Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.



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.


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.


Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.


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.

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.

      'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' by Dylan Thomas is a poem about a man observing his dieing father, who is growing older and more frail right before his eyes. The 'good night' and the 'dying of the light' both symbolize death. The speaker is urging his father to fight on, to keep living his great life that he has been.

       The rhyme scheme of this poem is ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA. The first line of every stanza rhymes with either night, or light. And the second line of every stanza rhymes with every other second line. The lines 'Do not go gentle into that good night' and 'Rage, rage against the dying of the light' are repeated every other stanza. These lines are repeated to stress their importance. These lines are used to contrast or balance the rest of the stanza. In each stanza the speaker talks of how even the best men cannot best death. However he returns to these lines every time. Chanting not for the sake of his father, but his own comfort. He tells himself regardless of this I must keep fighting on. 

       In this poem the speaker sees his father growing closer to death, and starts to fear his own. In this poem the realization of death occurs because of seeing this happen to one close to him. Seeing this happen before his own eyes, the speaker now fears death himself. He sees the fight between death and his father important not just because a loss here would mean the end of his father, but it would also mean that the fear of death would consumer him.

       The first stanza is straight forward in meaning. This is when the speaker is addressing the father, we find out he is speaking to his father in the last stanza, and telling him rather than give up. Keep fighting and live on. Do not give in to just because it is an inevitability.

       The second stanza speaks of wise men. These wise men went out to change the world. Their words however 'forked no lightening.' Meaning their 'wise' words had not have the weight they had hoped it would carry. Because of this they keep living on until they have accomplished what they set out to do.

       The third stanza utilized the metaphor of the ocean. 'Their frail deeds might have danced in the green bay.' These 'good men, the last wave,' may have done some good in their life, but those actions only mean something in the bay. While they are living. This is an interesting metaphor as it reverses the role of life and death. The shore signifies death while the ocean itself signifies life. Not as you would usually see it. 

       The fourth stanza speaks of happy men. Men who dance and celebrate life. And although they are carefree and forget about death. They 'learn, too late, they grieved it on its way.' While caught up in this blissful ignorance lifestyle, they find they are blind sided by death.

       The fifth stanza speaks of old men. Men older than the speaker's father. Blind, just waiting for death. And although they are literally blind. They see how close they are to dieing, and intend on going out with a bang. The meteor used as a metaphor to signify this idea.


       The last stanza is where we finally learn this is being addressed to his father. We learn this whole time he is trying to convince himself to be strong. To keep living on. He almost is ashamed of being fearful of death and masks his self comfort as helping his father.