Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night Group

Question:

jball12
jball12
Student
High School - 9th Grade

According to the poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" , how should people act toward death?

In the poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night." Dylan Thomas uses refrains that state "rage, rage against the dying of the light" and "do not go gentle into that good night." Cite at least three specific phrases and explain their meaning.

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Posted by jball12 on Friday May 29, 2009 at 12:32 PM and tagged with dylan thomas, literature, poems.

Answers:

  1. herappleness
    herappleness Teacher
    Graduate School

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    1. When the poet says to his father "Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray"= He basically summons the last of the strength of his father to be spent at that very last second of life and, by default such last bits of energy mean that there is still life and energy inside of him

    2. "Old age should burn and rave at close of day"- fight until the end, breathe until the last bit of air is left; keep going even if you are about to be finished.

    3.  "Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
    Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay"- When people find out their lives are about to end, they cling on to every thing they had not done, or regret for not attempting and many jump at that very moment and get things done- therefore, they are also fighting until the end.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/go-gentle

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    Posted by herappleness on Friday May 29, 2009 at 1:52 PM