If Themes

You could summarize this poem in one word by just saying "stoicism." That's sto-i-ciz-um. Stoicism was originally a philosophical movement that taught that true sages did not experience emotions li...

Have you ever the heard the term "boy's club"? Yeah, well, this is a boy's poem. No women are in here—anywhere. Not a single one. This is a poem about manhood, about how to become and act like a...

This poem isn't just how about how to be a stoic, about how to handle misfortune. It is also about misfortune itself, about defeat. Just think about all the different kinds of loss mentioned in thi...

In a poem that was inspired by a major political event (the Jameson Raid, an attempt to colonize South Africa further) you'd think there would be more politics in there. Despite the fact that there...