Theme Of The Poem Invictus

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.

The visual’s background is formed by a dark and starry night sky; stretching across the image and transitioning into a sunny day sky. This is a representation of the passage of time, life, death, and the power of memories. The nighttime depicts ageing and adulthood, whereas the daytime represents youth and life. In the poem, the narrator describes the sky, ‘Ambiguous night, ambiguous sky,’ which is symbolic for the transience between adulthood and childhood. An ambiguous sky is a sky which is unclear or undecided. The faded transition from the night sky to the day sky reflects this notion and the uncertainty of memories; displaying how the poem

In the poem, Symons uses imagery to portray the theme. When describing the setting in the first stanza, Symons writes, “Through the tumultuous night of London”(3). When describing the setting, the reader can better picture in their head what the author was trying to show. In this case, the poet is describing the noisy streets in london at night. This relates to the theme because midnight can be seen as a “romantic hour”, which shows that lovers would be out and about at that time. Another example of imagery in the poem is when the poet continues to describe the setting in the first stanza when he writes, “In the miraculous April weather”(4). This helps the reader to understand the setting of the poem. When using this imagery, it helps set the mood of the poem, which is passionate. It helps the reader to better comprehend the poem as a whole. The poet is describing the April weather as miraculous, which means the weather is astounding and amazing, which can connect to the way he feels about the other individual in the poem. He feels strongly about the other individual and the reader can interpret he has deep feelings for her or he might even love her. Another example of imagery in the poem is when the poet is describing the way he feels in the weather in the third stanza when he writes, “After the heat and the fumes and the footlights”(11). In this line, he is describing a stage where his lover is dancing. His lover is dancing on the stage, which can show how women can be very graceful. This helps the reader to better understand not only the setting, but the person he is describing in the poem. He seems to be entranced by this woman, which can relate how she brings him happiness and fulfillment. Symons uses imagery in the

In the poem, “Backwards,” by Warsan Shire the poem dramatizes the conflict between the long for the past and the hatred of the present. This poem highlights the rough situation that the speaker is in as well as a need for what life was like before. One can easily see that the speaker in this poem is a child in the family, because of the context of line 3, “that’s how we bring Dad back.” This is referring to the longing for their dad before they were in the situation they currently are in. Although, there is not line to line rhyme scheme the poem is written backwards at the beginning of the second stanza. This is likely showing the reader the need for the past and emphasizing the importance of the current situation. The overall theme of this poem is showing what life was once like and what it is now.

The narrator of the poem begins with stating that “some kind of shadow was behind her/ she ran towards nowhere/ dark, empty, cold, stuck.” The poem depicts the

In the first part of the poem the writer shows the difficulty he is having with taking a human life. In the second stanza he says “Making night work for us the starlight scope bringing men into killing range. This dark tone helps to emphasize the struggle the author is feeling as a soldier in war. Also he shows his emotions directly. In stanza 3 he says “The river under Vi Bridge takes the heart away”. This quote shows the feeling that the author gets

being severed by white sealers as they tried to save themselves from drowning. Figurative language and the overall tone of the poem illustrate the gloom and sadness surrounding the event: “shadows” and “darkness”. The landscape made up of “low hills”, ”the silver-grey wash of clouds” and “the steel-shining channel” reflects this dark mood. Reference to black crows, hectoring and descending, eyes being pecked, conjures images of cold-blooded, inhumane slaughter and “filaments of sinew”. Harwood’s typical use of the sonnet form is not employed here but experiments with rhyme and metre, in the form of free verse, evident in many of her later poems. Run-on lines and stanzas add to the narrative style of the poem, best read out loud. Although the

He uses this imagery in this poem to emphasis this dark place in which he now lives. Deep sea can be a cold and scary place. This would capture a human experience because deep in the sea would be a dark and lonely which is something a human can feel and relate to.

He does not let the society take over his internal self. This is much like the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henly. The title itself means unconquerable. Henly has been faced with a lot of challenges but he has an unconquerable soul. He is staying positive and is not letting these unfortunate event affect him.

In this poem, we see the tone light and free, also much imagery. We see this immediately with the first line saying, the “afternoon was the colour of water falling through sunlight” (1). We immediately get a sense of a beautiful day, maybe even fall with the trees descriptions in the following line, “trees glittered with the tumbling of leaves” (2). Lowell shows such beautiful imagery throughout her poem especially in her first two stanzas, that when we read that they are in the middle of war in the third stanza, that it is slightly shocking. That there are “two little boys, lying flat on their faces” (7) and that they are, “carefully gathering red berries” (8). Here Lowell shows that it is still a beautiful day but the darker reality is that they are currently in a war. Then we start to see the poem more in a melancholy light. That these two little boys are picking berries to save for later, instead of enjoying it right now. However one day the boys wish that “there will be no more war” (10), and that then, they could in fact enjoy their berries, their afternoon and “turn it in my fingers”. In this poem, we clearly see the different tones throughout. Lowell shows us the light tone, then a more melancholy tone and then finally a hopeful tone.

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

Significantly, the speaker begins the poem by saying, “A darkness was ripped from my eyes” (line 2).

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.

People going through a hard time can not let their struggles consume them, but they need to overcome them and get stronger. Poems “Invictus” by

The speaker furthermore conveys the idea that nature is a grandeur that should be recognized by including the element of imagery. The poet utilizes imagery as a technique to appeal to reader’s sense of sight . It is “the darkest evening of the year” (line 8) and a traveller and his horse stop “between the woods and frozen lake” (line 7). By writing with details such as these, readers are capable of effortlessly envisioning the peaceful scenery that lies before the speaker. The persona then draws on reader’s sense of sound. “The only other sound’s the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake.” The illustration allows readers to not only see,