Grace Crowley
Mrs. Cicero
AP Literature and Composition
30 October 2018
Poetry Paper
The cycle of life always ends in death, but the frightful aspect is not necessarily dying
itself but the concept of when it will happen. This fear of timing can prevent many from
conquering their dreams and ambitions which consequently is giving up one’s life too quickly. In
a last plea to keep his father alive, Dylan Thomas argues in his poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into
That Good Night” that his father should fight against death in order to live a longer, more fulfilled
life.
Thomas feels that no matter how easy death may seem it is always more beneficial to
keep fighting. In fear of losing his father, Thomas tries to make one last plea with him. In the last
stanza, he asks his father to “cure, bless, me now with your fierce tears”. By using contradicting
terms like fierce and tears, Thomas creates an oxymoron to embody the passion and drama of
the passage from life to death, from everything to nothing. In addition, he wishes his dying father
with his “sad height” would rise and fight and refuse to submit to death so that he can remember
his father with high virtues and as one who inspired him.
Similarly, throughout the poem, Thomas repeats two commands he thinks will keep his
father alive. By continuously telling his father to “rage, rage against the dying of the light”
Thomas is trying to show how to “not go gentle into that good night” ultimately creating a
synonymous expression. As a result, the emphasis put on these phrases reveals his true
passion within his message to his father which is to keep fighting for his life. Furthermore, the
anaphora of “ra...
