#9 Invictus

                For the longest time I have always loved the poem Invictus. I’m not really sure when the first time I heard it was. It probably was during school in reference to Nelson Mandela. I remember after hearing the poem I reflected a lot on the last two lines, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul” and the title itself INVICTUS.

 The word MASTER implied to me dominance and ownership. That my fate was indeed MINE and no one else’s. No one can tell me how my life will end up, where I go or what I do because my fate, my destiny is mine. Once I own it then what? CAPTAIN for me meant leadership. A captain is educated and wise. It told me that I need to learn, study, find out what I want my fate to be and then go after it. In the title I found the motivation. When I thought of the word INVICTUS, I dunno… there was something about the word that inspired me before I knew what it meant. I thought of power, I thought of activeness. I thought it was a word that one would yell on a battle field somewhere to empower comrades. Later I learned that “Invictus” means unconquerable or invincible.

Over the years I’ve looked more and more at the entire poem and I have come to appreciate it for its many different messages. Gratitude, “I thank whatever Gods may be, for my unconquerable soul.” Courage, “In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud”"and yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid.” Endurance, “Under the bludgeoning of chance, my head is bloody but unbowed.”

           

When the movie Invictus came out I learned more about Nelson Mandela (let’s be honest, I didn’t pay a lot of attention sometimes in school) and this poems power to inspire others. It is truly a great poem.

328