A POEM BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY

O THE POEM : Listen to INVICTUS :

- Number of stanzas ? ( a stanza is a verse of a poem)
- In Pairs, reorder the poem in a chronological order .
- RHYMING GAME : rhymes with .
1 pole .
1 unbowed .
1 be .
1 years .
1 circumstance .
1 shade .
1 fate .
1 scroll .
- OCLOZE TEST: ill in the poem !ith the missing !ords .
- Listen again and circle the stressed !ords.
- Listen and put a "" each time the reader pauses his #oice .
Out of the that .. me,
as the . from to . ,
I whatever .. be
For my unconquerable .. .
In the fell clutch of ..
I .. not winced nor cried . .
the bludgeoning of ..
My head is , but.. .
Beyond this of wrath and ..
ooms but the of the,
!nd the of the ..
.. , and shall find me,.. .
It not how strait the .. ,
"ow . with punishments the scroll
I am the .. of my #
I.. .
O $%&$' ()*+ *N,&+-./N,IN0 ) .%& P)&1 .

- INVICTUS is Latin for INVINCIBLE :
ind an e2ui#alent ad3ecti#e in the poem :
45 that cannot be or defeated. 6
- +ead this introduction to the poem and complete it !ith !ords from the list belo!:
( values / poem /strength / lines / written / adversity / courage / inspirational / liberty/ poet )
in 789: b; <ritish .. =illiam &rnest %enle;, >In#ictus> is an..
poem that tal?s of .. in the face of , . , stoicism,
and indi#idualism. .hese . are best encapsulated in the last t!o
of the . , @I am the master of m; fate:I am the captain of m; soul.@
4 +&N$% .+/N-L/.I)N : IN, the &N0LI-% e2ui#alent and $)1PL&.& the =)+,</N' .
C Tomb dans ltreinte des circonstances , ^

C Sous les coups de la fortune ^
C Et pourtant la menace du temps ^
C Noire comme un puits dun ple lautre ^
C !a t"te est ensan#lante , mais di#ne .^
$u%del de ce monde de col&re et de pleurs.^
C 'our mon (me indomptable ^
)e nai pas #mi ni pleur *oi+ haute.^
Ne plane ,ue lhorreur de lombre ^
1 'eu importe ltroitesse de la porte ^
- =hat line4s6 or stanza do these interpretations of the poem best appl; to ? :
C$o one but me sets the course of my life% $o one but me is able to shape and control
any given situation% =
C"e did not complain of his condition, he did not show the pain he had to bear and he
&ept to himself' for he &new the virtue of patience. =
CIn this stan(a , the author e)presses how unwell he feels and compares his health to
the dar&ness of night . =
C*hough you cannot control your fate, you can control the effect your fate and
circumstances may have on you, and in a way, you are mastering your fate. =
C"e was grateful, and than&ed the heavenly beings that helped him go through the
difficult moments in his life. =
*he lines emphasi(e that we as individuals are ma&ing our own destiny, our world. =
C*he road to happiness is indeed a narrow one. $ot many can pass through it. In
striving for a better life, he would +ust ignore the possibilities of more pains. =
=)+,</N' :
soul 5
fate 5
master 5
shade 5
to !ince 5
to loom 5
ad3 : unbo!ed
ad3 : strait 5
*he stan(a refers to the afterlife. Once he has passed away he will be beyond the anger
and tears, he relates to his life after death as a gloomy or dar& place between the living
and the dead and he e)plains that he is not afraid despite the danger or threat of his
former years of life. =
In this stan(a , "enley refers to his misfortune or in other words his ,bad times- as
simply something that happens and he has remained strong and confident by not
showing his pain. =
1 *he poet viewed his life as being torturing, unpleasant one.
*he pains were unbearable, and there was no way out. =
CC.espite the suffering, he was ready to face the reality. !nd he would +ust face it% =
CC "e refused to be the victim of the circumstance, because he believed in himself and
in his ability to cure his heart wound. =
O *se the prompts gi#en belo! to !rite a short biograph; of =illiam &rnest %enle;.
*se Passi#e form !hen possible. 1ind the tensesA

WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY (1849-1903)
/ngl and0 Born 1 2l oucest er 3oet 1 edi t or 1 cr i t i c educat ed at 4rypt 2rammar
5chool Father 6 boo&sel l er di e when "enl ey 6 a teenager !ge 78 9be
di agnosed: wi t h tubercul osi s of the bone = amput at i on of one of hi s l egs Begi n to
wri t e poems 7;<= # wri t e ,I $>I 4*?5- f rom hospi t al bed l ead an act i ve l i f e f or @A
years despi te handi cap . death 6 age =B