Do+Not+Go+Gentle+into+That+Good+Night

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Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
 * Full Text** (p894#286)

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.

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.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Last words: “I’ve had eighteen straight whiskies—I think that’s the record.” Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet (who wrote exclusively in English) who was born in 1914 and died in 1953. He was famous for his deeply emotional, lyricist poetry, which differed from his contemporaries who were more interested in social and intellectual issues. He was also well-known for his boisterous lifestyle and heavy alcohol abuse. During the 1940s, he manned an anti-aircraft gun during the London Blitz. On his poetry reading tours in America (starting in 1950), he became quite (in)famous for his highly theatric, very emotional readings, along with his perpetual drunkenness and argumentative personality. On his fourth tour, he drank more than his fill at the White Horse Tavern, collapsed (perhaps due to illness and medical neglect), and died at the age of 39. At the time of writing this poem, his father was in declining health and would die shortly after. See also: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transformation) by Richard Strauss Works Cited Academy of American Poets. "Dylan Thomas." //Poets.org//. Academy of American Poets, 17 Aug. 2016. Web. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night Analysis." //Shmoop//. Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.
 * About Dylan Thomas**
 * TIME**
 * Theme:** A Byzantine province.
 * The poem is largely about confronting death, but the repeated message "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" indicates that the author does not find it agreeable to simply die, but to struggle against it, even if "dark is right".
 * By enumerating different types of people ("wise men", "Good men", "Wild men", "Grave men"), the poet describes for each how death is grave and unfortunate.
 * The poem specifically addresses the dying of the speaker's father, who the speaker wills to hold on and fight for life.
 * Imagery:** Photoshop and a camera.
 * Old age is personified to "burn and rave"
 * The "dying of the light" is symbolic of death
 * Images like "their words had forked no lightning", "Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay", "caught and sang the sun in flight", "Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay"
 * Copious Simile and Metaphor
 * Meter:** About 3 feet
 * ABA ryme scheme (ABAA for the last stanza)
 * Iambic Pentameter
 * 3 tercets and a quatrain
 * Villanelle style (originally french) creates intensity and urgency.
 * Reprise emphasizes the message of trying to fight against death.
 * Emotion:** That thing that humans are always going on about
 * The poem ridicules equally the wise and the foolish, the careful and the carefree.
 * It evokes a foreboding, morbid mood.
 * The tone is incistent, but implies an admittence of the reality of death.