Creative Conviction
Songs and poems have the ability to express
beliefs, feelings, and beauty that the author wishes the reader to
experience. They are sometimes lyrical
and sometimes they are not, but every poem and song holds some forms of
rhetorical devices, often seen in creative style, such as alliteration, zeugma,
metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and many more.
The creative style includes more rhetorical devices than the official
style or plain style. So I chose my
favorite poem “Invictus”, by William Ernest Henley. I will be analyzing some
rhetorical devices to investigate why they were so powerful in the poem. There is much to learn about “Invictus” by
deciphering its metaphors and use of parallelism. These rhetorical devices affect how the activity
systems, surrounding this poem, interpret the content.
At a young age, Henley contracted tuberculosis
of the bone. The doctors had to remove
his leg up to the knee at the age of 17.
After the first amputation, the doctors informed him that they would
have to perform another surgery on the other leg. Determined not to do this, Henley enlisted
the help of another doctor, who was able to save his foot by doing a few
intense surgeries. It was while he was
in recovery Henley wrote “Invictus,” which in Latin means unconquerable,
invincible, and undefeated. Through the suffering and pain of his first
amputation, he was unwilling to be conquered by his grief and anger. He overcame all obstacles and determined his
own fate by finding the doctor willing to save Henley’s other leg.
In Henley’s poem, he used many rhetorical
devices to interpret his feelings during this hard time in his life. This includes the use of metaphor, which is
seen in many places in this poem.
Metaphor creates imagery, which is important for the reader to see how
the poet interprets an idea. In the
first line, the use doesn’t just mean the darkness of night, but “night”
represents the suffering of any kind. Another example is “In the fell clutch of
circumstance,” this line compares a creature (fell clutch) with a deadly grip
to the circumstance the person is in.
“The horror of the shade” is a metaphor for death looming around us
all. “Menace of the years,” is a
metaphor for advancing age, which death looms just around the corner for. “Bludgeoning of chance,” could also be a
metaphor for Henley believing the contraction of tuberculosis was his
fate. Without metaphors in creative
style, the feelings could be lost between what the author wants and how the
readers to feel.
Along with the importance of metaphor in this
poem, I found the last two lines to be the most dramatic of all the lines in
the poem. This is due to the use of
parallelism, which is the repetition of sentence structures or word orders to
achieve a rhythmical effect. This is
important in poetry, so the thoughts of these parts expressed are repeated or
contrasted. The last two lines of the
poem, “I am the master of my fate/ I am the captain of my soul” effectively
repeats the sentence structure, but it also gets Henley’s point across more
dramatically. By repeating the same
structure and switching the words, creates a strong message that even though
fate handed many punishments he is still unwilling to let his soul be conquered,
or that he still remains in control of his destiny despite his disability.
Rhetorical devices are important in any piece,
but what also needs to be determined is the activity systems that surround this
poem and how they interpret the meanings.
The activity systems that revolve around this poem could be average
people who want to be in control of their fate.
It also includes teachers who wish to teach their students a lesson, and
the author who wrote this poem and their reasoning behind it. The activity systems might also include the
sick, the disabled, the hungry, the torn and many more. There are also the people who critique poems
and they usually find something negative to dwell on. There are many systems to investigate, but I
will be looking at a few of these systems.
In the previous paragraphs, I looked at Henley’s reason for writing the
poem. Now, I will be looking at the
people reading this poem for boost in morale and the critics.
Despite the suffering that is occurring in
this poem, the theme of “invictus” appeals to most people. It is the simple
idea that you are in control of your own fate.
I think that is why I was so drawn to it in the first place. We are in a world that doesn’t really care
about us. However, there is still hope
that we can overcome all the obstacles and be the masters of our own fate. We can still be in control of what happens to
us and despite everything our soul will remain unconquerable. This is the same for Henley. Instead of succumbing to defeat he rose up
and challenged the doctors that told him he was going to lose the other
foot. He did not give up.
However, there are many critics who ridicule
this poem as being mediocre. Most modern anthologies won’t even allow this poem
into their pages. One reason is its rhythmical tone. Musicality wasn’t used very much in the
Victorian age, and Henley faced off against poets such as Edgar Allen Poe, Lord
Alfred Tennyson, and William Wordsworth.
These poets didn’t use much lyrical devices as Henley did. Even though there was some discretion among
the critics, this poem still remains one of the more quotable poems today. It helps that this poem isn’t abstract
compared to the poets who load their verses with a lot of ambiguity. So this poem lives up to its name. Despite all the critiques and punishments “on
the scroll,” this poem remains.
Through metaphor and parallelism, Henley was able to successfully
convey his thoughts and feelings to create a poem that inspired the average
person to never give up and to be in control of their own fate. It is a poem written in creative style that
uses rhyme to create a poem that invokes beauty and song. The activity systems that revolve around this
poem either love it or hate it, but it is still one of the most quoted poems to
this day. Despite all the obstacles
Henley went through, he was able to overcome all and create a successful poem
that millions of people enjoy today.
Katie Mickschl
Sources:
Invictus
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.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/182194
http://www.poemhunter.com/william-ernest-henley/biography/
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