Invictus Poem Analysis

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama's second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled "One Today" that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who's daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is.

Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem, “Poema para los Californios Muertos” (“Poem for the Dead Californios”), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker's dead ancestors. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the “Californios” through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language.

Clint Smith is a writer, teacher, and doctoral candidate in Education at Harvard University with a concentration in Culture, Institutions, and Society. Smith Clint wrote a poem called “Something You should Know.” The poem is about an early job he had in a Petsmart. The poet allows the readers into his personal life, but before he had trouble opening up to people and his work. Moreover, Clint wrote an insight in the poem about relying in anything to feel safe and he says it is the most terrifying thing any person can do.

In Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," the speaker is a son talking to his aging father and pleading with him to fight against death. The son knows that death is the inevitable end to every life, but feels one should not give up to death too easily. By using metaphor, imagery, and repetition, Thomas reinforces the son's message that aging men see their lives with sudden clarity and realize how they might have lived happier, more productive lives. These men rail against fate, fighting for more time to set things right.

The title itself alludes to “The Unknown Soldier,” almost parodying it. According to Georgia Virtual School, an unknown soldier died in battle, however, the body is unrecognizable. It is also known that soldiers are tagged. The fact that the title is the way it is and the subtitle mimics a tag implies that the lives of common folk is so insignificant and uneventful that they might just as well be unknown since they are just another face in the vast crowd of people. This relays a metaphor in the eyes of the reader.

Touching humans the most is the acceptance of unstoppable death. We all know that death will be our fate some day, but how we accept or how we deal with it is left to each individual. "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," written by Dylan Thomas, emphasizes raging against death towards his dying father as he repeats this exhortation in the last line in every stanza. Imagery, sound, metrics, and tone, are used by Thomas to create the theme of his poem and what it means.

Although several aspects of life are predetermined, there are moments people have control over their fate. For example, no one has control over death, and even though many refuse their undeniable fate, it cannot be avoided. However, there are choices we make that mold our future, thus, changing our fate. On various occasions, there will be a fork in one’s path, and that person will have to choose which journey to take. In life, there are small, ineffective decisions you have to resolve, but there are also larger, life altering choices. Of course, others may feel the same way about fate, or entirely different. In fact, since the beginning of time, authors of literature have discussed their ideas on such matters, a few examples being Dr. Seuss, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allen Poe. These authors, famous for their thought provoking literary work, provide differing opinions on the fate and destiny of a human being through the use of allegory.

Fate and free will are epic subjects in life. When we cannot control something we blame it on fate, but we try to change the way things are with our free will.

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.

This would start to change during the War of 1812. Often referred to as the “Second War of Independence,” the conflict inspired a fresh wave of patriotism in a generation too young to remember the Revolution. When Key declared that “our flag was still there,” he fused the physical symbol of the nation with universal feelings of patriotism, courage, and resilience. By giving the flag a starring role in one of the most celebrated victories of the war, Francis Scott Key’s song established a new prominence for the flag as an expression of national identity, unity, and pride. And by giving it a name—that Star-Spangled Banner—Key transformed the official emblem into something familiar and evocative, a symbol that Americans could connect with and

In the “Love Poems of Catullus”, Catullus illustrates his emotions through his poems. He shows his audience the love, hope, disillusionment, hate, and his despair throughout his poems.

A girl thrown out of her apartment, lost her job, but she still strives for her dreams and lets nothing get in her way. She pushes through, gets back up, and fights back. No matter what she won’t let anything stop her from achieving her dreams. This idea can be seen in many pieces of texts including the following poems. “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley and “Still I rise” by Maya Angelou both convey the message that people can not let anything stop them from achieving their dream and to fight back.

In the quote, "We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls." by Winston Churchill, he is speaking about the control we have over our lives. We have the power to change our lives with the decisions we make, the actions we take, and the words we speak. While things or people may influence your choices, you are independent in what you take from your experiences and are responsible for the outcome whether its good or

In the poem, Invictus , written by William Ernest Henley, it is primarily about how it is one’s choice on if they should be reation a happy manner during certain conditions. The theme of this poem is how someone looks at a rough situation in order for them to succeed in the future even if they feel like giving up. One piece of evidence to support this theme is in line 8 when the speaker claims, “My head is bloody, but unbowed.”This quote means even though he is going through a tough situation that may hurt him emotionally or physically, he still is remaining strong and hopeful. This reinforces the idea of the theme because even though every single person goes experiences bad things,, the poet is willing to stay positive and not let them

Some of the poems and essays I have read during this class were relatable to me. Being away from college, I have struggled with not being at home. I have become a different person when I am at school, but when I am home, I feel like I am my normal self again. Some of these authors of the poems and essays that I have read throughout this class has struggled with being somewhere where they don’t belong and that they are someone else when they are not home. Unlike the other poems and essays we have read throughout the course. I enjoyed reading the ones about “home” because I actually understood what they are going through and that I can relate. Some of these poems and essays include “Going Home” by Maurice Kenny, Postcard from Kashmir”, by Agha Shahid Ali, “Returning” by Elias Miguel Munoz and “Hometown” by Luis Cabalquinto. All of these poems deal with duality.