Dylan Thomas was a welsh poet and writer that lived from October 27, 1914 to November 9, 1953. In 1951, Thomas published "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" in the journal Botteghe Oscure. (Wikipedia) The theme of this poem is mortality. In which the speaker discusses how men should fight to live another day, instead of accepting death slowly.
The poem begins with the title itself, symbolizing "that good night" as the day of death. The speaker is telling elderly people to fight and rave at the thought of death. He wants them to fight for one more day to live and to not welcome death. To use their rage, anger and power to continue life. (1-3) Throughout the poem, the speaker repeats line 1 and 3, emphasizing that these men should live with intensity and passion to fight against any harm that can lead to death.
The speaker goes on and discusses different type of men whom fight for life despite the obstacles they face. The smart men know death is inevitable and is a natural process everyone has to go through. (4) However, they know life is like lightning, one minute here and the next day gone, therefore, they live to the fullest. (5) "Good men" or this generation of men is slowly dying, perhaps because they are growing old. Their actions that have weakened but perhaps would have lived longer if they fought and raged against death. (9-11) Then, there were "wild men" in other words, fighters. Men whom celebrated life and the world they lived n. The sun symbolizes the beauty in the world these men saw in their lifespan, which slight symbolizes. (12) However, they soon discovered that this world was coming to an end that death was coming upon them. (13) Last but not least, the speaker talks about these dying men whom are blind but still can metaphorically see. They can see that life is worth living and fighting for, but if they have to die, they will control how and go out with a bang! (15-16)
Dylan Thomas uses a lot of imagery to portray living a life with intensity. Bolts of lightning, blaze like meteors and images of light and fire, all things that fall from the sky, conveys that ice is not slow and steady. Instead, is an inferno, a firecracker, a tornado that must not be taken lightly. In conclusion, one must go out with a band since death cannot be escaped anyway. (5, 16)
In the last stanza of the poem, we learn that the speaker's father is dying. That perhaps this entire poem was for his father. Discussing the admirable behavior of men that the speaker wishes his father was more like. The speaker is begging his father to cry passionately and to not surrender to death; rather than to fight and rave every step of the way.
The speaker in "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" stresses that life should be lived to the fullest, with intensity and even stronger when men are aging. Those men should leave fighting and screaming until their last minute. At the end of the poem, the speaker reveals that his father is in this predicament. In which, he is submitting to death. Where we learn that the speaker was speaking to his father all along, wishing he would fight to live one more day.
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