Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."
Which statement best describes how the structure of
these excerpts helps to develop the themes?
I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
The refrains of "An Irish Airman Foresees His Own
Death" stress that life and death are balanced, while
the parallel structure of "Do not go gentle into that
good night" stresses that men of all ages should fight
against their oncoming demise.
O The repetitions and refrains in both excerpts develop
the theme that death cannot be avoided, no matter
how hard one struggles against it.
O Both the parallel structure in the excerpt of "An Irish
Airman Foresees His Own Death" and the repetition in
the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good
night" emphasize the inevitability of death,
O The parallelism in "An Irish Airman Foresees His
Death" emphasizes the idea that the speaker
identifies himself as an Irishman, while the refrains in
Read the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good
night."
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,