Invictus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Invictus - Essay Example The feeling that this is a real person overcoming real problems lends â€Å"Invictus† great emotive power. The second theme is that of opposition. The author establishes this in the opening lines of the poem where we read, â€Å"Out of the night that covers me/Black as the Pit from pole to pole,† (1-2). No source of this darkness that covers the author is ever identified. The third theme introduced in the first stanza is that of the â€Å"unconquerable soul† (4). This theme recurs at the end of each four line stanza as a beacon of hope for the reader of the poem, and perhaps it did for the author as well when he wrote it. Each stanza following the first returns to these three important themes. Henley stays firmly in the first-person throughout the poem. But the themes of opposition and triumph over that opposition are nuanced and expounded upon in the final three stanzas. The author alludes to the, â€Å"fell clutch of circumstance† (5) at the beginning of the second stanza. This adds emotional weight to the opposition mentioned at the beginning of the poem by suggesting that the adverse situation the author finds himself in is not of his own doing. Chance has intervened in his life in the most horrible way. By clearing the subject of the poem from wrongdoing or negligence, the reader of the poem is enticed to have greater empathy for the subject. Everyone can relate to having bad things happen in their lives that were beyond their control. This acquittal from fault for the subject of the poem also enhances the achievements the unconquerable soul. Overcoming and defying despair in the face of obstacles you have created for yourself is expected behavior for a mature, well-adjusted member of society. The admirable behavior is recognized when one defies the misfortune life hands to you that are not of your own

Things i dont like Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Things i dont like - Essay Example The dislike of presenting, as far as I can tell from my particular perspective, is rooted in a fear of public speaking. Since this issue is commonly discussed in school, I had expected it to be well covered in literature. This was a correct assumption, but an initial glance at the research and theories of this condition presented a bit of a shock. For some reason, I hadnt considered that the problem might be linked to an anxiety disorder. To make it clear, I was well aware that I felt extremely anxious about presentations, but I did not ever think of it as a health concern. However, it does cause me distress and sometimes impedes my regular life, so an official assessment might tell a different story. This revelation strengthened my resolve, and gave meaning to the new goal of reducing my anxiety in public speaking situations. The next logical step in the process was to determine the factors that underlie the anxious response. A 2010 study (Nelson 282) suggests that biased processing in the brain is associated with anxiety disorders. Their study found that someone with public speaking anxiety is more likely to overestimate the risk of negative social interactions in both frequency and impact. This makes sense from an outside perspective, but I still feel stubborn to admit any exaggeration on my part. This is the kind of information I will need to become more open to, so that I may benefit in the future. Public speaking and presentations are a part of life for students, and so I can only make it easier on myself by letting my guard down and addressing these potential biases in my own cognitive processing. This assignment was to address multiple objects of distain in my life, and it turns out that public speaking anxiety is the perfect segue to the second item I had intended to address . I hate embarrassing situations. In fact, I now understand that the fear of being publically embarrassed is probably the root