Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas
I. Meaning of the Poem-- Purpose and the Poet’s Background
-helplessness associated with growing old and inching toward death
-Dylan Thomas’ message to his old father who had had been a robust, militant man most of his life but became blind and weak in his eighties. Thomas is rousing his father to continue being the fierce man he had previously been, not “soft” and “gentle.”
II. Breaking Down the Poem-- Purpose of Each Stanza
-Can be broken down into three parts:
an introduction to the speaker’s message: 1st Stanza: “Don’t give up easily.” The second line offers Thomas’ belief that even when old and infirm, the man should stay energetic.
Four stanzas that offer examples of what he is expressing: 2~5th Stanza: Trying to persuade his father to stay strong. Much more personal (ex. “rage against the dying of the light”)
Tone becomes far more personal as the speaker talks about his father: 6th Stanza: The speaker addresses his father. Paraphrased, “And so my father you are nearing death—yell at me, scream at me, cry out; to see you do that would be a blessing for me and I beg you to show me that militant man you once were: “Do not go gentle . . . . ”
III. Literary Devices
-Villanelle
-irony: dying person to rage
-symbols & imagery: “day” and “light” for life and death
-metonymy, oxymoron, simile, personification, metaphor
IV. Breaking Down by Each Line
-Line 1~3: introduction of theme, opposite words used
-Line 4: describe four different types of old men-- first, “wise men”
-Line 5~6: why wise men are unable to act in accordance with their knowledge
-Line 7~8: “good man”’s actions failed to stand out. rhyme and alliteration used
-Line 9: nature of good men
-Line 10~12: wild men
-Line 13: “grave” and death
-Line 14~15: reference to his father- “blindness”
-Line 16~17: biblical imagery & again addresses his father
-Line 18~19: personal message and request from Thomas to his father to stay strong
V. Conclusion
-Reemphasis of the poem’s meaning and its significance
I'M NOT DOING THIS ONE ANYMORE!!:)
Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas
I. Meaning of the Poem-- Purpose and the Poet’s Background
-helplessness associated with growing old and inching toward death
-Dylan Thomas’ message to his old father who had had been a robust, militant man most of his life but became blind and weak in his eighties. Thomas is rousing his father to continue being the fierce man he had previously been, not “soft” and “gentle.”
II. Breaking Down the Poem-- Purpose of Each Stanza
-Can be broken down into three parts:
an introduction to the speaker’s message: 1st Stanza: “Don’t give up easily.” The second line offers Thomas’ belief that even when old and infirm, the man should stay energetic.
Four stanzas that offer examples of what he is expressing: 2~5th Stanza: Trying to persuade his father to stay strong. Much more personal (ex. “rage against the dying of the light”)
Tone becomes far more personal as the speaker talks about his father: 6th Stanza: The speaker addresses his father. Paraphrased, “And so my father you are nearing death—yell at me, scream at me, cry out; to see you do that would be a blessing for me and I beg you to show me that militant man you once were: “Do not go gentle . . . . ”
III. Literary Devices
-Villanelle
-irony: dying person to rage
-symbols & imagery: “day” and “light” for life and death
-metonymy, oxymoron, simile, personification, metaphor
IV. Breaking Down by Each Line
-Line 1~3: introduction of theme, opposite words used
-Line 4: describe four different types of old men-- first, “wise men”
-Line 5~6: why wise men are unable to act in accordance with their knowledge
-Line 7~8: “good man”’s actions failed to stand out. rhyme and alliteration used
-Line 9: nature of good men
-Line 10~12: wild men
-Line 13: “grave” and death
-Line 14~15: reference to his father- “blindness”
-Line 16~17: biblical imagery & again addresses his father
-Line 18~19: personal message and request from Thomas to his father to stay strong
V. Conclusion
-Reemphasis of the poem’s meaning and its significance