Invictus
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"Invictus" is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley. It was written in 1875 and first published in 1888[1] in Henley's Book of Verses, where it was the fourth in a series of poems entitled Life and Death (Echoes).[2] It originally bore no title:[2] early printings contained only the dedication To R. T. H. B.—a reference to Robert Thomas Hamilton Bruce (1846–1899), a successful Scottish flour merchant and baker who was also a literary patron.[3] The familiar title "Invictus" (Latin for "unconquered"[4]) was added by Arthur Quiller-Couch when he included the poem in The Oxford Book Of English Verse (1900).[5][6]
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[edit] Background
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At the age of 12, Henley became a victim of tuberculosis of the bone. In spite of this, in 1867 he successfully passed the Oxford local examination as a senior student. His diseased foot had to be amputated directly below the knee; physicians had announced that the only way to save his life was to amputate. Henley persevered and survived with one foot intact. He was discharged in 1875 and was able to lead an active life for nearly 30 years despite his disability. With an artificial foot he lived until the age of 53. The poem was written from a hospital bed.
[edit] Text
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.
[edit] Popular culture references
- Invictus, a 2009 film directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. The film is a look at the life of Nelson Mandela after the fall of apartheid in South Africa, during his term as president, when he campaigned to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup event as an opportunity to unite his countrymen.[7] The title comes from the fact that Mandela had the poem written on a scrap of paper on his prison cell while he was incarcerated. In the movie, Mandela gives the "Invictus" poem to Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar, before the start of the Rugby World Cup. In reality, Mandela actually provided Pienaar with an extract from Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena" speech from 1910.[citation needed]
- Kings Row, a 1942 film in which the poem is recited at the climax.
- Think and Grow Rich, a self-help book by Napoleon Hill which uses "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul" as a motivational tool to encourage the reader to take charge of his or her life.
- Annie on My Mind, a 1982 novel in which the poem is quoted several times throughout the book.
- One Tree Hill, a television show in which Chad Michael Murray's character Lucas recites the poem to his friend Haley during an episode, and as a voiceover at the end.
- Head of the Class, an 1980s television show in which Howard Hesseman's character Charlie Moore recites the final verse of the poem to Mrs. Russell in the Season 2 episode "We Love You, Mrs. Russell".
- "Invictus" is the title of season 3 episode 10 of the 1980s TV series Beauty and the Beast
- The poem's famous last lines hung in a painting on the wall of the set in A Different World.
- "The Soul's Captain", a response to "Invictus" was written by Orson F. Whitney, an early apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[8]
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a television show in which Harris Yulin's character Quentin Travers (head of the Watchers' Council) quotes the final two lines of the poem in the episode "Never Leave Me".
- The Belgian band Ancient Rites have a song named "Invictus" with the poem as its lyrics.
- Timothy McVeigh, convicted of the Oklahoma City bombing, chose "Invictus" as his final statement prior to his execution in 2001.[4][9]
[edit] See also
- "If—", an inspirational poem by Rudyard Kipling
- Stiff upper lip
[edit] References
- ^ Brownell, W. C. (1963). American prose masters: Cooper, Hawthorne, Emerson, Poe, Lowell, Henry James. Harvard University Press. p. 283. OCLC 271184.
- ^ a b Henley, William Ernest (1888). A book of verses. London: D. Nutt. OCLC 13897970.
- ^ For example in Henley, William Ernest (1891). A book of verses (3rd ed.). New York: Scribner & Welford. OCLC 1912116. http://books.google.com/books?id=pxw1AAAAMAAJ.
- ^ a b "English professor Marion Hoctor: The meaning of 'Invictus'". CNN. 2001-06-11. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/06/11/mcveigh.poem.cnna/. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas (ed.) (1902). The Oxford book of English verse, 1250–1900 (1st (6th impression) ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 1019. OCLC 3737413. http://books.google.com/books?id=94f-EePsaT0C.
- ^ Wilson, A.N. (2001-06-11). "World of books". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4262920/World-of-books.html. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
- ^ Invictus at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "News and You: The Soul's Captain". Meridian Magazine. 13 June 2001. http://www.meridianmagazine.com/newsandyou/010613.html. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
- ^ Rita Cosby (2001-06-12). "Timothy McVeigh Put to Death for Oklahoma City Bombings". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,26904,00.html. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
