“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” was written by Dylan Thomas in 1952. The poem is a message to Thomas’s father as he neared his death. Thomas’s poem is a hopeful refusal of the inevitable “good night,” which is his image of death.
Dylan Thomas is a Welsh poet born in Swansea in October 27, 1914. His father, David John Thomas, was a grammar teacher in Wales. David Thomas had accumulated a large library of books and contemporary poetry that Thomas had access to. In 1925, Thomas was a student of the grammar school in Swansea, but in 1931 he left school to work at the local newspaper. In 1933, he left his job in news and became a full time poet. During this time, his personality blossomed and he developed an unfortunate drinking habit. His …show more content…
First, are wise men. Wise men “know dark is right,” in other words they accept that death is natural and should happen. However “because their words forked no lightning,” their lives and works are not completed, thus they cannot heed their own inkling and accept death. Next, are good men. These men are mostly average and have not stood out in life, they are afraid to end life without fulfilling it. Then, are wild men. Wild men lived life full and joyously, not seeing death creep upon them. Last, are grave men. These are the men who are closest to death, although they have blind eyes, they “blaze like meteors” and “see with blinding sight.” Meaning, they understand life more than any other type of man (52). In the last stanza, Thomas directly addresses his father. He acknowledges how close his father is to dying, and entreats him to resist it (53).
Dylan Thomas’s poems contrast from other British or Welsh poets of the twentieth century who wrote about the times. Thomas generally wrote from personal perspective about his beliefs and experiences. This is evident in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” a highly personal poem based on the events of Thomas’s life. Having lived through World War II, Thomas is part of a generation of writers and poets that begin to understand the setbacks of war and destruction. Although Thomas rarely wrote of the war (55). This …show more content…
Both the poem and the story share similar themes of death and its inevitability. In Shakespeare’s King Lear, in a scene of desperation, the character Gloucester finds himself on a cliffside contemplating his own death. This is similar to Thomas’s description of death as a “sad height.” This sad height could be an image of the isolation of death. As well as the idea of the final point of achievement reached in life. Thomas also builds personas for himself and his poetic speakers. Thomas builds a persona around the rage of his speaker. The speaker is following an idea of rage, this could be to disguise his feelings of sadness and despair. Thomas is in a struggle between his desire for his father to live and his understanding that his father must die. This is similar to King Lear, the character Edgar is in a similar struggle as he faces the reality of his father’s death
Dylan Thomas is a Welsh poet born in Swansea in October 27, 1914. His father, David John Thomas, was a grammar teacher in Wales. David Thomas had accumulated a large library of books and contemporary poetry that Thomas had access to. In 1925, Thomas was a student of the grammar school in Swansea, but in 1931 he left school to work at the local newspaper. In 1933, he left his job in news and became a full time poet. During this time, his personality blossomed and he developed an unfortunate drinking habit. His …show more content…
First, are wise men. Wise men “know dark is right,” in other words they accept that death is natural and should happen. However “because their words forked no lightning,” their lives and works are not completed, thus they cannot heed their own inkling and accept death. Next, are good men. These men are mostly average and have not stood out in life, they are afraid to end life without fulfilling it. Then, are wild men. Wild men lived life full and joyously, not seeing death creep upon them. Last, are grave men. These are the men who are closest to death, although they have blind eyes, they “blaze like meteors” and “see with blinding sight.” Meaning, they understand life more than any other type of man (52). In the last stanza, Thomas directly addresses his father. He acknowledges how close his father is to dying, and entreats him to resist it (53).
Dylan Thomas’s poems contrast from other British or Welsh poets of the twentieth century who wrote about the times. Thomas generally wrote from personal perspective about his beliefs and experiences. This is evident in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” a highly personal poem based on the events of Thomas’s life. Having lived through World War II, Thomas is part of a generation of writers and poets that begin to understand the setbacks of war and destruction. Although Thomas rarely wrote of the war (55). This …show more content…
Both the poem and the story share similar themes of death and its inevitability. In Shakespeare’s King Lear, in a scene of desperation, the character Gloucester finds himself on a cliffside contemplating his own death. This is similar to Thomas’s description of death as a “sad height.” This sad height could be an image of the isolation of death. As well as the idea of the final point of achievement reached in life. Thomas also builds personas for himself and his poetic speakers. Thomas builds a persona around the rage of his speaker. The speaker is following an idea of rage, this could be to disguise his feelings of sadness and despair. Thomas is in a struggle between his desire for his father to live and his understanding that his father must die. This is similar to King Lear, the character Edgar is in a similar struggle as he faces the reality of his father’s death