Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas :: Poetry

"Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas is a poem about death. Dylan Thomas wrote this poem during the last illness of his father's life. The author creates an image of death with the use of the sons pleading words asking his father to fight against the darkness that is taking over and leading him into the afterlife. Dylan Thomas meticulously creates an image of death through the use of cunning words and by giving each word a deeper significance than its literal connotation. The author uses the image of death in every paragraph of the poem. It is one of despair and gloom. Dylan Thomas uses the words "night (1.1)" and "dark (2.1)" to describe the certain outcome of the father. Thomas declares "Rage, rage against the dying of the light (1.3)" to generate the feeling that death is unpleasant therefore forming a grim image for the reader. The author also uses numerous literal undertones throughout the poem to produce a melancholy attitude in the reader. He speaks of "wise men (2.1)", "good men (3.1)", "wild men (4.1)" and "grave men (5.1)" all coming to their death without any hope of life continuing thus encouraging the guarantee that everyone will come to their end. The literary element of tone is also present in this poem. Thomas sets the tone by conveying his anger about death by using grim words coming together to create a poem only nineteen lines long. Thomas also repeats "Rage, rage against the dying of the light (1.3)" and "Do not go gentle into that good night (1.1)" several times, communicating a dreadful tone to the reader. By using these strategically placed words and phrases, he forms a word-repeating pattern that is often found in the tone of anger.