| Analysis of "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" |
| Form: The Villanelle This type of poem consists of 19 lines and 5 tercets (stanza composed of three lines). There is a final quatrain with a rhyming couplet. Origins: French, meaning rustic, peasant, or country house Significance of this Particular Form: The everyday man, working, caring for his family, wanting the best out of life is in every man. Thomas begs his father to fight just like any man would. The repetition tries to solidify the son's argument (making a final, strong stance on the subject). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TEXT ITSELF Theme: anger and helplessness --In order to feel control, the son tells his father (who is obviously in failing health) to hold on --by using words such as "rage" the son is asserting dominance over death but the irony is that the father dies without the salvation of the son (he dies without rage) Theme: youth and old age --Because he is not dying, the son is free to say "rage, rage against the dying of the light" --His youth is assertive, controlling, and strong (he gives grand examples of great, wise, wild and grave men fight) not giving in to the fact that these characters are old and WILL die. |