Invictus

1.

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

• A.

  Identity is important to building self-confidence.

• B.

  Independence means refusing to follow anyone else’s rules or laws.

• C.

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

• D.

  Sacrifice is necessary to make someone a hero

2.

How does the poem’s use of darkness in its imagery contribute to the text’s overall

meaning?

• A.

  The poem describes night covering the earth from “pole to pole” (line 2),

  suggesting that the speaker’s outlook on the world is very bleak and hopeless.

• B.

  The poem describes “night” (line 1) covering the speaker, symbolic of the

  adversity and/or suffering he faces.

• C.

  The poem describes “the Horror of the shade” (line 10), suggesting that the

  speaker’s hard times are only temporary.

• D.

  The poem describes a dark “place of wrath and tears” (line 9), implying that the

  speaker is overcome by his depression

3.

PART A: Given the context of the poem, what does the title word “Invictus” most likely

mean?

• A.

  Careless

• B.

  Lucky

• C.

  Unfortunate

• D.

  Undefeated

4.

PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?

• A.

  “I thank whatever gods may be / For my unconquerable soul.” (Lines 3-4)

• B.

  “In the fell clutch of circumstance / ....Under the bludgeonings of chance” (Lines

  5-7)

• C.

  “Beyond this place of wrath and tears / Looms but the Horror of the shade”

  (Lines 9-10)

• D.

  “It matters not how strait the gate, / How charged with punishments the scroll”

  (Lines 13-14)