Imagine you have just gotten your leg amputated, and you feel hopeless. William Ernest Henley, who wrote Invictus, went through just that. He wrote it to tell about the need to be resilient through all troubles and control your own life. The poem uses metaphors, similes, and imagery to convey the meaning. Firstly, the poem uses metaphors to show the meaning. For example, in line 8, it says “My head is bloody but unbowed.” In other words, his head is not literally bloody, but mentally bloody. By saying he is “unbowed,” the author says that he is facing a lot of pressure and demands, yet he is and has not submitted to anyone or given in to other influences. This matters because it shows that he is being resilient despite the amount of pressure on him. It shows that while he may be in demanding situations and may be discouraged, he is still pushing through. …show more content…
In stanza 1, the poem says “Black as the pit from pole to pole.” In other words, the entire world, from the north to the south pole, is filled with troubles and opposition; everywhere is chaos. This is significant because it tells the reader that there is never a time or place that is safe from difficulty. It shows that we need to be strong and control our life all the time, or else we might fall victim to the things of this world, because the darkness is everywhere. Lastly, the poem uses strong imagery to deliver its meaning. For instance, in line 9, the author writes “Beyond this place of wrath and tears…” This suggests that what the author is facing is hellish and grueling. It also implies that he has endured many hardships and shed many tears fighting the battles of life. The author’s purpose in writing this is to show that even though life can be very difficult at times, there is nothing that can stop him. He shows that tears may fall and blood may be shed, but he is unconquerable, and is the captain of his