Haley Bosco Professor Robertson English 102 17 December 2010

Analyzing Invictus

William Ernest Henley wrote his poem Invictus in 1875 from his hospital bed. At age 12, Henley was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the bone. The disease spread to his leg, and Henley was left with the only choice of amputation. 13 years later, the poem was published in one of Henleys books in a series titled Life and Death. It is still widely used and repeated in the public discourse today. Invictus even inspired a 2009 major-motion picture, and lines are often quoted in popular dialogue. The full text reads: 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 bludgeoning 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.

The struggle Henley faced with his disease represents the struggle he describes in the poem. Despair and misery are portrayed through Henleys descriptions, and the reader is left with a feeling of the idea of hardship and desolation. The grammatical construction of the poem is a prime example of Henleys theme. The portrayal of the struggle of perseverance can be seen through the strength of construction and consistency between the stanzas. Each line and stanza presents parallel structures and a consistent running style throughout the entirety of the text. The poem has strength in consistency but complexity in structure. This type of structure is consistent with Henleys theme of the poem - a hard struggle requires a persistent strength.

This text of Invictus has been received by the public quite well. The content is understood, the meaning is inspirational and the grammatical construction of the poem is complex, but not so intricate that it complicates itself. With further analysis of the complexity of the poem, one can begin to consider a deeper evaluation behind Henleys structural intentions. A first glance at the style of poem offers more insight into the interpretation of analysis. The poem presents a running style throughout. A running style, unlike a periodic style, is mostly

paratactic it is shapeless, consistent and incremental. Most of the stanzas begin with a prepositional phrase and the subject is always delayed. The audience must hold out and wait for Henley to present the subject. This also contributes to the consistency and theme of persistence and struggle in Invictus. In the first stanza, the poem reads Out of the night that covers me. This presents a prepositional phrase beginning with the preposition out. The subject does not come until the third line with I thank whatever gods may be. The rest of the stanzas, excluding the last, begin the same. The last two lines of the first stanza read I thank whatever gods may be/ For my unconquerable soul. The subject is I with the finite verb thank and the direct object of whatever gods may be. An adverbial prepositional phrase occupies the last line in for my unconquerable soul. Once the prepositional phrase is presented and followed by the subject, all the stanzas show a relatively simple construction through the end. However, the consistency of the poem should not be confused for an emphasis in a periodic-styled text. Invictus is a good example of a running style, as the stanzas present a relatively consistent process of presenting the subject, verb and object. Henley utilizes this technique to transcend his thoughts in a more practical manner which also continues to contribute to the consistency and flow of the poem. Analysis of the function each line within the stanzas can help emphasize Henleys structure. The first stanza is: 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 first line, the night is the subject acting with that covers me as the predicate. Cover is a lexical, non-finite verb. Black as the pit is working as an adverbial leading up to the prepositional phrase of from pole to pole. In the next line, thank works as a lexical verb with gods as the subject and may be is a modal. The final line begins with the determiner For and ends the stanza with the predicate

of unconquerable soul. The specific analyses of each word is constructive in order to further support the complexity of the poem. The separate phrases are generally consistent in structure throughout the stanzas, but the verbs often shift from finite to non-finite and the subjects range in position. This shows the poems juxtaposition between complexity and consistency. In the second stanza, there are two complete sentences. The first line begins similar to the first stanza. The entire stanza is: In the fell clutch of circumstance/ I have not winced nor cried aloud/ Under the bludgeoning of chance/ My head is bloody, but unbowed. The first line is a prepositional phrase with fell as an adjective modifying clutch of circumstance. The second line contains a finite, present perfect verb have. Again, the subject is drawn out after the initial prepositional phrase with I again as the subject. Have not winced nor cried aloud is in present perfect tense and leads to another prepositional phrase, which is different than the first stanza. The third line reads under the bludgeoning of chance and leads to another subject of my head with the subject predicate of is bloody, but unbowed. Bloody and unbowed work as an adjectives to head. As presented, Henley creates a relatively consistent structure between the first two poems as he prefaces the subject with a prepositional phrase. However, there is some complexity in the positioning of the subjects and verbs. The third stanza is similar to the first, as it contains just one complete sentence. The third stanza is: 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. The first line contains the prepositional phrase as beyond this place of wrath and tears. The subject resides in the second line with the Horror of the shade with of the shade working as another prepositional phrase all after the lexical, finite verb of Looms. The third line presents the subject in the menace of the years and finds as a complex transitive verb. Shall find is an auxiliary, non-finite verb. The last

line is structured as an embedded subject. This third stanza begins the same as the first two, but similar to the differences between those, this stanza also presents differences and complexities in the final two lines. The final stanza is the only stanza that does not begin like the others with a prepositional phrase. It begins with the verb phrase it matters not followed by the coordinator of how and last the noun phrase of strait the gait. The second line follows the same pattern with the noun of scroll at the end being preceded by the adverbial phrase of charged with punishments. The last two lines are two of the most well known lines of the poem. They both begin with the copula verbs am followed by the noun phrases of master and captain and end with the prepositional phrases of my fate and of my soul. This final stanza is the most unique of all four stanzas. It presents one full sentence with possibly the content that is most dense. Henley creates an image for an audience that is almost considered in two parts. The first three stanzas exist in one consistent paradigm, while the last stanza contributes to the complexity of the poem by adding a conclusion completely independent to the rest of the poems structure. The final two lines of Invictus are arguably the most well-known and most quoted in public discourse. Here is how the final two lines of the last stanza are diagrammed: Through a thorough grammatical analysis of each line of all the stanzas of Invictus, the complexity and parallel styles become apparent. The first three stanzas of the poem are consistent in structure with a few variations in specific word choice and positioning. Henleys parallel style is essential in emphasizing the images of the poem rather than the complexity of it. Although the grammar presents complex structure, the meaning of the content is understandable and consistent throughout the poem.

The first stanza prefaces the scene of the poem with a character in the bleakness of night nearly at the brink of exhaustion, just thanking the gods for still standing. The second stanza is more detailed, showing the character physically defeated, but not crying aloud or showing his despair. The third stanza continues to show the persistence of struggle as the character realizes the rest of his years will still be a menace and present more horror even beyond his current place of wrath and tears. The final stanza, as mentioned before, proves to be structurally different than the others. The content of this stanza also presents a different light. The character in the poem, or perhaps Henley himself, stands up against his defeat and all adversity and recognizes that he is in charge of his fate. The true essence of the poem aims at portraying the agony and difficulty a soul endures through some type of battle. When Henley rested in his hospital bed with an amputated leg, he was at a threshold which allowed him no other relief. He lay there without the hope of ever having two healthy legs again. The truth of the matter is that one will be defeated and desperate at many times in life without any promise of a happy ending. But even with the inevitability of despair, the individual is always still in charge of his or her fate. Invictus guides an audience through struggle and the simple comprehension that hardships will test the soul. Henley portrays the only way to persevere is to take ownership of your fate and soul.