Do Not Go Gentle into That Night

In the poem Do Not Go Gentle into That Night, Dylan Thomas explores the theme of the inevitability of the struggle against death. According to the poem, death comes to everyone, without bias. Thomas coaxes people not to accept it, rather fight to live even when death seems inevitable. To develop his idea and communicate with the readers, Thomas employs the narrative structure, word diction, figurative language and tone, as well as rhythm and rhyme. To explore Thomas’ major theme, this essay will consider the use of figurative language, narrative structure, and the diction and sound devices.
Firstly, the mood of the poem is stern and deterministic, which emphasizes the inevitability of idea of resisting death. To create this mood, Thomas employs a formal tone for all the other stanzas apart from the last one. He addresses the issue of death from a holistic point of view, as a human being, without a personal connection. Using a formal tone, the author emphasizes the seriousness of the struggle against death. Interestingly, even when he drifts from the formal tone, he maintains the deterministic mood through emotional and mournful persuasion. When Thomas addresses his father, he intensifies the importance of the theme, showing that nobody should accept death gracefully and silently. Rather, for the sake of the beloved, every human being should defy death with every breath.
Secondly, Thomas uses figurative language in the poem to build the theme. The title of the poem shows a contrast of resisting something that should be embraced. This contrast insinuates that death is unavoidable, but not as good as it may appear, not a relief from world pains. Further, Thomas employs symbolism, when he likens death with the close of the day, the dying light, and the good night. The close of the day signifies shattered dreams and unfulfilled desires. Therefore, the same way people continue working until darkness prevails, they should strive for more life at death. Calling death as a dying light, he insinuates the loss of hope that comes with life. These two descriptions of death do not accept it as a relief from pains, rather as a source of frustration because of shattering dreams and cutting short desires yet to be fulfilled. Referring to death as a good night resonates with the thought of it as a salvation, but the context, in which Thomas uses it, defies that description still. The author uses figurative language to present death as an unpleasant encounter, which should be fought with all strength available.
The word “diction” that Thomas uses not only insists on the importance of defying death, but also shows the anonymity of human beings. In the second line, Thomas says “old age should burn and rave at close of day” suggesting that all people, old and young, are the same in the face of death. Talking about the old age, Thomas refers to the onset of death, which could occur at any age of an individual. Further, he employs words that show the intensity with which people should fight death. The use of the word “burn” and “rave” in the line two and the repetitive clause “rage, rage” at the end of the first, third, fifth, and in the sixth stanzas, depicts the struggle of resisting death (Thomas, 1947). These words imply aggression, anger, and the valor to struggle. Besides, in line seventeen, Thomas uses the words “curse” and “fierce” suggesting that the father should be aggressive and furious to do all that it takes to remain alive.

Chloe Mendez, a blogger and part-time writer at a leading writing company https://specialessays.com/