Summary and Analysis of 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night'

850 Words4 Pages
“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” Analysis The poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas is a poem about the cycle of life and death. The speaker of the poem is Dylan Thomas pleading to his very ill and dying father, who seems to have given up, to “rage against the dying of the light.” It sends out a strong and important message to embrace every single breath rather than accepting death quietly and to fight to the very last. Death is inevitable and therefore, one should live each moment as if it were their last. Thomas addresses four men: wise men, good men, wild men, and grave men. He requests that his father act like these four kinds of men. Though death is unavoidable, he believes fighting and not taking death gently will leave closure to what they will leave behind. Thomas conveys the theme to not give up, and though this is directed for his father, it can be applied to anybody close to death. Dylan Thomas was born on October 27, 1914 in Swansea. His father was an English Literature professor and would often read Shakespeare to Thomas before he could read. He was writing his own poetry by the age of eight. In 1934, he moved to London and got a job at the local newspaper. In 1937, Thomas stayed with his parents after his father had retired from teaching at a grammar school. His father, who was formerly in the army, grew weak with old age and in 1951, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” was written. The connection he had with his father is clearly shown in the last stanza: “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.” (16-19). He addresses the four men throughout the poem, but ends it by speaking of his father, which makes it very personal. Thomas claims that it would be a blessing for
Open Document