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READ THIS
Dylan Thomas wrote this poem to encourage his father to fight illness and death, and not to give in. He
lists several examples of how people could and should struggle against death.
Notice how each stanza ends either with "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" or "Do not
go gentle into that good night".
The final stanza contains both exhortations. This repetition perhaps shows the poet's disappointment that
his father appears to be accepting death.
ABOUT THE POET
Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea -- Wales -- in October 1914. His father was a schoolmaster, his
mother a seamstress.
The poet spent much of his youth in Swansea where he often visited his aunt's dairy farm. It was these
visits which inspired much of his poetry. "Fern Hill" records memories of those happy days.
Thomas was always a sickly child who tended to keep to himself. He was educated initially at a private
school which he referred to as Mrs. Hole's "Dame School". Later he would attend the Swansea Grammar
School where he published his first poem in the school's magazine.
He loved literature but ignored most of his other subjects, eventually dropping out of school at 16,
thereupon becoming a reporter for a local newspaper. Later he would continue to work as a freelance
journalist.
Most of his poems and short stories were written at his home at Cwmdonkin in Wales.
When World War II erupted, Thomas was essentially not fit to fight. Instead he worked for the Ministry
of Information, producing propaganda movies. It was during this time, however, that he began to drink
heavily.
He would later become famous for his poetry readings where his Welsh accent captivated audiences.
He was particularly involved with the BBC and is now most remembered for his play-for-voices called
Under Milk Wood.
Like Under Milk Wood, his poetry was renowned for its play on sounds and words, and for its
quaint imagery and word order.
Thomas married a dancer, Caitlin MacNamara, and maintained a stormy relationship with her, where
rumours of affairs on both sides were rife. They would have three children.
He would die in New York in November 1953 from an overindulgence in alcohol . He was then just 39
years of age.
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
Is there any reason why the poet speaks only of men and not of women? (2)
[Need help?]
The poet wants his father to struggle against death and not just give into it easily. His father presumably
was a man, hence the poet speaks only about men.
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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.
- Wise men appear to have wisdom enough to know that death is inevitable. Why then should they still
resist dying? (4)
[Need help?]
Even though one might recognise death as inevitable, the poet still argues that wise men, because they
are wise, realise that they could still squeeze just a little more out of life.
They too will therefore not surrender to death but will fight to prolong life just that little bit more.
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- Comment on the imagery of "their words had forked no lightning". (4)
[Need help?]
There's a delightful play on words here. "Fork lightning" is that rather vicious flash of lightning that
would frazzle you if you happened to be in its path.
Wise men would love to see their writings have such a major effect on people's lives, i.e. be such a flash
of lightning in their lives. The poet then switches the word "fork" from an adjective -- as in "fork
lightning" -- into a verb "forked no lightning".
In other words, when wise men realise that their wise words have not yet affected people's lives --
"have forked no lightning " -- they will struggle to remain alive for just that little bit longer.
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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.
- Explain the transferred epithet in the words, "Good men, the last wave by". (2)
[Need help?]
There seems to be a playing around of words here: from "Good men" to "the last wave
goodbye" -- whereas the poet says "the last wave by".
If so, is this a transferred epithet?
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- Why should the poet connect "good men" with "frail deeds"? (4)
[Need help?]
Good men (saintly folk?) realise that life is fragile and all their good deeds are frail. Because of this, they
too will struggle to prolong life just that little bit more so that they can produce more good deeds.
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- Explain what is meant by the good men "crying how bright their frail deeds might have danced in
a green bay". (4)
[Need help?]
There would appear to be an image here of passengers waving goodbye as their ship sails out over the
green waters of the bay , taking them to their country of eternal rest.
The sun glitters and gleams from the waves.
These men are "good", i.e. they have lived good lives, and their good deeds shine for all to see in
the same way as the sun shimmers from the waves.
But even they would like to have that little more time so that their good deeds could shimmer even more.
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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.
- What does the poet mean when he says, "Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, and
learn, too late, they grieved it on its way"? (4)
[Need help?]
We are talking here of men who have lived lives of debauchery.
When they reach their point of death, however, they realise that they should have lived their lives better,
i.e. they repent of their wrong doing.
They too want to postpone their moment of death so that they can attempt to put their lives to rights.
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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.
- Dylan Thomas is renowned for his marvellous playing with words. Examine how he particularly
achieves this in the above stanza. (4)
[Need help?]
In Romeo and Juliet, when the playful Mercutio is stabbed and lies dying in Romeo's arms, he tells his
cousin, "Tomorrow you will find me a grave man!"
He means, of course, that tomorrow he will be serious for once in his life but only because he will be dead
and in the grave.
We have the same pun here. "Grave men" are serious men. If they are "near death", then
they are also grave men, i.e. men who are about to be buried in their graves.
There's certainly a delicious use of alliteration here. "Who see with blinding sight blind eyes could
blaze like meteors."
There's also a paradox . How can blind eyes see with blinding sight?
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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.
The entire poem is a reflection of the poet's concern for his father, and of his father's attitude
towards death. Explain how this is so. (4)
[Need help?]
Well, that's what this whole poem is indeed about, isn't it?
The poet's father is dying but is accepting death as inevitable and is doing nothing to prolong his life just
a little more.
The poet provides examples of how various men, even though they might accept death, yet will struggle
to prolong life.
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Would you like to comment on the rather interesting rhyming scheme found in this poem? (4)
[Need help?]
Have you noticed that the entire poem follows the very simple but repetitive rhyming scheme:
Stanza 1: a b a
Stanza 2: a b a
Stanza 3: a b a
Stanza 4: a b a
Stanza 5: a b a
Stanza 6: a b a a
Did you know that this poem is called a "villanelle", i.e. it has a series of repetitions while keeping
to only two rhymes.
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