“Still I Rise” written by Maya Angelou and “Invictus” written by William E. Henley, both share the theme of being strong even when all odds seem against one. However, both poets struggles are experienced in different ways. Henley’s struggle is inner while, Angelou is outer and how people see her. Overall, both poets still manage to somehow stay strong even in the faces of fears. “Still I Rise” written by Maya Angelou, explores the theme of Angelou’s strength and how nothing anyone says will be able to change who she is and how strong she is. The poem inspires one to never submit to what one thinks about them and to achieve their dreams by staying strong: "You may shoot me with your words, / You may cut me with your eyes, / You may kill me with your hatefulness, / But still, like air, I'll rise." (20-24). These quotes show Angelou’s attitude toward her doubter and how regardless of the way people look at her she will continue to strive and push to achieve all that she set her mind to. One should never give up on their dreams now be bother by anyone’s options towards them, as Angelou explained. People will always have something negative to say, it’s how one rises that matters. …show more content…
Henley explores the theme of having a brave face in the face of fear. Henley uses imagery and metaphors to describe the setting of his poem. The poem portrays Henley as a person who is struggling to succeed in a hard battle against the darkness and an untouchable sense of objects: “I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul. / I have not winced nor cried aloud, Under the bludgeonings of chance, My head is bloody, but unbowed.” (2-4) (6-9). These quotes show how Henley seems to be oppressed but is still strong by not crying aloud, nor giving up. The theme of this poem is to not be weak and fearful, be strong even in the face of one’s
The main theme of both the poem and documentary is the ability to thrive even when hit by a difficult trial. Even though Darius Monroe went to jail, he was still able to become a filmmaker because he had hope, he conquered all the obstacles that was in the path of getting his goal. In the poem “Invictus”, William Henley was going through some rough times and he truly was adrift in a dark pit, but he embraced it and had hope that everything was going to be okay. “I am the master of my fate,
“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and “You Will Never See Me Fall” by Joyce Alcantara are similar poems because they both use hyperboles to convey their strength in the face of adversity. In Angelou’s poem she states“Out of the huts of history's shame. I rise Up! from a past that's rooted in pain. I rise!” During Alcantara’s piece she says “Times get hard,
This line is probably most important to the meaning as a whole because it displays how strong and courageous the author is. In the third stanza, Henley says, “Beyond this place of wrath and tears” (9). In this line he is portraying a flash of anger and grief; this reveals what Henley actually felt during the time of his sickness. The use of the imagery runs through the poem to make the details vivid and make the story come to life. With the use of imagery comes the use of
Throughout many of Maya Angelou’s poems, she conveys a message of the importance of confidence in oneself which helps an individual rise above their struggles. In Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise,” she introduces a strong speaker who is self-assured and refuses to apologize for her existence. Not only does she not apologize for her existence, but she refuses to allow others to bring her down. This message is strengthened by Angelou’s use of literary devices. “Still I Rise” contains similes, rhetorical question, personification, and repetition, which Angelou includes to prove that all obstacles can be overcome.
Invictus Explication William Ernest Henley’s poem “Invictus” primarily emphasizes the themes of being brave, perseverant, and unconquerable. Written in traditional closed form with an abab-cdcd-efef-ghgh rhyme scheme, the fluidity and straightforwardness of the poem enhance Henley’s theme. Furthermore, the poems syntax allows for the meaning to be unmistakably present, clear, and precise. The beginning of the poem “Out of the night that covers me” immediately gives the poem a negative connotation.
Henley’s use of strong in his poem, “Invictus”, builds imagery which give the poem a courageous tone. Henley also uses rhyme scheme and a metaphor. Rhyme schemes and metaphors helps with having a powerful mood. Henley brings to the reader a poem in which an achievement is simply recognized due to the images that he constructs by using specific language.
The Truth about Life The poem “Invictus”, by William Ernest Henley is a short four quatrain poem that has a very powerful and strong meaning about the struggles of life. Expressing the author’s difficult time in his life, Henley exemplifies how unconquered he was, hence the meaning of the title “Invictus” which is the same translation in Latin. With the great usage of metaphors, symbolism, personification along with using an ABAB rhyme, Henley creates an imaginative world of what seems to be like a soldier trotting through life’s battle fields and obstacles. Having the specific structure of four lines in each four stances, Henley begins his poem with an interesting symbolism in the first two lines.
