Henley wrote the poem to encourage himself in the face of the deadly illness which tried to steal his life. He later survived the illness with one foot and also remained very active till he gave up the ghost in The Structure "Invictus" was first published in in a book captioned "Book of Verses". It was the number 4 poem in the book. The poem was written in 4 stanzas with each of them having 4 lines. The language of them poem is very clear and simple.
The myrtle and the rose, the rose, The sunshine and the swallow, The dream that comes, the wish that goes, The memories that follow! William Ernest Henley November glooms are barren beside the dusk of June.
The summer flowers are faded, the summer thoughts are sere. We'll go no more a-roving, lest worse befall, my dear. We'll go no more a-roving by the light of the moon. The song we sang rings hollow, and heavy runs the tune. Glad ways and words remembered would shame the wretched year. We'll go no more a-roving, nor dream we did, my dear. If yet we walk together, we need not shun the moon.
We only collect the information we need to run the competition and we will not give it to anyone else without your express permission. Out of the night that covers me Black as the pit from pole to pole I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance, My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears, Looms but the Horror of the shade. And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate How charged with punishments the scroll I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
Henley wrote this poem about stoicism, courage and refusing to accept defeat while enduring a severely testing time in hospital. He had contracted tuberculosis of the bone in his youth, and the lower part of one of his legs was amputated in his twenties.
He emphasizes that they "shall find, him unafraid. What does the "Invictus" poem reveal about human nature? What does "Invictus" reveal about the poet's culture? Looking at the culture of the society of Henley's time and contemporary cultures, there are some similarities that make the poem relevant in today's world. Line 6 states "I have not winced nor cried aloud. The most natural way of expressing pain is crying.
It looks like this old habit of shaming men who cry has persisted over centuries and across different cultures. The persona in the poem refuses to cry and praises himself about it. Aside from the fact that a poet is a man, this aspect clarifies the gender of the speaker in the poem. Naturally, women express their emotions without the fear of societal implications. In the culture I come from, men are naturally inclined to hide their tears and cry silently without showing the world. Crying is put in the same league as sex.
Although it's natural, beneficial and any normal human is capable of, it shouldn't be done in public. People debated about the existence of a monotheist God versus many gods. Christianity was practiced in his society given the allusion of the "strait gate" and many punishments in the scroll. The persona in the poem is grateful for his "unconquerable soul," but there's uncertainty about who to thank.
The words "whatever" and "may" bring out that uncertain language. The speaker is not sure which god to thank, and he is not even sure if there is god. For some reason, his soul is unconquerable and he is grateful for that.
Considering the terms used in the poem such as bludgeoning, bloody, unbowed, there were wars or battles during his time. The heroes were expected to carry on and refuse to bow their heads to the end even if they were hurt.
Although it is unsaid in the poem, the persona is comparing himself to a soldier on a battlefield. The modern-day is still filled with wars.
Bludgeons might be artifacts now, and not major weapons in wars nowadays, but the fact remains that people engage in wars and bloodshed. No wonder "Invictus" has been quoted by the likes of Nelson Mandela who was a freedom fighter. He found inspiration in the powerful words of this poem. Additionally, now there are films Morgan Freeman , games, and even brand names inspired by "Invictus. Christianity existed in his society because the poet alludes to the Bible, meaning he had an idea of the message in it.
He also says how there are many repercussions of not following the guidelines written in the scroll. However, he believes he is the only one who should control his life. So, if religion does not agree with him and wants to punish him, so be it. This phenomenon happens in today's world too whereby Christian denominations control their believers through the fear of punishment as directed by the Bible. They are true to themselves only, just as the persona in "Invictus. It seems during William Ernest Henley's time some people were conquered and gave up in life because of adversities.
He likely wrote the poem to inspire himself during a difficult period of his life. Humanity in general still debates about death, with no universal consensus as to what happens when we die. Is it a dark pit, or a horrifying shade? A number of words with the same sounds at the beginning of the words follow one another in a line.
0コメント