Invictus and Morgan Freeman

My favorite poem I have ever read is Invictus by William Ernest Henley. Back in the winter of 2009 I was involved in a local rugby club. I loved the sport because of its intensity and challenging nature. It became a daily thing for my friends and I to go to rugby practice. We we would play colleges and other clubs on the weekends. It was a big part of my life. One day as I was studying I saw the trailer for a movie called Invictus based on the story of how Nelson Mandela used rugby to unify his new nation. Of course my friends and I were super excited to see this movie because of our connection to rugby. But I took away something far greater after the movie. Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned for most of his life because of his race. Later he was elected President of South Africa when his party took control of the State. This man had the power to do oppress the whites as they did to his people. Instead he chose to forgive them. The film was about more than just rugby. It was about overcoming our circumstances in life. It was about controlling our fate. The following clip is a recitation of the poem by Morgan Freeman in the film:

This movie illustrates for me how poetry can be effectively transmitted to new audiences through media in our modern day world. After watching the film I decided to put the poem up in my room where I could see it and I have kept it up in all of my apartments since.