Do not go gentle Flashcards
(17 cards)
do not, rage rage
determination, use of imperatives gives the poem a desperate, pleading tone, speaker wants his father to fight death actively, rather than accept it passively
good night, dying of the light
metaphors, euphemistic descriptions of death
Light = hope, life, consciousness
Night = Death, silence, the unknown
The juxtaposition between night and light symbolises the universal conflict between life and death
Does not want to explicitly say ‘death’ as he does not want to upset subject
should burn and rave
modal verb, what he wants his father to do, selfish, wants him to fight death for his own emotional benefit, does not want to grieve
close of day
aka sunset, the smooth, inevitable transition between day and night, which is a metaphor for his father’s transition between life and death
rage, rage… , do not go gentle…
anaphora, reinforces the pleading tone of the poem, anger and intense emotion
dark is right
death is inevitable, unavoidable
their words had forked no lightning
Highlights that even those who are intellectually or spiritually aware—“wise men”—still resist death. Their dissatisfaction with the impact of their lives fuels their desire to fight against dying passively.
It reinforces the poem’s central message: death should be fought, not accepted, even by those expected to welcome it peacefully (like wise men).
last wave
metaphor, the final moments before death
their frail deeds might
modal verb, if they fight against death, they may be remembered, and their deeds may have more of an impact
danced in a green bay
create something beautiful, a legacy
caught and sang the sun in flight
Allusion to Icarus, who is often seen as a symbol of youthful ambition, the reckless pursuit of glory, and the human desire to defy limits — especially the boundary between life and death.
“Caught and sang the sun”:
Like Icarus, the “wild men” tried to seize the sun, metaphorically grasping the peak of life, joy, or power — and celebrated it as they did (“sang”).
“In flight”:
This mirrors Icarus’s literal flight — soaring freely, but also highlights the fleeting nature of life and how passion doesn’t stop mortality.
Just as Icarus fell, these men eventually “grieved it on its way” — recognising too late that they couldn’t hold onto life forever.
and learn,
caesura, reflecting on their life
blinding sight
oxymoron, absolute clarity, able to fully reflect on their lives and impact as they are so close to its end
blaze like meteors
simile, even the most serious of men could become more ambitious if they live longer, as they have reflected on their impermanence
And you, my father
The only time the speaker acknowledges that he is speaking to his father is at the end of the poem, which evokes a much more profound and emotive response from the reader
wise men, wild men, good men, grave men
parallel structure
Wise men – regret their lack of influence (“their words had forked no lightning”).
Good men – mourn missed opportunities (“the frail deeds might have danced in a green bay”).
Wild men – realise life is fleeting too late (“learn, too late, they grieved it on its way”).
Grave men – even those solemn and near death find renewed fire (“blaze like meteors”)
These characters symbolise different life philosophies, yet all are united in a shared resistance to death.
Structure
villanelle form
repeating refrains (do not go gentle… , rage, rage…)
These lines alternate at the end of each stanza and come together in the final stanza, reinforcing the message of resistance to death.
The repeated refrains act as a plea, reflecting the speaker’s emotional urgency. Their recurrence also intensifies the tone, building tension and frustration as the speaker watches his father decline.
Each tercet focuses on a different type of man (wise, good, wild, grave), illustrating how all people—regardless of their lives—resist death.
This structure broadens the poem’s meaning: everyone fights the inevitability of mortality, not just the speaker’s father.
The final quatrain personalises the poem, directly addressing the speaker’s father.
