Invictus Poem Analysis Good Copy Essay

DefianceHuman fate, whether predetermined or non, has ever been a subject of great debate. Numerous inconclusive arguments have erupted from scientific as well as religious perspectives as to whether or not dowry is controlled by an outside force. Author William Ernest Henleys poem Invictus is oftentimes regarded as an eye opening piece of literature that has imitated and facilitated the ego reinvention of uncounted lives. Challenging Christian ideals, Henley elicits a powerful emotional response by supporting the philosophy that man is the sole determinant of his fate. By presenting such a bold and controversial belief, Henley greatly increases the impact of his poem. He entitle the poem Invictus, Latin for unbeaten, in order to show that although his spirits were crushed and mind deterred, they still remained unconquered, demonstrating the retention of control he had over his destiny Invictus (Meaning of).The Christian faith is well know for its belief of having one beau ideal who watches over and guides all. Henley begins the poem by thanking whatever gods may be for providing him with his inflexible soul. Henley purposefully uses the term gods as a passive aggressive challenge to this fundamental Christian belief in monotheism. He also states that his motion has remained unbowed, referencing his refusal to submit when times are hard. The bludgeonings that have beat Henley down close surely represents his hardships, while the bowing down represents submission to Christian ideology and to God himself. His refusal to surrender himself to these ideals is representative of his belief that no one solely himself can change or affect where he is in life.In a further defiance of Christianity, Henley says It upshots not how strait the render, how charged with punishments the scroll. The gate is supposed to be the very same one that leads to Heaven, strait referring to the minute passage that allows for very little admittance. Meanwhile, the punishme nts on the scroll reference the nonliteral list of sins that belabor the human soul, challenging the general concept of sin. By invalidating the scale of right and wrong upon which Christianity is so heavily based, Henley attacks the asperity of the entire Christian faith. This assault continues in the poem with the lines I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul. The theme of self reliance presented in these lines reinstates Henleys belief that each person is the wholly one accountable for their journey, not God or any opposite omnipresent being.Henley was a strong willed individual that chose to look past his interdict experiences in life and continue his journey of personal discovery and self definition. Henley was not the first to come to the belief that man was exclusively accountable for shaping his own destiny. An ancient Korean philosophical idea known as Juche shares this same belief (CITATION). The circumstances of ones behave are irrelevant it is w hat you do with the gift of life that determines who you are (Mewtwo). It doesnt matter where a persons life begins, it doesnt matter what that person has been told, in the end, everyones soul is their own, and only they are obligated for their fate.Works CitedHenley, William Ernest. Invictus I. M. To R. T. Hamilton Bruce (1846-1899). 12 Dec. 2013Invictus (Meaning Of). Encyclo. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.Juche. Blue Cottage Taekwon-Do. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. stand by Quotes. Live by Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.