should not willingly consent to dying; he does not, however, denigrate death itself. Death is a “good night,” he writes, and extending the metaphor, he observes that “wise men” understand that “dark is right.” In the context of the poem, death at the conclusion of a long life is “good” and “right” because it is natural; death is not an aberration in the natural cycle of life but is instead the culmination of it. Why then should those who are old “burn and rave at close of day”? Why do the old men in the poem, those who are “wise,” “good,” “wild,” and “grave,” resist dying—and should resist, as he contends? The answer lies in how they have lived and in the regret they experience as their lives draw to a close.

Throughout the poem, being alive is associated with passion—with feeling deep emotion. It is also associated with using one’s gifts fully in the pursuit of something fine and truly remarkable. Thomas’s “wise men” and “good men” resist dying because they have not achieved what they could have achieved during their lives. His “wild men” had lived passionately as they “caught and sang the sun,” but they had failed to savor being alive, realizing “too late” their own mortality. The “grave men” resist dying because they understand with “blinding” insight that in their seriousness, they have not experienced the joy of being alive. Through the examples of these four types of men, Thomas affirms the brief and precious nature of being alive and defines how life should be lived—with passion, with joy, and with an elevating purpose not to be betrayed through inaction. Death is a “good night,” he believes, but dying should be resisted if a life, even a long life, has not been truly lived.

To describe the poem as "inspiring" isn't an obvious choice of words to describe it, because it is a poem about a man whose father is dying.  However, it is very inspiring, because as his father faces death, Thomas emphatically encourages him to go out with pride, strength, fighting the entire way.  If one is to die, one should die as Thomas describes it, with "rage, rage against the dying of the light." It is a call to strength and dignity in the face of death.  So, in that sense, it is inspiring.

Thomas states of dying that "Old age should burn and rave at close of day." Instead of just caving in, submitting your life over into death's hands, and giving up, you should fight death with every last breath. He then goes on to list every type of man, who even though they might not have lived the most glorious lives, still don't want to die.  All men, "wise men, good men, wild men, and grave men," fight off death, all rage against it.  Then he applies it directly to his father.  He pleads with his father to have the same strength.  He doesn't want his father to lie there and cave in, but, to his last dying words, "curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears."  He doesn't want to see his father as weak, but as strong until the end. Such encouragement and fighting words would be inspiring to hear as one faces something so frightening as death.

The entire poem is like a rallying cry in the face of the inevitable and often frightening death.  It is an inspiring cheer and call to fight and to have courage.  In that sense, it is an inspiring poem.