Let’s have Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night Analysis: Subject Matter, Themes and Poetic Devices
Are you still searching for Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night analysis that is straight to the point? Then you’ve just found it. This analysis of Do Not Go into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas will give you its meaning as well as key points you must have to be able to give an acceptable answer to any question on the poem.
It is likely that you’re looking for points to answer essay or objective Literature test questions on Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night. If this is so, then you’ve come to the right place. Just relax while I give you an in depth analysis of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.
Note that this poetic analysis is good for both high school students and university undergraduates who are studying this poem as part of their English Literature course.
See below the main parts of this study guide on Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.
Main Sections of the Analysis
- The setting of the poem
- The Gist of the Poem
- Structure
- Subject matter and meaning of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night
- Themes
- Poetic Devices in Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night
FULL TEXT OF DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
Setting
Let’s begin this analysis of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night with a statement on the setting of the poem
The place where the event in Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night happens is the death bed of the poet’s father. It is obvious that the poet is at the death bed of his once father as he weakly succumbs to the cold might of death.
The atmosphere is understandably one of pain and sorrow as these two are soon to part ways forever. There crying and a feeling of helplessness as is normally the case in this inevitable moment in every living human’s life.
The Gist of the Poem
Next, I want to give you just a brief meaning of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night. This should then prepare us to better understand the deeper analysis of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night which will follow soon.
So here we go.
Dylan Thomas’s poem, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night is about a son’s desperate pleas to his dying father to refuse to submit meekly to death.
He gives the dying old man instances where varying types of men have fought death vigorously, with all there is in them, before being overcome by the grim reaper.
To the poet, the spectacle of seeing his father so weak and so helpless at the point of death is unacceptable. He wants him to fight even in his last moments so that he can depart from this life with dignity rather than ignominy.
In essence, the poet is calling upon his dying father to wrestle with death before it does its worst.
That is all.
Now that you know the gist of the poem, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night, shall we then move on to a more detailed discussion of its subject matter.
Subject Matter of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night
For your easy understanding, I will break this up into the following three simplified segments. These basically sum up the overall structure of the poem. In other words, Dylan Thomas’s poem, Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night is a three-part poem.
Part One- Opening Statement
Part Two – The Poet’s Argument
Part Three – Closing Remarks or Clincher Argument
Note that part one consists of the first stanza while part three is also about what is contained in the sixth stanza. Stanza 6 happens to be the last stanza.
Then what of part two? Well, this is the bigger body of the poem, if you like. It starts from the second stanza and ends with the fifth stanza.
Now, without wasting any more time, let’s dig into the subject matter of Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night.
Part One: Stanza 1
The poet begins by urging his very weak old father to fight death with all his might. He acknowledges the inevitability of death especially for an old man like his father. But he insists that even old age should be able to face death boldly and fight it with vigour and intensity
“Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
Part Two: Stanzas 2, 3, 4 and 5
This part contains the next four stanzas. Stanzas 2, 3 ,4 and 5. It is in this part that we hear the persona make his argument to support his assertion that his dying old man must not allow death to subdue him easily.
To make his point, the poet’s persona refers to four different types of people in the world who, given their peculiar circumstances, have always refused to be gentle with death when it knocks at the door.
These are the wise men, good men, wild men and the grave men.
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Stanza 2 – Wise Men
Wise men constitute the first example of people who refuse to “go gentle into that good night” called death. These men are aware of the fact that death is the natural end to all life. In fact, the wise men are conscious of the fact that even their great deeds cannot prevent them from dying.
But, all the same, they do not accept death easily. They keep fighting it. Because their fighting spirit is the only chance they have to make a way so as to be able to achieve more before they eventually die
Stanza 3 – Good Men
Secondly, the good men of this world also know very well that their good deeds which should have saved them, count for nothing in the face of death.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Death is inevitable even for good people. But they never allow this fact of life to cow them into meek submission when death comes knocking. They, too, rage against death, fighting it up till the moment they breathe their very last.
Stanza 4 – Wild Men
The third example the poet gives to support his argument that his father must not “go gentle into that good night” is that of wild men. These, generally, are irresponsible men who fail to take a proper account of their days. They live wildly, acting in ways that make them appear to feel alive.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
But, sadly, they discover too late that their lives have been filled with nothing but grief.
However, this painful discovery does not stop them from fighting death when it finally comes. They, also, “rage” and “rave” against death.
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Stanza 5 – Grave Men
The fourth, and last, instance of men who do not accept death without a fight are “Grave men”. This refers to men who are extremely close to dying. The almost complete control death has on their sense of sight is unmistakable. But this blinding effect of death over them in their last moments does not make them go blindly into death. Rather, they are able to fight on with whatever vitality that still remains inside them.
“Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay”
Part Three – Stanza 6
This is the part where the poet draws his argument to a close. He believes he has given enough examples to convince and inspire his dying father to change his rather meek attitude to imminent death.
So he turns to face the old man squarely, pleading with him to offer him a parting moment he can be proud of as his son. Whether it is a curse or a blessing, he urges the dying man to spice it with a vigorous fight against death. If all those types of men can, so can he.
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.
We are through with the subject matter of Do Not Go Gentle into that Night by Dylan Thomas.
It is now time for us to go a step further in our analysis of Do Not Go Gentle into that Night.
Let’s continue with the themes in the poem. Please, click the NEXT PAGE button below to view the continuation of this analysis.
Themes
What are the themes in Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night? The following are the major themes in the poem.
- Theme of Death: The poet explores the inevitabilty of death and the effects it has on both the dying and loved ones. There is a tacit acceptance of death by the persona. But at the same time, he believes we should not allow death to subdue us without a fight.
- The Theme of Grief: Death brings with it an expression of the emotion of grief or sadness.
- The Theme of Old Age: Old age, to the poet, is the principal cause of death in all humans. It is a point of weakness against the powerful hands of death.
- Theme of Struggle: The poet’s message is that struggle or resistance is a necessary aspect of life. It is the only way to survival of the human species. So the enemies of man such as death need to be confronted with all there is in us.
For a detailed analysis of the major themes of Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, click the link below.
Top 8 Themes of Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
Poetic Devices
Here is a list of the poetic devices in Dylan Thomas’s poem, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.
- Apostrophe. Example: And you, my father there on the sad height
- Metaphor. Example: Old age should burn, rage at the close of day.
- Rhyme. Example: night/light; they/day
- Simile. Example: blaze like meteors
- Repetition. Example: rage, dying
- Contrast. Example: day/night; dark/light
Detailed Analysis of Poetic Devices
Look out for a more extensive analysis of the poetic devices in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night. It is coming soon.
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