Name______

World Literature 10

“Invictus” Analysis

Directions: Your goal is to analyze the poem “Invictus” and the film of the same title. The film depicts the story of Nelson Mandela and the success of the 1995 South African Rugby team. You will be drawing conclusions and will make comparisons between the poem, film, and the thematic units that have guided the 10th grade World Literature course: Purpose of Storytelling, Modern vs. Traditional Values, How we Relate.

Part I. Thematic Units

  1. Purpose of Storytelling: Explain why story telling is important (think about purposes). Use an example of one story we read and explain why it is important that it continues to be told. (Creation Myths).
  1. Modern vs. Traditional Values: Explain how the conflict between modern and traditional values can be both positive and negative. Use two examples from stories read in class (Marriage is a Private Affair, Song of Lawino, Season)
  1. How We Relate: Explain what characteristics are needed for people from different backgrounds and cultures to be able to relate well to one another. Which characters struggled with relationships? Why? Which characters formed strong bonds? Why? (Ch-i-lin Purse, Savitri, Tiger, Forty-Five a Month Hey Come on Out).

Part II.

  1. List any information you know about Nelson Mandela.
  1. List any new information you have learned.

Part III. Read the poem “Invictus” and answer the questions that follow:

Invictus

William Ernest Henley (1875)

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.

  1. In the first stanza, what is “night” symbolizing or being compared to?
  1. How does the author use personification in stanza 2?
  1. What does “the horror of the shade” refer to?
  1. How does the tone of stanza 3 show the theme of the poem?
  1. What is the meaning of the line, “It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll,?
  1. How would you summarize this poem in your own words?
  1. Which course theme can best be compared to the theme of this poem? Use two specific examples to back up your opinion.