Although Dylan Thomas in “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” and Emily Dickinson in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” both talk about the similar issue of death, they are able to talk about different aspects of it with the same idea using unique poetic writing styles. For instance, Emily Dickinson uses irony in her poem by relating to the serious topic of death with a soft tone, treating it as a journey of life. Also, in “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” the speaker gives the reader a tone of urgency and demand, where even with anger and rage towards death everyone will all end with it no matter the situation because that is life. This paper aims to compare two poems with examples that will reveal their similarities and differences within the themes.
Dylan Thomas and Catherine Davis use two different styles of tone to explain the subject of death. In “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas uses negative words but the positive diction that is used is in a negative sense creating a greater pessimistic tone. For instance, a repeating line in this Villanelle says “Do not go gentle into the goodnight” (Dylan 1). Dylan uses the positive phrase goodnight to represent death, a negative theme. The diction in “After a Time” by Catherine Davis differs from Dylan Thomas’s use in which is it negative throughout.
Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” and Ben Johnson’s “On My First Son” are both poems that discuss death and the various emotions associated with grief. “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” depicts the young speaker’s anger, denial, and urgent resistance to his father’s imminent death, whereas “On My First Son” describes the speaker’s solemn acceptance of his son’s death. Taken together, these two poems generate a commentary on the loss of a loved one. Specifically, through form, meter, tone, and general content, “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” and “On My First Son” depict the trajectory of grief and describe the differences in one’s reaction to death as a product of maturity.
Between these three works, there are some similarities that all relate to one common theme. Each work’s theme is slightly different, but for the most part, they all relate to a theme along the lines of “Don’t go down with unfinished business.” In the poem, Don’t Go Gentle Into That Good Night, a theme is “Don’t go down without a fight.” As a general statement, the poem conveys fighting back, as if the people in the poem were under persecution, and they needed to fight back in order to live. The video clip has about the exact same theme because the characters in the clip are also facing persecution, and they will most certainly be wiped out if they do not fight back with all their might.
“Do not go Gentle into that Good Night” tells of a son near his father’s death bed. The poem shows the raw power of emotion presented by Thomas. The poem is written to address his father dying, and encouraging him to cling to life. The third line of the poem, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light. ”(“Good Night” 3)
The poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas is a work of encouragement and motivation to keep the flame of life lighten. In an effort to keep his father alive, the author tells him to “Rage, Rage against the dying of the light”. Although death is inevitable, Thomas refuses to let it take over his aged father’s life. Over and over Thomas reminds his father to fight against the acceptance of death because his life is not complete without him. As a Certified Nursing Assistant, I have had the opportunity to experience how certain people reach a point in their lives where they feel defeated as if there’s no point in living anymore.
“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, is based on the point of view of a son, a son who loves his father and doesn’t want see him go into the “long” nap. This poem gives off a very emotional fight against death, trying to save his father, the author is telling him to not be settle, to not give up or even lose hope, the not even death can take that away from you. “Do not go Gentle into That Good Night” is just a cry from a boy that loves his father. The Quote “Do Not go gentle into that Good Night” is seen multiple times all over the poem, yet each time it’s presented, its meaning changes.
"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" urges us to resist mortality until our last breath. It is an interesting poem to read because the title is very misleading from what the poem actually wants to say. He has this negative look on socializing, and hopes to not take part in. However the poem's structure has a tension about it that compliments its literal message. By repeating the word rage throughout the poem, it draws all the attention away from the end of the line and puts the spotlight on the struggle rather than the defeat.
Death can be a destructive obstacle in our lifetimes. Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” discusses the theme of death. It also depicts how the poem shows the theme of family. The two of these themes come together in the poem to exhibit how death in the family affects people in the family. The theme of death in the poem is shown through the reiteration of the line "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Poetry Paper The poems “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas, and “ A Time for Everything” have similar themes that tells the same story. The poem by Dylan Thomas tells a story about four different kind of men: Wise, good,wild,grave. The poem “A Time for Everything” tells that there is always a time for everything before death.
In the poem “Do not go gentle into that good night,” the poet uses a metaphor to compare death as “night” and “dying of the light.” Dylan Thomas repeats the lines “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” in each stanza to emphasize that all men should not accept death, but fight it until their last breath. He describes four types of dying men before addressing his father. First, he states that intelligent men that know death is near and have not had any impact on society still fight to live: “though wise men at their end know dark is right, / Because their words had forked no lightning they / do not go gentle into the good night.” (Lines 4-6).
“Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night” is a poem written by Dylan Thomas at the time when his father was at the brink of death. The piece is actually a villanelle where it consist of six stanzas, each with three lines except for the sixth stanza which has four lines. The rhymes on the first until fifth stanzas are aba, aba, aba, aba, aba. While, abaa is the rhyme for the last quatrain stanza. Thomas died a few months after his father, it is believed that this poem was written by him especially for his father.
Thomas fought against the dying light, he raged at the fact that god wanted him and all others who fallen so soon. When Thomas wrote this poem I don’t think he meant to be but it’s ironic because he died a year later. Besides irony Thomas also used repetition and rhyme to get his point made. My idea that I got from, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” is that if you’re dying don’t just accepted it, fight it.
Most people do not easily cope with death, especially the death of a loved one. Whether they are religious or not, people who have lost a loved one usually feel a great deal of pain and grief. So, it is only natural for people to have a fear, or maybe even a hatred of death and to try to prevent losing their loved ones in any way they can. In “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the speaker is trying to encourage another to fight back against death. They say, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Thomas 879).
As humans we may not appreciate life simply because it is not what we expected or wanted for ourselves. While appreciating life you must also appreciate what you have in life, every moment good, bad, small, large, easy, or hard. No two lives are the same every moment causes different feelings for each person involved. In the poems Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas, Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, and Preludes by T.S. Eliot all show different ways on how to appreciate life. Thomas and E. Browning talk about the preciousness of life and what you have received in life good or bad.
