In 1875 tuberculosis forced poet William Ernest Henley to have his leg amputated. Shortly after Henley was told that his second leg needed amputation as well. It was at this point that Henley decided to enlist a renowned British surgeon to save his leg from amputation. Henley’s leg survived and immediately following the surgery Henley wrote “Invictus”, which is a poem that has influenced me above all other works of literature.
The part of “Invictus” and Henley’s story that astonishes me most is how Henley was fully aware of “the horrors of the shade” that he would encounter in the second operation yet in Henley’s poem he speaks about having knowledge of fear but not letting it control you. The idea Henley puts forth of deciding to seize control
The part of “Invictus” and Henley’s story that astonishes me most is how Henley was fully aware of “the horrors of the shade” that he would encounter in the second operation yet in Henley’s poem he speaks about having knowledge of fear but not letting it control you. The idea Henley puts forth of deciding to seize control