INVICTUS (poem)
CORRECTION
Invictus by William Ernest Henley : a form of power ?
This poem was made famous by Nelson Mandela who confessed it was
one of his favorite ones, especially while in prison. First of all, the poem
itself conveys a message of hope and faith which are two forms of powers
that you cannot touch nor see, but that you can feel: this is a spiritual form
of power. In addition, it seems that this text, which was not written by
Nelson Mandela illustrates the major events, sufferings or doubts of his
life. It thus represents the power of identification that is often at work when reading, listening to,
looking at a work of art.
Leading Thread: A two dimensional poem
Paragraph 1 (1st stanza)
Power of Nature vs Spiritual Beliefs : Nature is personified because it can “cover” a human body. The
focus on the color Black emphasizes on the gloomy and desperate atmosphere where the speaker
(narrator of a poem) is. The 1875 poem is said to have been written after the amputation of the poet’s
foot due to tubercular infection. He was deprived of an important element of his physical power,
fundamental for his “freedom” as a man (to move as he pleased) but it took nothing to his will and
resilience (determination) as he says that his soul is “unconquerable” and his spiritual power is
stronger.
Here the comparison with Mandela is obvious. He was sent to prison in 1962 because he was convicted
of conspiracy to overthrow the state. In the Apartheid system Black people were considered inferior
and were deprived of the Freedom of speech (reference to an idea of Human Nature).
Paragraph 2 (2nd stanza)
In this stanza the speaker opposes Physical hardships to Faith, that again seems to be stronger.
Actually, the speaker seems to feel the pain but not to suffer. The lexical field of hardships:
bludgeoning, winced, cried aloud, bloody is opposed to the last word of the stanza which is amplified
by its place in the sentence. The word unbowed illustrates the idea of pride, even dignity which is
another form of power.
As far as Nelson Mandela is concerned, he was sent to prison experiencing the
“clutch of circumstance”. It could be anyone else who embodied the counterpower of the time. His cell was tiny and his life in prison was really difficult. Only
one thing remained intact: his dignity and his conviction that the different racial
groups could live together.
Paragraph 3 (3rd stanza)
Again there is a contrast between the first three lines of the stanza and the last one. Here the speaker
is talking about his future. He says that despite everything shows that the only relief he can get is
death, he keeps on being determined and confident in the future. Again here it is an echo to the power
of determination that even fate and doom cannot alter.
Initially, Nelson Mandela was condemned to life imprisonment. So nothing was certain that he would
be released before. From his cell in Robben Island he was not aware of what was happening worldwide
or in South Africa to get him free. His only weapon, was his determination.
©Mr JACOBIN, English Teacher
INVICTUS (poem)
CORRECTION
Paragraph 4 (4th stanza)
The end of the poem is very spiritual and refers to the magic of miracle. It is the moral of the text and
remains known as a universal and timeless message. It illustrates the power of the self, of faith. The
speaker explains that whatever the experiences are the good always triumphs. It again refers to the
power of determination , because the speakers may want to say that to believe in something is the
first step to get it.
Nelson Mandela could not stop believing in his “Rainbow Nation” and what he expected happened.
The last two lines of the poem sound like a 27-year motto that allowed him not to give up on his
ambitions for his country. He entered prison as an activist and he walked out as a symbol who became
the obvious leader of the country. He was the first Black President of his country like Obama was in
the USA.
CCL:
This poem is really relevant of the goals of a work of art which are:
To record one moment of History (every work of Art is rooted in one or several eras)
To convey one or several messages anyone can identify to
To inspire people in their own life and expectations
NB: You are not expected to do that much in your final projects. I just wanted to take advantage of the
holiday to read this because you have more time to do so. It is an interesting exercise especially in the
prospect of working on literary texts, as we are going to do in the next unit.
©Mr JACOBIN, English Teacher