'Invictus' by William Ernest Henley

What is the best translation of 'Invictus'?

• Undefeated

• Conquerable

• Resilient

• In pain

Which description best fits the form of the poem?

• Four tercets of iambic pentameter.

• Four quatrains of iambic tetrameter with occasional variations.

• Free verse trochaic tetrameter

• Sonnet

What has this film got to do with the poem? (select 3 options)

• South Africa were undefeated in the 1995 World Cup

• Nelson Mandela recited this poem often during his captivity on Robben Island.

• Matt Damon's character led the South African rugby team to victory despite only having one foot.

• Nelson Mandela was undefeated in the 1994 presidential election.

• They were written about the same moment in history.

What effect does the use of alliteration have in stanza two? (select 2 options)

• To sound good.

• To associate key words with each other to reinforce the message of suffering.

• To make the reader want to read on.

• To add a sense of cohesion to the ideas presented.

What techniques are used in the final stanza? (select 2)

• Alliteration

• Personification

• Anaphora

• Onomatopoeia

• Internal rhyme

What marks out the poem as being especially Victorian in style? (3 elements)

• The employment of archaic biblical language.

• The use of rhyme and metre.

• The fact that he feels undefeated.

• The questioning of christian teaching.

• The number of stanzas.

Which of the following best describes a central theme of the text?

• Identity is important to building self- confidence

• Independence means refusing to follow anyone else's rules or laws

• Resilience is the ability to keep going and refuse to give up

• Sacrifice is necessary to make someone a hero

The author uses dark imagery throughout the poem. What could this "darkness" possibly symbolize?

• Love

• Contamination

• Suffering

• Objectives

What is the rhyme scheme?

• ABCC

• ABAB

• ABCB

• AABB

What is the meaning of the word 'bludgeonings' as it is used in the poem?

• a disease

• beatings

• to appear in a frightening form

• narrow, skinny