme: ABAB CHCH EFEF GBGB, an iambic foot rhythm and iambic octameter. Despite being written in the late 1800’s, it is one of the eminent poems in world literature, as the prominence of the poem is not only timeless but will always be relevant to the past, present and future. Through Henley’s manipulation of the poetic elements; figurative language such as metaphors, personifications, and imagery, as well as the tone and adds value to structure, the interpretation of the poem’s strong theme of ‘courage and resilience’ which is evident throughout each stanza.

The poem as a whole appear to be a metaphor for, or symbolic of the depression and loneliness felt by the speaker . In the very first line “I have been one acquainted with the night” (I. 1), tells that the speaker knows of the ‘night’ (a metaphor for loneliness and depression). The speaker also personifies the night by being ‘acquainted’ with it. In the second line, the usage of the word ‘rain’ is a metaphor for life’s problems, which the speaker seems to be immersed with . In the third and fourth lines, the speaker uses hyperbole when he says “I have outwalked the furthest city light/ I have looked down the saddest city lane” (I. 3; II. 1), a feat not humanly possible, because the farthest city light would suggest the end of the city, and the word ‘saddest’ is a relative emotion. The words “city light” is also symbolic of a community and friends, which the speaker is trying to

With “Night,” the eighth poem and first of the second section, darkness descends, bringing with it a series of scenes horrifying and pathetic.

benevolent rule of a divine Providence allays our fear of the danger of life. (p. 30)

In the story a young boy decides to go hunting in the night and goes through a revelation as he witnesses an everyday act of the battle between light and darkness as the sun rises. Although set in a different place and time, both authors express a common universal theme: life is a constant battle between light and darkness in our everyday lives. This theme can be seen through a compare and contrast of powerful symbols, transforming settings and misguided characters.

The speaker refers to the night as his acquaintance. This implies that the speaker has a lot of experience with the night, but has not become friends with it. Thus, because even the night, which has been alongside the speaker in comparison to anything or anyone else, is not a companion to the speaker, the idea of loneliness is enhanced. In addition, “rain” (2) is used to symbolize the speaker’s feelings of gloom and grief, because there is continuous pouring of the rain, which is unlikely to stop. In line 3, “city light” is used to convey the emotional distance between the speaker and society. Although the speaker has walked extensively, he has not yet interacted with anyone – thus distancing himself even further from society. Moreover, the moon, in lines 11 to 12, is used as a metaphor of the speaker’s feelings. The speaker feels extremely distant from society that he feels “unearthly.” The idea of isolation and loneliness in this poem is used as the theme of the poem; and the use of the setting and metaphors underscores the idea that the speaker feels abandoned from society.

The speaker says, “…older than the flow of human blood in my veins” (Line 1). Blood is only developed when a fetus is being grown, in the Mother, but within the blood lies DNA of their ancestors from past generations. The speaker uses human blood to relate to the fact that our blood is old and connected to our heritage because we carry their DNA inside of us. “I’ve seen its muddy bosom” (Line 9). Muddy, implies a bleak outlook of not being able to see the end. Lose of hope. “Turns all golden in the sunset” (Line 9) the ominous of a sparse future comes to an end with the sunset signifying hope and a new beginning. The association to his ancestors’ bleak past is his what binds their experiences to him.

While trapped in a dark and empty dungeon, a single person cannot do much to escape. This is the sad reality for the narrator, who is the main character, in “The Pit and The Pendulum.” However, this situation helps to create an idea of independence and freedom for the reader. These are both very important to our lives on a daily basis. Freedom is something that many people around the world don’t have, but taken for granted in many countries today. Independence is seemingly simple, but can still be a challenge in our lives. In “The Pit and The Pendulum” the author Edgar Allan Poe uses the narrator’s fear, loneliness and his actions to emphasize the importance of freedom and independence.