Who is the captain of my soul?

How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” Poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) penned the words of his immortal Invictus (unconquered in Latin) after years of painful tuberculosis (TB) infection of his bones, eventually losing his leg to the disease.

What does I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul?

Meaning. In the poem, ‘Invictus’, the speaker remarks at the end, “I am the master of my fate,/ I am the captain of my soul.” The first line of this quote means what is going to happen with the speaker, he is fully responsible for that. The reason is that he is the master of his fate. So, one’s fate is in one’s control …

What is the meaning of Invictus poem?

unconquerable
Invictus, meaning “unconquerable” or “undefeated” in Latin, is a poem by William Ernest Henley. This poem is about courage in the face of death, and holding on to one’s own dignity despite the indignities life places before us.

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem Invictus?

Invictus, meaning “unconquerable” or “undefeated” in Latin consist of four stanzas and sixteen lines, the rhyme scheme is abab- cdcd-efef-ghgh it is a poem by William Ernest Henley. The poem was written while Henley was in the hospital being treated for tuberculosis of the bone, also known as Pott’s disease.

What is the meaning of Black as the Pit from pole to pole?

The first stanza of “Invictus” 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.” William Ernest Henley is implying someone’s life being surrounded by the darkness of their life. Every aspect of their life is like the ‘pit’ or hell.

Why is Invictus poem inspiring?

The message of the poem is fortitude in adversity, strength, and the stiff upper lip we associate with the Victorian period. Henley actually wrote the poem after having a leg amputated due to complications from Tuberculosis, and his entire literary reputation rests on these few lines.

What is a fell clutch?

fell=cruel. clutch = caught in the claws of a predator.

Why is Invictus famous?

A memorable evocation of Victorian stoicism—the “stiff upper lip” of self-discipline and fortitude in adversity, which popular culture rendered into a British character trait—”Invictus” remains a cultural touchstone.

What does the pit symbolize in Invictus?

The second line reinforces the first – the black pit suggesting that this was a deep depression, a spiritual darkness covering the whole world, the world being that of the speaker.

What does night mean in Invictus?

In the first line of first stanza “Out of the night that covers me”, he uses night as a symbol. It represents the hardships, sufferings and the pain of worldly existence.

Who is the speaker in the poem?

The speaker is the voice or “persona” of a poem. One should not assume that the poet is the speaker, because the poet may be writing from a perspective entirely different from his own, even with the voice of another gender, race or species, or even of a material object.

What does it matters not how strait the gate mean?

It matters not how strait the gate” is an allusion to Matthew 7:13 when Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.” Jesus is saying that those who go to heaven must go through a narrow or “straight” gate.