do not go gentle into that good night summary

(A villanelle is a pastoral or lyrical poem of nineteen lines, with only two rhymes throughout, and some lines repeated.) ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ and ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light’ are the two refrains in the poem. Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night: Form and language Moreover, as the poet himself was struggling to survive due to bad health, alcoholism and poverty, the poem applies to both Dylan Thomas and his father. We should continue to struggle against the odds we face on our way of life. Now the readers and critics feel that this poem can apply not only to death or old age, but also to any kind of adversity we face. The imperative sentence simply instructs us not to go gently into the realm of death (‘that good night’).īut this poem has gone beyond its original purpose of inspiring the poet’s father. This title itself makes the poet’s message clear. The title of the poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night’ is just the first line and one of the two refrains (repeating lines) of the poem. And in the final stanza, he again asks his father to rage against the ‘dying of the light’ (death) like everybody else. In the next four stanzas the poet speaks about why and how all kinds of people (wise men, good men, wild men and grave men) try to defy death. In the first stanza of the poem Dylan asks his father not to give in to death. We should try to live as long as we can with the power of will. Rather, we should try to resist it with all our efforts. The main theme of the poem is that we should not surrender to death in a meek and gentle way. There Is No Threnody for Utter Darkness Advertisements

Do not go gentle into that good night summary