Invictus

Invictus
by William Ernest Henley

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.

Summary of Invictus
Popularity: “Invictus”, written by William Ernest Henley, a great poet and critic, is a masterpiece of Stoic poetry. It was written in his first volume of poetry, Book of Verses, in 1888. The poet shows the strength and perseverance of a person who falls victim to unfortunate circumstances. Despite the circumstances, the victim holds his head up and does not collapse. Since its publication, it has become a very popular poem due to its excellent description of the speaker's positive attitude, due to its resilient nature.
“Invictus” Representing Adversity: This poem is about the positive attitude and survival of a person who is stubborn and resilient remains undefeated no matter how unfavorable the situation is. It also encourages readers to be dignified and determined. Pride, positivity, and contentment continue into every alternate half of the stanzas. What excites readers, however, is the speaker's fearless courage and perseverance during his suffe rings.
Main themes of the poem: The poem contains thoughts of an adult whose life is overwhelmed by misery and pain. However, he knows that the best means to combat these situations is a strong will, he also says that his miserable life cannot conquer his soul, since he is not afraid of challenges and sufferings, he remains positive, serene, imperturbable and without fear in His optimism makes him the master of his destiny and "the captain of his soul."
Analysis of literary devices in "Invictus"
Literary devices refer to specific literary techniques that poets and writers use to convey their messages. he used some literary devices to make this poem effective while sharing a prominent message. The following is an analysis of some literary devices used in this poem.

Metaphor: Henley has used three metaphors in the poem. First, the title of the poem "Invictus" represents pain. The second metaphor is used in the first line as “out of the night that covers me. "Here the night represents dark times and hardships of the poet. The third metaphor is in the third stanza" only threatens the horror of the shadow. "Here shadow refers to invisible future or impending challenges.
Personification: Personification is used to refer to an inanimate object human characteristics. The poet personified “night” in the first line of the poem, for example “From the night that covers me.” Bedside tables for the suffering that troubles him. The second example of personification is given in the second Verse “under the stick of chance” used as if the chance were a human being who can be hit by someone.
Images: The use of strong images in the poem allows the reader to feel that Henley's author used images that did the Appeal to the sense of sight like “Black is the pit.” “My head is bloody” and “beyond the place of anger and tears.” This picture they help the reader to feel the pain and courage that helped the speaker to overcome his misery.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of the vowels on the same line as the sounds of / a / and / u /, the fast accept succession in "black as"; "Under the stick" and "am, master, am captain. ”
Consonance: The consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds like the sound of / p / in“ pit from pole to pole ”; The / f / en sound "find and find me fearlessly" and the / b / en sound "bloody but firm".
Simile: A simile is a device that is used to compare two different objects to understand the meanings by comparing the qualities of these objects. simile used in the second line of the poem where it is stated that "Black like the well from pole to pole". Compare the darkness of the night with his dark and pitiful life.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same lines of poetry, such as the use of the / p / sound in "pit from pole to pole" and / f / in "find and find me without fear". This use of alliteration here has brought musicality to the poem.
This brief analysis shows that Henley has used literary devices wonderfully to make his poem impressive. The use of these literary devices has not only made this text attractive, but also opens up new dimensions for more. interpretations.

Analysis of the poetic devices in “Invictus”
Although the poetic devices are included in the literary devices, they are used exclusively in poetry and not in prose. Some of the poetic devices used in this poem are discussed below.

In this poem, there are four stanzas and each stanza has four lines / lines
Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-line stanza taken from Persian poetry. Here, each stanza is a quatrain because it is structured in four verses. .
Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABAB rhyme scheme, where the first verse rhymes with the third and the second verse rhymes with the fourth verse.
Enjambment: Gives fluidity and continuity to the poem where the same idea runs without any punctuation mark. Similarly, in this poem, the third line of each stanza meets the fourth without the proper punctuation.
“And yet the threat of

years finds and will find me without fear. "

Iambic tetrameter: Means four iambic feet or line of four feet that has a sound" dee-dah "four times or each of the unstressed syllables followed by an accented syllable as in the first line of this poem" Out of the night that covers me. "
In conclusion, it can be said that the poet has painted a very optimistic picture of a man who has suffered but with his head held high. That optimism shines through when he says he's grateful and holds his head up even though he's bleeding. The use of these structural devices has kept the meanings clear and effective.

Quotes for the use of "Invictus"
The following stanza can be used to describe the heroic action of a warrior who remains persistent even after a wound and continues to show his courage . The lines can also be used in speeches and lectures when sharing a traumatized past and the stories of how to overcome it.

“In the clutch of circumstances

I have not winced or cried out loud

Under the beating

My head is bloody, but upright.

Insensibility Jabberwocky