The struggle of life- its changeability, unpredictability, and man’s inability to block the blows of chance- is difficult, but how someone deals with life- whether they wither away and cry out in defeat or whether they stand tall, accepting the blows without a complaint- is completely up to them. In the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley, one can see his determination to be strong, independent, and fearless. Though it seemed like he would be defeated, Henley chose to stand up and face the coming trials of life because he had learned that a person’s fate can only be controlled by themselves.
Henley begins the poem with two negative lines. In the first two lines Henley writes that there is a “night” (1) covering him, and he describes …show more content…
“Beyond this place” (9) refers to the afterlife or after death. Line 10 says “Looms the Horror of the shade” with the “shade” again meaning death or hell. Then in line 11, Henley writes “the menace of the years”. Here he is talking about old age and the impending doom of his death. A summary of lines 9 through 11 is that the “place of wrath and tears” (9) is describing his trial-filled life, and even though the trials of life will end when he dies, there is only the doom of hell on the other side, and the “menace of the years” means he is getting old, and his death is …show more content…
The first two are negative, and the last two are positive, but the reader must look at them as a whole in order to understand them. He says “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll”. The two lines that follow are very commonly known, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” Henley is saying that it doesn’t matter how hard the road is, or how harsh the punishments and trials, he has learned that his life is up to him. Only he can make the important decisions of his life, and only he can choose what he wants to achieve and accomplish. He sees his soul and his fate as something that can be steered and controlled, thus the use of “captain” and “master”.
Throughout the poem, Henley begins the stanza with negative lines, but at the end of the stanza, includes a positive line of victory. Henley chose a fitting name for his poem, because “Invictus” is Latin for unconquerable. Henley left readers a good example to follow. He overcame every obstacle. In each stanza one can see that he was strong, he did not give up, he was unafraid of death, trials, and sufferings, and he stood tall through all of it. It is easy to see that he was truly
Henley begins the poem with two negative lines. In the first two lines Henley writes that there is a “night” (1) covering him, and he describes …show more content…
“Beyond this place” (9) refers to the afterlife or after death. Line 10 says “Looms the Horror of the shade” with the “shade” again meaning death or hell. Then in line 11, Henley writes “the menace of the years”. Here he is talking about old age and the impending doom of his death. A summary of lines 9 through 11 is that the “place of wrath and tears” (9) is describing his trial-filled life, and even though the trials of life will end when he dies, there is only the doom of hell on the other side, and the “menace of the years” means he is getting old, and his death is …show more content…
The first two are negative, and the last two are positive, but the reader must look at them as a whole in order to understand them. He says “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll”. The two lines that follow are very commonly known, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” Henley is saying that it doesn’t matter how hard the road is, or how harsh the punishments and trials, he has learned that his life is up to him. Only he can make the important decisions of his life, and only he can choose what he wants to achieve and accomplish. He sees his soul and his fate as something that can be steered and controlled, thus the use of “captain” and “master”.
Throughout the poem, Henley begins the stanza with negative lines, but at the end of the stanza, includes a positive line of victory. Henley chose a fitting name for his poem, because “Invictus” is Latin for unconquerable. Henley left readers a good example to follow. He overcame every obstacle. In each stanza one can see that he was strong, he did not give up, he was unafraid of death, trials, and sufferings, and he stood tall through all of it. It is easy to see that he was truly