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do not go gentle into that good night
by dylan thomas

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,
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.

you will now work through dylan thomas’s “do not go gentle into that good night” stanza by stanza, answering questions as you go.

first stanza

1. what image in the words “burn and rave” suggest? why should someone “burn and rave at close of day? ”

2. the word rage can mean “anger,” but it can also mean “passion”—an outpouring of feeling. how might thomas have been using both meanings in the poem?

second stanza

3. though the wise men might “know” that it is time to die, the speaker says that they still fight death because “their words had forked no lightning.” what does this mean?

4. what images do you see in this stanza?

third stanza

5. these good people cry “how bright their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay.” what does this mean?

6. what imagery do you see in this stanza?

fourth stanza

7. how might these people have “sang the sun in flight” and then “grieved” it?

8. what imagery do you see in this stanza?

fifth stanza

9. what images do you see in stanza 5?

sixth stanza

10. why do all these men not go gently into death?

11. what role do light and darkness play in the poem?

1) anger or misplaced passion against the light leaving them at the "close of the day" perhaps showing a sadness at misuse of time left which would leave them "burn"ing with regret.

2) the rage could mean anger at the light leaving them isolated in the dark because they feel so passionate about it=> a source of life?=>a source of livelihood?

3) whilst the " wisemen" seem to know that it is their time to die they still fight death because it is humans innate will to survive, it is what we are programmed to do, it is our Id and therefore the words of the Wisemen are uninspiring. they trigger no passions in life, as we as humans want to live.

4) in the stanza there are many images of "dark"ness which highlights the loneliness they feel. " burn and rave at close of day" is an interesting phrase because it not only suggests deep anger at the light abandoning them, but also suggests madness, insanity, as though they can't physically bear to be left.

5) they are saying how great their "frail deeds" would be if only somewhere else. they only are deemed lesser here, elsewhere they are saying their contribution would have been more widely accepted.

6) this stanza infers that the "good men" get changed by the "night" and it gives the image of gentleness and peace, but also change and this foreign idyllic "green bay" which could be the answer to these mans dreams of greatness.

7) they "sang the sun in flight" by giving it a glorious sendoff. they praised it when they had it and when they realised they no longer had a firm grasp of it they "grieved" its loss, because when they had the sun they praised it, but assumed it would be theirs forever and when they noticed its absence they grieved what power they had.

8) in this stanza there is obvious loss with the phrase "too late" which suggests that they could have saved the sun if they realised; they were too "blind" and that meant they had to "grieve their loss".

9) the passion and grief of their loss still plagues them, and the" father "who seems to be the closest to the narrator is being asked to" curse" and "bless" the speaker which, be confusion to the reader as they each contrast each other. this might suggest that he wants to be cursed for letting the sun "die" but also wants his father's blessing to reach out and anchor the sun to them, with the reason he is asking his father is because he is "fierce" he could be "fierce" in love, in war, in passion, in life, but all we know is that the father is stronger than the speaker, which wants strength to be leant to them.

10) the men do not go gently into death because they have been enlightened by the "dying sun" which gave them a new meaning to work for, to live for. when it says "blind eyes could blaze like meteors" the simile creates an image of new strength, of new hope, and suddenly they can't just die peacefully, because now they have a purpose.

11) in this poem light and dark play major roles with the light representing passion, knowledge and anger also with the dark representing a lack of knowledge, a lack of hope, a dying of the words that could make a blind man see.