QUEZON MEMORIAL ACADEMY

Progreso St., Poblacion West, Umingan, Pangasinan

GRADE 9
WEEK 1 (4TH QUARTER)
ENGLISH
I. TITLE
LESSON 11: REFLECTIONS OF LITE DECISIONS IN POEMS
II. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
Analyze poems as a way of connecting to the world, focusing on the use of critical thinking or decision
making;
Describe the distinguishing features of poems;
Explain the literary and sensory devices used in poems:
Explain how a poem may be influenced by culture, environment, or life experiences of a poet.

III. ANTICIPATORY GUIDE

Have you heard about the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) and his poem,
"Invictus"? At the age of 12, Henley suffered from tubercular infection which progressed to his foot a few years
later. His doctor suggested amputating below his knee to save his life at the age of 25. He had to undergo a similar
operation on his other leg. He hired Dr. Joseph Lister who was able to save Henley's leg through the use of
antiseptic medicine. In the hospital, he wrote the poem, "Invictus" in 1875. Although Henley was handicapped, he
led an active life and died at the age of 53.
Another prominent American poet is Robert Frost. He spent his first 40 years as an ordinary man. He
became known by many after he returned from England at the beginning of WWI. He won four Pulitzer Prizes. He
was also a special guest at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. He became the United States poet worthy of great
honor and distinction. He died on January 29, 1963 because of complications from a prostrate surgery.

IV. LESSON CONTENT

Read "Invictus," a short Victorian poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903).
What ideas do you have in mind about the poet as you read the few lines taken from the poem? What might be
Henley's ideas about how a man meets his fate or destiny? Read his poem, "Invictus" and find out how he viewed
his fate or destiny. Afterwards, read also the famous poem written by Robert Frost – “The Road not Taken.”
Poem 1 “Invictus” Poem 2 “The Road Not Taken”
William Ernest Henley Robert Frost

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from 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 aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place 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.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,’
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

V. ASSESMENT/EVALUATION
After reading the two poems, answer the following process questions in order for you to understand their
underlying meaning.
 Poem 1 “Invictus”
William Ernest Henley
1. What words in the poem suggest independence of spirit?
2. In the last stanza, what is the poet referring to as "the gate" and the "scroll"?
3. Explain the suggestion contained in the last two lines. What do the words "master" and "captain" mean or
connote?
4. Given the same conditions that the poet is describing in the poem, would you adopt the same attitude? Why?
Explain your answer.

Poem 2 “The Road Not Taken”

Robert Frost
1. Who is the speaker in the poem?
2. What did he find?
3. How many roads that diverged did he find? How would you describe each road?
4. Which one did the speaker take and how did he arrive at the decision regarding which road he would take? What
is the consequence of the speaker's decision?

VI. ASSIGNMENT
As you analyze the poems further, write about each of the following aspects that contribute to the meaning of
the poem:

“Invictus” “The Road not Taken”

By Robert Henley By Robert Frost

1. Poets purpose in writing the

poem?

2. Tone of the poem (happy, sad,

triumphant)

3. Techniques used by the poet to

bring out the theme of the poem

Prepared by:
JOCHELLE C. FERNANDEZ
MARIEDEN T. RIMANDO
(Subject Teachers)