Comparing Invictus 'And My Way'

A poem and a song are a form of writing used to express feelings and they both are composed of stanzas. The poem “Invictus” which means “undefeated” in Latin was written by Ernest Henley. He was a British poet, critic and editor. The song “My Way” was first called “Comme d’Habitude” and it was sung by a French artist. Later on, Franck Sinatra popularized it. He was singer, actor and performer. Both narrators use metaphors and imagery. The song “My Way” is about believing in yourself and living life to the fullest and similarly, the poem “Invictus” is about courage in the face of death and maintaining dignity despite the indignities life places before us.
First of all, the song and the poem talk about life. In “Invictus,” Henley refers to the …show more content…
The whole second stanza of the poem contains imagery and metaphors; Henley says, “In the fell clutch of circumstances/I have not winced nor cried aloud. / Under the bludgeonings of chance/My head is bloody, but unbowed.” Despite all his problems, he has not given up yet and he never complained even though these problems were “staring in his eyes.” His choice of words describes a case of misfortune. It was beyond as he demonstrates when he says, “…bloody but unbowed,” which tells the reader that he would rather endure the pain than surrender. Likewise, in the song, the third stanza contains metaphors like “I bit off more than I could chew” (line 3) and, “I ate it up and spit it out” (line 5). In this stanza, Sinatra talks about the challenges he had to face, and he says, “Yes, there were times/ I'm sure you knew /When I bit off more than I could chew/ But through it all, when there was doubt/I ate it up and spit it out/I faced it all /and I stood tall/And did it my way.” These lines explain how he tried to do many things and became overwhelmed. Instead of giving up on the challenges, he faces them and still stays strong because he did everything his way. People sometimes give up when it gets tough, but Sinatra and Henley show that were not an …show more content…
Henley remains optimistic throughout the poem but the mood is still dark. This is because of his words choices. For examples: black, pit, horror, and bludgeoning. That tone is constantly seen through the poem to help the readers really feel the misery that the author is going through. On the other hand, the mood of the song is encouraging. Sinatra ends all his stanzas with “I did it my way,” showing that he lived his life the way he wanted to, and he encourages the listeners to do the same. He wants everyone to be the leader of his life by making his own choices. Henley and Sinatra successfully attracted their audience by the way they use