A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Dylan Thomas
- First Published: 1945
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Children, World War II, Death or dying, London, Funeral rites or ceremonies, Bereavement or grief, Bombs, Afterlife, Fire, Life, philosophy of
The Poem
“A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London,” a poem of twenty-four lines divided into four stanzas of six lines each, follows the rhyme scheme abcabc. The title indicates the poet’s rejection of conventional means of responding to death. The refusal takes on greater force as it confronts the senseless casualty of a child to war; the fire refers to the firebombing of London during World War II.
The poem is written in the first person, and more is revealed about the poet who speaks than about the child who has died. The poet declares...
[The entire page is 1069 words long]
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