The movie/book, "Blindside", has a key scene where Michael is struggling with a term paper. he and his Dad get into a discussion aboutthe poem, "Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Oher ends up writing his paper on the meaning of that poem. This poem maybe Tennyson best known was one that I had to memorize in high school, all 55 lines. When I thought about this post, I simply went to my book shelves and grabbed the copy of "English Writers". That volume sets next to "American Writers". These to books were used by my brothers and handed down to me. They formed to base of my book collection and over the years have reviewed them many times. "The Charge" with its
Theirs is not to make reply,
Theirs is not to reason why,
Theirs is but to do and die.
Into the valley of death
rode the six hundred.
In a couple of weeks from now Clint Eastwood's new film, "Invictus" arrives. This movie is about how Mandella used the South African Rugby team to help unite the country torned by racial divide. The preview shows Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandella quote a line from William Ernest Henley's most famous work. This was another of my school favorites and it was shorter! It bears repeating although the preview only used the last two lines. As I read it again and think about Mandella's years in prison and then to become the leader of South Africa, I sounds as if it were written about him when in reality is was written in the late 1800's. Clint did good here.
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as a Pit form pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried alound.
Beneath the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this space of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
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.
I don't think the rappers can top that!
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