In the 1800’s William Ernest Henley wrote the well renowned poem today known as Invictus. Henley was born in Gloucester England 1849 and lived out his career as a poet. Invictus has strong meaning behind its stanzas and lines which can be interpreted differently through people’s point of view. To Henley this was a story of always believing in his self in his time of need. Which for him was a long period of time considering the circumstances in which this poem was written.
Persevering at the face of adversities is not just an aberration of the classical era but also today in the contemporary era. Henley’s classical poem and Platten’s modern song helps in giving the readers visualisation on the concept ‘courage and resilience’ that is difficult to execute in everyday lives, both writers have portrayed an image of an unconquerable soul and a fighter in between the lines of their literary pieces. Through Platten and Henley’s manipulation of language forms and techniques, the messages from these renowned texts have been clearly interpretable and relatable to present day. What makes one human? If emotion is what makes one human, poetry makes us human. When we face trials, must we surrender? No. Must we be weary? No.
The powerful use of similes allows the reader to experience the realities of war. Honourable men who once stood tall and proud were "bent double like old beggars" (1), men who once ran into the face of danger now "marched asleep… drunk with fatigue" (5,7), and healthy men were now "blood-shod…lame [and] blind" (6). The second section of the poem, comprised of the second and third stanza, continues to build the setting established in the first eight lines. The speaker accomplishes this using metaphorical speech depicting the death and suffering of a soldier. The soldier, "yelling… and stumbling," (11) through waves of green gas, died helplessly "guttering, choking, [and] drowning."
Maya Angelou develops an influential and telling position in her bold poem, "Still I Rise". This particular piece is significant due to the overall and underlying message being called upon. Contrary to most poems written during the civil rights movement, this poem exchanges views upon the positive results of slavery as opposed to the negative results. By using various literary devices, such as shifts in tone, powerful diction, effective comparisons, and alliteration, she reveals the strength she has gained from white supremacy and her oppressors. Angelou emphasizes the fact that no matter the circumstance, she will succeed and despite popular opinion and society's unfair wishes, not one person would prevail over her. Instead, Angelou would prevail over every ounce of racism and hatred she has encountered.
Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” explores the controversies behind racism and sexism. Angelou’s background has a strong impact on the stance she takes against discrimination and for feminism. She uses literary techniques such as repetition, imagery, and personal pronouns to relay her powerful message to the reader. Throughout the poem “Still I Rise,” Maya Angelou’s focuses on not only her battles against racism, but also on her personal experiences, which ultimately led her to be one of literatures most powerful female poets. Three of the main literary strategies Angelou uses are repetition, imagery, and personal pronouns.
The next stanza depicts a soldier at war, and the courage he requires fight it, and that the courage his friend requires to die for him is actually love. This stanza’s tone is somewhat different from the rest of the poem, because it
“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou isn’t just a poem, it is a message to anyone who has ever been broken and felt like giving up that there is hope. Maya Angelou isn’t just a poet, she is also known for her roles and movies, being a civil right activist and an author. She has written many books and poems for examples “A song flung up to heaven”,” I know why the cage bird sang.” and “I know why the cage bird sang” is some of her famous books. “Touched by an angel.” “Phenomenal women.” And my favorite “Still I rise” are some of her famous poems. “Still I Rise” is my favorite, because it’s a writing I can relate to. Coming from a family where not too many people succeed it was easy for people to label me along with them, but I knew that what they said didn’t define who I was and that I will rise above all negative things.
The poem ‘Still I Rise’ written by American author Maya Angelou is written from the perspective of Maya herself. She is speaking to her audience of oppressors about how she has overcome racism, criticism, sexism, and personal obstacles in her life with pride and grace. It describes her personal struggle through life and how she managed to pull through and how she will continue on her life journey. This poem is historically rooted with mentions of slavery, a “past of pain” and “gifts of ancestors”; she is however speaking in the present and how she is embarking on a new journey.