Amelia Barr HU 142 Prof. Jenna March 10, 2024. How Precious is Life? How precious is life? Does this depend on what is happening around us, or is it determined by us? Some may argue that life is meaningful, and others might argue otherwise. Some pieces of literature depict this theme in unique ways. In Do not go into that good night, by Dylan Thomas, he describes death as a good night and to stay away from it. He is saying to defy death and depicts it as light. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randell Jarrell is a short poem about the life of a ball turret gunner. It alludes to their life being replaceable and insignificant. These stories are easy to interpret in one way, but can also be seen in a different light. Both of these poems …show more content…
He writes “Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words have forked no lightning they do not go gentle into that good night.” (Thomas lines 4-6) This is depicting the path of many philosophers and those that wanted to be one. The words people write can either be passed down for generations or vanish completely. In this case, Thomas is saying that these men have left no imprint on the life after their death and fought it because of so. Our words have significance in this universe, which inherently makes what we say precious. Another example from this poem says, “Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” (Thomas lines 7-9) Not only does this tell us that our deeds leave something behind when we depart from this life, it also tells us that when our time comes we will have wished we had done more. These men are reacting to death with rage because they wanted their deeds to have an effect on people and generations after them. This shows us that our actions are precious to others and can have an effect. Thomas wrote these six lines that prove the