Blog Entry #8

Blog Entry #8


The poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" written by Dylan Thomas contains many symbols of life and death.  The line "Do not go gentle into that good night" located in line 1, 6, 12, and 18 symbolizes the narrators eagerness of not wanting someone to die.  The usage of the word night alludes to the thought of death, as well as "Do not go gentle" referring to fighting against death.  Also emphasized throughout the poem is the line "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" which symbolizes once again the narrator eagerly telling someone to fight for life, as light is used as a symbol for life.  Additionally throughout lines 7-13, the narrator symbolizes various types of men such as wise, good, wild, and grave which each portray intellects, caregivers, adrenaline junkies, and people who are already near death.  Though each find that it is a must to fight for the light which symbolizes life.  The poem's last stanza contains the line "And you, my father, there on the sad heights, curse, bless, me now with your fierce tear."  The narrator at this point clearly seems to speak direcrly to his father who is protrayed to be on the brink of death as symbolized in "sad height".  The narrator begs his father "To not go gentle into that good night.  Rage, rage against the dying of light" as to fight for youth, or a morning sunrise as did many before him.

The author Dylan Thomas has clearly themed this poem to be about life and death.  Additionally in www.newquay-westwales.co.uk/dylan-thomas mentions the death of Thomas' father a year after this poem was written; concluding that this poem was very much dedicated to Thomas' dying father.   Meaning this poem does not just portray the feelings of the narrator, but the author's true feelings of not wanting his father to die.