7/28/2019 RufInvic

1/3

Fred Wang

Marston

Modern World History P45th June 2013

The Impact ofInvictus

Not many can admit to spending 27 years of their life in prison for doing what was right,

but such is the story of former South African president Nelson Mandela. As an anti-apartheid

revolutionary, he was arrested for his fight against racial discrimination and proceeded to spend

the next three decades of his life in captivity. Following his release from incarceration, Mandela

cited William Ernest Henleys Victorian poem Invictus, meaning unconquerable, as

something that guided him through his years of imprisonment; its message of self-mastery and

perseverance empowered him and became the fundamental thesis of his future political career.

Thus, although Invictus did not directly affect the social landscape of South Africa, its

galvanizing and cathartic effect on Nelson Mandela prompted the enactment of major social,

political, and athletic changes in South Africa.

Prior to Mandelas presidential selection, South Africa was predominantly a racist nation.

Throughout his life, Mandela attempted to end the legacy of apartheid in his country, resulting in

his winning of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, but was unable to properly address the issue until he

was elected as President of South Africa in 1994. His administrations primary focus was to

dismantle the inherent institutions of inequality in his country through the passing of progressive

pieces of legislation. Examples of Mandelas social impact include the abolishment of apartheid

as well as the first establishment of multi-racial elections in South Africa. Outside of his racial

impact on his country, he also drafted a new constitution and enacted various policies that

combatted poverty and human rights abuses, as well as expanded social services to citizens. His

impact was also felt after his presidency as his charity foundation, the Nelson Mandela

7/28/2019 RufInvic

2/3

Foundation, still focuses on combatting poverty and HIV/AIDS, two major detriments to the

South African society even today. Mandelas ability to address the pressing problems of racism,

poverty, and disease following his release unmistakably impacted on the social outlook and

landscape of South Africa.

Mandelas political achievements were fundamentally intertwined with his social impact

on South Africa; his accomplishments as president embodied his beliefs on how society should

be shaped. However, Mandelas impact was not solely confined to South Africa; he also held a

large role in international affairs. One such example was his involvement in the Pan Am Flight

103 bombing trial, where he acted as mediator between Libya and the United Kingdom.

Following his release from prison, Mandela became the President of the African National

Congress, a role that precluded the enactment of his anti-apartheid policies.

However, one of Mandelas greatest achievements transcends the realm of politics into

one that connected with a majority of the South African citizens: sports. Best portrayed in the

2009 Clint Eastwood film Invictus, Mandela used the sport of rugby to not only become

accepted by those who acclaimed his imprisonment, but also to unite a country on the brink of

civil war. The captain of the Springboks, South Africas national rugby team, during the time of

Mandelas presidency was Francois Pienaar, a man deemed as the big blonde son of apartheid;

he was a privileged white South African. However, when he first met Mandela, Pienaar was

assured that South Africa had finally found a leader. In the film, Mandela hands Pienaar the

poem Invictus, which is used as a beacon of inspiration for both Mandela as well as the entire

national team. Invictus injected confidence in Pienaar to lead the massively underwhelming

South African national rugby team to their first World Cup victory. The victory of South Africa

in the 1995 World Cup resulted in the ultimate acceptance of Mandela by white South Africans

7/28/2019 RufInvic

3/3

and finally, a sense of equality between both white South Africa as well as black South Africa.

Mandela utilized South Africas victory to unite the nation, and the poem Invictus roused the

Springboks to their miraculous tournament victory.

In retrospect, only one of the scenarios is directly impacted by the poem Invictus.

However, the political, social, and athletic contributions Nelson Mandela made to South Africa

were inherently correlated with the thesis ofInvictus: be the master of [your own] fate and be

the captain of [your own] soul (Henley 15-16). The poem inspired Mandela, during his

imprisonment, to dictate his own life and not allow others to choose how he would live.

Mandelas policies abided by this diction; he wanted to bring equality to his country and allow

all South Africans to become the masters of their own fate.