do not go gentle into that good night Flashcards
(11 cards)
do not go gentle into that good night
do not imperative- gives commanding tone, commanding father to resist death
line is repeated through the poem shows Dylan desperation for his father to continue living
good night metaphor/euphemism for death shows how he is finding it difficult to come to turns with his fathers death
‘good’ shows how he understands death would mean end of suffering for his father
old age should burn and rate at close of day
assonance of ‘burn and rave’ elongates the words and plosive of ‘b’ in burn makes the words sound even more emotive and powerful
bold imagery can imagine old man fighting against death
euphemism/metaphor for death’ close of day’
repetition of rage -violent and bold imagery
old men, wise men good men, wild men, grave men
stanzas focus on different types of men, point it to highlight how death is universal and affects all kinds of men
encourage his father to fight just like all these other different men do
though wise men at their end know dark is right because their words have forked no lightning they
do not go gentle into that good night
talking about academics and intellectual men, they know dark (metaphor for death) has to be apart of their lives, however at the end are they aware that their intelligence has left no impact (forked no lightning)
lightning leaves an impact and is impressive to watch however, their words havent left anything like that.
because of this they don’t go gentle into that good night
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
last wave- life comes in waves and this is their last
-regretful tone, looking back at their life at the end and think how they could’ve lived a better life if they had the opportunity (green bay)
green bay - connotes fertility=opportunity
good men- could be referring to soldiers who served in both wars and gave up their life, wouldn’t have the opportunities that they could’ve had if they didn’t go to war
because they didn’t have these opportunities they fight (rage rage) to continue living
wild men who caught and sand the sun in flights and learn too late they grieved it on its way do not go gentle into that good night
wild men- men who are dare devils, take risks etc,- (caught and sang the sun in flight) metaphor for living life without boundaries
despite that time still passes by, so they ‘learn too late’. they took every opportunity but its still not enough
grave men near death who see with blinding sight blind eyes could blaze meteors and be gay rage rage against the dying of the light
grave men- serious men or dying men
blinding sight-oxymoron highlighting how physically you might decay but grow mentally, could loose physical sight near end of death but you can see the world different
do serious men realise they can burn with passion and still be happy despite physical decay
you my father..sad height
curse,bless …with your fierce tears, i pray
direct address so we know its to his father
sad height could be either because hes at the height of his sadness and its an emotional time or is it a metaphor for the edge of his life, could also mean he has the best view of his life.
-oxymoron and imperative (curse,bless)- if you cry fiercely (fierce tears-assonance) it will bless me/make me happy because you will be full of passion. I pray emphasised his desperation
do not go gentle into that good night rage rage against the dying of the light
final plead to his father to cling onto life as much as possible
form and structure
villanelle (6 stanzas, 5 tercets and a quatrain, line 1 and 3 repeat in alternations, final rhyming couplet, iambic pentameter) do not go gentle into that good night and rage rage etc.. are excatly where they should be in a villanelle-strict structure emphasises control, perhaps his desire to control his father actions
burn and rave, rage
could represent when thomas loses his mental combat with greif and gives in and results in aggression and violence
