Invictus: William Ernest Henley Figurative Meaning
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Diego Minarro
William Ernest Henley Figurative Meaning
In the poem Invictus William Ernest Henley uses a metaphor to show how he controls his future and how he is in charge of it when he says, "I am the master of my fate” (Tahira). By saying this he is portraying how he has taken control of his life and how he is not going to let his difficulties get to him. The figurative language in this poem shows that we can control our fate and nothing can hurt us unless we let it happen. And even when times are tough we need to remember that we are the ones that control our lives. The use of imagery in “Invictus” provides people that have read the poem with more understanding of the poem and truly helps connect them to the author’s true feelings. William Ernest Henley uses strong adjectives to show the horrors of…show more content… The use of this simile is used to showcase a picture of how dark and dull this time was for him. Also how the severe pain he was feeling could stretch from the “North Pole to the South Pole” (Cummings) The second use of imagery is in the second stanza, “My head is bloody, but unbowed” (Cummings). William is describing how his fate and the physical punishments of it have changed him but not taken over. Although he is in discomfort, the term “unbowed” displays his composure that he is capable of maintaining during his time of weakness. This line truly shows how strong one can be whenever someone’s courage is needed most. In the third stanza there is another use of imagery, “Beyond this place of wrath and tears” (Cummings). Henley shows a glimpse of unhappiness. The dark description reveals the authors actual outlook on this certain time in life and wants readers who are dealing with a similar situation to relate. The use of imagery flows on to create vivid detail by making his story comes to life by using another form of figurative