ra] OMe RCO UMC Ter a DYLAN THOMAS Do not go gentle into thar good night 1, 6,12, 18) Repetition conveys a sense of anger and reinforces this message burn and Fave\2) Old age is porsonifiod. Rage, rage against the dying.) Alteration throughout results in a song- like quality when read aloud words had forked no lightningys) The wise men may fel that they have not said or written things that have a dramatic impact, but they should not abandon hope of doing So. ‘Ayoung Dylan Thomas, Do not go gentle into that good night, (Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their Words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced is Rage, rage against the dying of the light. a green bay,Ua Ca MU flight 10) way) Right\12) Following fan ABA rhyme scheme gives the poem Wild men who caught and sang the sun in fight, 10 a very musical fee. And learn, to0 late, they grieved it on its Way, Do not go gentle into that good aight. Grave mien) 3) Notice the pun here: men who are serious and are going to Grave Heh, near death, who see with blinding sight the grave, Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 15 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. Co praia FORM This poem is a villanelle, a form that always has nineteen lines, with a fixed rhythm using iambic pentameter. There are five groups of three lines (tercets) with a final quatrain four lines ~ an extra line after the sixth tercet, which pun angus use of 8 wor Base rymes withthe previous line). The frst and third ines of the fst stanza are that has two meanings, o of words TERRES eS oa ne efi shel sop inee senate vec ‘meanings narrator a character that tells the story in Ties aa wea Ni The rhyme scheme of the first five stanzas is ABA, while the quatrain has a rhyme scheme of ABAA with the two refrains becoming a rhyming couplet as the last lines of the poem. Note that the rhyme pattem is based on the idea of alternating night and day. The fixed rhythm, rhyme scheme and use of refrains give the poem a song-like quality (the word ‘vilanelle’ derives from the Italian ‘word ‘vllanella’, which is a kind of song). CONTENT When Dylan Thomas's father was in his eighties, he became blind and weak. The reader can assume that the narrator of the poem ~ on this occasion ~ is the post himself, who is trying to persuade him to remain strong and fight against death, keeping an energetic hold on life. However, it is not clear until the final stanza that the poet is directly addressing his father and the reader may naturally assume that the poem is a more general address, with stanzas two to five beginning with references to a diferent group of people {wise men’, Good men’, ‘Wild men’, etc). Thomas uses ‘light’ and ‘dark’ to represent, respectively fe and death. Throughout the poem, his choice of ‘vocabulary links to this simple symbolism, with frequent use of words which are related to light (lightning, ‘sun, ‘blaze’. In every stanza, the poet uses an imperative - the two refrains (‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ and ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light’ - to command his father to fight death. Repetition of these lines makes them memorable and adds emphasis and gives the effect that they are a desperate plea. To make this even more evocative, Thomas uses violent, stressed, monosyllabic words ( forked’, ‘burn’, fierce’.ea] Cae UL es PS TTY ED ess cow uous AACR eRe Tee Work with a partner and select some key phrases from the poem, adding ‘them to the table. These may: | be taken from the repeated lines, analysing the effect of the repetition |B focus on features of Thomas's language and its effect in presenting his ‘advice’ to his dying father ® pick out the effect of words that seem to you striking or unusual and that convey Thomas's ideas about approaching death. eT ee saa ey “Blind eyes could blaze like This isa striking simile because normally you would meteors" not expect blind eyes to he fiery" in this way: ‘meteors’ suggest objects that have a really powerful impact, “thereon the sad height’ is fathers placed by Thomas ina high place, peshaps his deathbed, showing him being separated from the world ofthe living. Note that it isthe poet who i sad, noe the place where his fathers dying Cnc AHR SA ‘The main themes of the poem are the approach of death and the father-son. relationship; there are other poems in the collection that have clear thematic links to this. Some of the poet's emotions, for example, anger and defiance, may also suggest connections with other poems. You may feel that the attitude to death in Thomas's poem is very different from others in the collection. | some questions To consinn Sil aabaail > Why does the writer think that people should fight against the approach of death? Is it that he does not want to lose his father or are there other reasons for his attitude to life and death? > How do the different forms of imagery, including personification and metaphor, add to the presentation of the ideas in the poem? > In what ways do the very set form and structure of the poem contribute to its effect on the reader? (Think especially of rhyme, rhythm and use of repetition.) > Look carefully at the tone of the poem. How does this help your understanding of the poet's feelings? bite acl 1 Re-read ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ and ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’. Compare the presentation of a parent's death in ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That ED innovation . Support your answer with examples from the poems. (30 marks) INNOVATION How do the poets present death in ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ land one other poem in the Anthology? You should make reference to language, form and structure. ‘Support your answer with examples from the poems. (80 marks)