In the poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That
Good Night” I believe the author Dylan Thomas is trying to give the reader a
lesson in which to not take life for granted. The speaker is trying to say that
once you’re an old man you should try to resist death the most you can. The
only way to die, kicking and screaming for your life because you’re going to
lose it. The father of the speaker is dying and is going through these phases.
At the beginning of the poem the
speaker tells someone not to “go gentle into that good night”. The speaker is
using the word “night” as a metaphor for death. In line 2, he states “old age
should burn and rave at close of day” by this he means that the sunset could be
the approach of someone’s death. The speaker believes old men should “burn and
rave” when it comes to them dying and not just die peacefully.
In stanza 2, the speaker says “Though
wise men at their end know dark is right” by this he meant that men know when
they are about to die. In line 6 he is trying to say that when people die
sometimes they didn’t achieve their goals in life. In the 3rd stanza,
lines 7-9 are trying to explain how these men are shouting how good they would’ve
became if they were allowed to live longer. The bay the speaker states is green
because of the plants, seaweed, algae in it. The speaker states how the men would
have had a potential future but they have to die as “frail deeds”.
In stanza 4, the speaker labels these men as “wild men”. These “wild men” were men who didn’t take in death peacefully. “They caught and sang the flight” which would mean that their life was going past them so fast they couldn’t tell. When they think everything is alright it really wasn’t life was just ending for them. In stanza 5, Thomas mentions another type of men “grave men”. These men could either mean that they are serious or dying. These men even though they are weak because of their blind eyes are trying to rage against death. They are trying to put a fight.
In stanza 4, the speaker labels these men as “wild men”. These “wild men” were men who didn’t take in death peacefully. “They caught and sang the flight” which would mean that their life was going past them so fast they couldn’t tell. When they think everything is alright it really wasn’t life was just ending for them. In stanza 5, Thomas mentions another type of men “grave men”. These men could either mean that they are serious or dying. These men even though they are weak because of their blind eyes are trying to rage against death. They are trying to put a fight.
In the last stanza, 6, the speaker
mentions his dying father. The speaker tells his father to try and stop his
death. He begs him to cry. The death of the father is heartbreaking but if the
father fights his death he would be labeled as heroic. The speaker tells his
father not to submit to death and to instead fight it the most he can. He has
to put up with death.
In conclusion, there are four
different types of men when it comes to death. There are wise men who know when
their time to die has come. Good men who wish they would of accomplished many
more things in life. Wild men, who put up a fight when there about to die and
trying to go out with a bang. Finally, grove men, these men are basically the
heroes. They try to survive even though they know they are weak. The lesson
learned in this poem is never take death as a joke and always fight for your
life because you only have one.
Works Cited
http://www.shmoop.com/do-not-go-gentle-into-that-good-night/