Linguistics: Structure and Meaning in Literary Discourse - Essay Example

Structure and Meaning in Literary Dis linguistics Thesis ment: "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas is a well-known example of villanelle which illustrates the relationship between structure and meaning in poetic discourse and the quality of repetition conveys the accumulating power of the structure. Linguistic and Literary Issue 1: The discourse structure of a poem may be directly connected to its meaning and Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" is an example of how the structure enhances the interpretation of the poem.

Linguistic and Literary Issue 2: Villanelle, a fixed form in poetry, comprises of "five three-line stanzas (tercets), each rhyming aba, and a closing quatrain rhyming abaa," and the first and third lines repeat alternatively at the end of every stanza, culminating in the repetition of both as the final two lines of the poem. (Wainwright, 113) Linguistic and Literary Issue 3: The reiterations and refrains of a villanelle, as evident in the pre-elegy "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas, contribute to the slow and mournful subjects of the poem.

Linguistic and Literary Issue 4: The structure and the meaning of "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" are closely connected and the repeating lines of the poem ultimately "convey an accumulating power, carrying with each repetition the sense of the preceding stanza - old age, the wise, the good, the wild, even 'my father' must all face 'the dying of the light'." (Spiro, 8) Linguistic and Literary Issue of "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" Structure and meaning are closely connected in literary discourses and the famous poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas illustrates how the discourse structure can enhance the interpretation of the literary piece.

Significantly, the poem by Dylan Thomas is one of the best examples of villanelle, a fixed form in poetry which began to be used in English literature in the 1800s. The most remarkable characteristic of the structure of villanelle is that it comprises of five three-line stanzas or tercets followed by a closing quatrain. The tercets follow a rhyme scheme of aba, whereas the quatrain rhymes as abaa. Furthermore, the first and third lines of the opening stanza reiterate alternatively at the end of every following stanza and culminate in the reappearance as the final two lines of the poem.

Analysed from these criteria, it becomes obvious that "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" closely follows this discourse structure of a villanelle. More importantly, reiterations and refrains of this pre-elegiac poem augment the slow and mournful subject of the poet, illustrating the relationship between structure and meaning in literary discourse. To expound the structure of the poem, it follows the rhyme scheme "aba, aba, aba, aba, aba, abaa" and recurring lines are "Do not go gentle into that good night, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

" These reiterations and refrains of the pre-elegy contribute to the slow and mournful subject of the poem. The repeating lines of the poem, outstanding as they are, attain greater quality in every repetition and there is an echoic feeling through the six stanzas of the poem. This effect sets the exact mood for the poem's topic and concern, through the images such as old age, the wise, the good, the wild, and 'my father'. "The repetition acquires a new resonance each time it occurs, carrying with it the sense of all the previous lines" and the ultimate result is that the theme of the poem is effectively conveyed through the effect created by the structure.

(Spiro, 7) In short, meaning and structure in the poem are closely connected, where the discourse structure substantiates the poetic interpretation. Works Cited Spiro, Jane. Creative Poetry Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004. P 8. 02 Nov. 2008. . Wainwright, Jeffrey. Poetry: The Basics. London: Routledge. 2004. P 113-14. 02 Nov. 2008. .