William Ernest Henley Biography

"So many are the deaths we die

Before we can be dead indeed."

"It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul."

Invictus

O Gather Me The Rose

"This is the merit and distinction of art: to be more real than reality, to be not nature but nature's essence."

William Ernest Henley- Poet Biography

Invictus Poem read by wounded warriors

My Imitation of "Invictus"

Unconditional

By: Mason Bockoven

From the black that surrounds me,

Cloudy as the night sky from end to end,

I have been unable to see

The heart I have that I know will not bend.

In the painful game of life,

I’ve learned to keep emotions down.

I may walk around in strife,

But I will never reveal a frown.

Far away from the brokenness,

Wanders only but a blank space,

There you shall find my heart lying in openness,

Dreaming, longing for the mistakes to erase.

It does not matter if the road is rocky or paved,

If everyone on Earth cares or understands,

As long as you are with me I will be saved,

We will decide our future through interlocked hands.

My reaction to "Invictus"

• Shows into his mind and the emotions he faced
• Shows the true determination we all need to have in this life
• Make your life your own
• Decide your own fate
• You control your mindset

A few reactions from other students reading the poem:

"The line 'I have not winced nor cried aloud.' From the poem Invictus kind of says that even through bullying and tormenting , I don't show that anything happened."

"The line 'I am the master of my fate' tells the reader that the writer is in charge and no one can change the writer's life paths and they are the only ones that can change that."

"Davis English 9." Davis English 9. N.p., 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

Interesting Facts

• Born: August 23, 1849, Gloucester, United Kingdom

• Daughter inspired Wendy's character in Peter Pan after she passed away

• Died July 11, 1903 at the age 53 from falling from a railway car

• He was also a very well known editor

• Diagnosed with bone tuberculosis at age 12

• Had left leg under the knee amputated when he was a teenager due to disease

William Ernest Henley Biography

• Unable to attend Oxford due to funds and illness

@InterestingLit. "Five Fascinating Facts about William Ernest Henley." Interesting Literature. N.p., 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.

"William Ernest Henley - William Ernest Henley Biography - Poem Hunter." Poemhunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.

Mason Bockoven

Diniejko, Andrzej, Dr. "William Ernest Henley: A Biographical Sketch." N.p., 19 July 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.

Diniejko, Andrzej, Dr. "William Ernest Henley: A Biographical Sketch." N.p., 19 July 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.

Reviews from online readers

• "Enjoy the moment -

For in just a nano-second,

It is but a memory."

• "Oh, how we wish we could write like this man! ! ! ! His verses flow off the tongue but sink deep into the heart."

My reaction to O Gather Me The Rose

• Do not take for granted the time you have been given

• Good times do not last forever

• "A romantic, old-fashioned work.

Not the way I write, but one I admire nonetheless...

Thanks for sharing it today!"

• Live this life to the fullest, seizing every opportunity presented to you

O Gather Me The Rose

• "Gorgeous piece of writing......."

• The best moments in life have a peak and a downfall, but they all make the best memories

William Ernest Henley - Poem Hunter. "O Gather Me The Rose Poem." Poemhunter.com. N.p., 3 Jan. 2003. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

O gather me the rose, the rose,

While yet in flower we find it,

For summer smiles, but summer goes,

And winter waits behind it.

For with the dream foregone, foregone,

The deed foreborn forever,

The worm Regret will canker on,

And time will turn him never.

So were it well to love, my love,

And cheat of any laughter

The fate beneath us, and above,

The dark before and after.

The myrtle and the rose, the rose,

The sunshine and the swallow,

The dream that comes, the wish that goes

The memories that follow!

William Ernest Henley - Poem Hunter. "O Gather Me The Rose Poem." Poemhunter.com. N.p., 3 Jan. 2003. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

Bibliography

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/william_ernest_henley.html

"William Ernest Henley Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

http://www.poemhunter.com/william-ernest-henley/

William Ernest Henley Poems - Poem Hunter." Poemhunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/william-ernest-henley

"William Ernest Henley." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/henley/introduction.html

Diniejko, Andrzej, Dr. "William Ernest Henley: A Biographical Sketch." N.p., 19 July 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.

http://davisenglish9.blogspot.com/2009/10/invictus-poem-by-william-ernest-henley.html

"Davis English 9." Davis English 9. N.p., 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 05 Oct. 2016.

https://interestingliterature.com/2015/08/23/five-fascinating-facts-about-william-ernest-henley/

@InterestingLit. "Five Fascinating Facts about William Ernest Henley." Interesting Literature. N.p., 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.