"Invictus"

Context

Poetic language is often the most evocative of all the literary genres. With just a few words, deep emotions and entire landscapes can come alive.  “Invictus" is Latin for unconquerable, invincible, undefeated. W.E. Henley wrote Invictus in 1875 while in the hospital undergoing treatment for tuberculosis of the bones. As a young man living in Edinburgh, England, he met the writer Robert Louis Stevenson. They became friends and corresponded regularly. Robert Louis Stevenson was a Scottish novelist and travel writer, most noted for Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stevenson shared that he had based his character, Long John Silver - from the book Treasure Island - on Henley, he had a wooden leg, a robust rasping voice, and a forceful personality.

Learning Outcomes

• Discuss the poem Invictus, and its author, William Ernest Henley
• Analyze the form of Invictus

Focus Questions

• • When was the poem written and published?
  • What is the reason behind the author writing the poem?
  • When and where is the poem happening?
  • Who is the subject of the poem?
  • What is the attitude of the speaker(s) in the poem?
  • What is your favorite line in the poem?

Instructions

1. Research, the author of the poem.

2. Read the poem once silently and once out loud! Then reread the poem; you will see something different each time you read the poem.  

3. Most poems tell us about a poet’s understanding of an experience so the beginning will be different than the end. The change may be in feelings, language (slang to formal), or connotation (positive to negative). Explain a shift you noticed that conveys a message in the poem.

4. Identify the theme (central idea) of the poem. How does the theme convey the poem’s message?

5. Consider the title again. What is your understanding of the title?

6. Watch the video: Rocky Balboa (Speech to his son)