Rage Against The Dying Of The Light example essay topic

Outline: Dylan Thomas-Do not go gentle into that good night Thesis: He pleads with him not just to surrender to death but also to fight death as long as possible. Paragraph two: A. 1-3 OLD MEN Paragraph three: A. 4-6 WISE MEN Paragraph four: A. 7-9 GOOD MEN Paragraph five: A. 13-15 WILD MEN Paragraph six: A. GRAVE MEN Paragraph seven: A. MY FATHER Paragraph eight: Conclusion Sarah Thompson English 104 P. Kavanagh April 1, 2003 In the poem Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night the author Dylan Thomas A son beseeches his elderly father to fight, rather than accept, death: "Do not go gentle into that good night". He gives examples of how "wise men,"good men,"wild men", and "grave men"rage against the dying of the light", and begs his father to do the same. Thomas advises his father, who has lived "gentle" all his life, to be bold and rebel against a quiet acceptance of death.

He pleads with him not just to surrender to death but also to fight death as long as possible. Thomas vividly portrays in his poem, why wise, good, carefree or serious men should struggle against death for the sake of it. 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. My understanding of this is that Thomas may have actually accepted the Christian concept of death, as that 'good night', yet refers to it not so much in sarcasm although as a dismissal. He also links death to the 'close of day', to 'the dying of the light' - so death is both a night and a darkness as opposed to the day and light of living - finally the use of 'burn and rave's ugg ests a fever or delirium - immediately showing you his father either in the grips of illness, but perhaps not 'raving' but quiet. 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.

Wise men know that nothingness awaits them after death; they do not die gently because they spoke the truth before death. Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night". does this suggest their words would not lighten their path into the dark of death? Or tongues and forked - suggesting that somehow they lie to themselves in their wisdom that "dark is right" and that this sheds no light, so they do not go gentle? Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, rage, rage against the dying of the light. Good men, who lived morally proper lives, fear that their deeds may not be good enough and so do not die gently. Good men they may have been, again in a positioning of the dancing, light of a green bay they also struggle against dying.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, and learned to late, they grieved it on its way, do not go gentle into that good night. Men who reached for the heavens and sang of it, do not die gently. Wild men, full of life and song, catching the sun, the temporal, the changing of the day (as if life is one long day from dawn to the dying dusk), and yet realize the temporal nature of their actions too late, grieve perhaps that this was their only focus as the dusk approached, they too fight death. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Grave men, who only in death with now age / illness blinded eyes realize that those eyes could have blazed with life and joy when they had the time, if they had but enjoyed the joys of living more, now they too will fight the dying as they realize too late, too late.

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. And you father curse me bless me but do not die gently rage out against death. ' curse (and) bless me now' - curse me for my having life still to live and bless me for that as well - and finally he begs him to also fight the inevitable. In conclusion it seems to me that too often much is made of Thomas anger / rage at death in the poem I believe he actually acknowledges its inevitability and purpose in this poem - and yet he lists why all men, whether wise, good, carefree or serious should struggle against death for the sake of it.