Do Not Go Gently into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas - Essay Example

Poetry Explication In the poem by Dylan Thomas, Do not go gently into that Good Night, a great deal of imagery is used to discuss the issue of deathand dying. Similarly, in the poem by Sylvia Plath, Daddy, imagery depicting emotion is dark and almost morbid. In examining these two pieces, one can draw similarities and contrasts between the two poets and their work. Specifically, within Dylan Thomas’ work, it was essentially the dialogue, the words which were important even more so than what those words meant. The use of metaphor and imagery into this particular piece are a classic example of this. Thomas used words as a brick layer may use mortar, the words served to hold the meaning in place, “what the words stood for, symbolized, or meant, was of very secondary importance; what mattered was the sound of them as I heard them for the first time”(Ferris, pp. 25). It was not uncommon for Thomas to discuss the idea of death in his work. In one such poem, A Refusal to Mourn the Death, By Fire, of a Child in London, Thomas deals directly with the death of a child and the emotions that follow, “The majesty and burning of the childs death./I shall not murder” (Thomas, lines 13-14). Thomas seems to pull the idea of challenging the finality of death into this piece just as he does in Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night. Thomas deals with the reoccurring theme of death in several of his works in such a way as to challenge death itself and the aftermath felt by people who lose loved ones. This is an essential way in which to deal with the natural reality of death and Thomas does so through the use of language. Ultimately, Thomas wrote the piece entitled A Refusal to Mourn the Death of a Child, By Fire, in London as a way of illustrating his detest for the Nazi’s and their actions in World War II. Thomas was very in favor of the allied forces, and though he loved love intrinsically and saw the death of a child as the ultimate horror, he was not going to acknowledge the actions of the German forces in any way. This poem was his way of embracing life and refusing to be defeated by the hatred of the Nazi forces and what they stood for. The very first line of Thomas’ poem Do Not GO Gently into that Good Night, imposes instructions to the reader, “Do not go gently into that good night” (Thomas, line 1). This is the heart of the poem in that Thomas is essentially illustrating that there is an inevitable journey to be made but that one should not make this journey without resistance. The next line establishes the guidelines according to Thomas as to whom should experience the “close of day” which is “old age”. Thomas uses the example of the day itself, light and darkness to create imagery conducive to life and death. These elements are organic and timeless in nature so they work when making life and death real to the reader but are also a common association to be made when referring to life, death and so on. In Thomas’ work, the word “rage” is used frequently to instruct the reader as to how to respond to the process or prospect of death “rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Thomas, line 3). The next line indicates that when one is naturally old, one already anticipates the inevitability of death, “Though wise men at their end know dark is right” (Thomas, line 4). Fundamentally, this piece exemplifies a human response to death. It is natural and human nature to want to sustain life and even fantasize about living forever. This piece deals with the reality of impending death but also the human response of fighting the inevitable. Thomas goes on to describe that “wise men at their end know that dark is right” (Thomas, line 4). This line implies that wisdom ushers in a sense of acceptance or understanding that the end translates to darkness or death. Again, Thomas is using darkness or absence of light to represent death in a very basic way. Further down in the same stanza however, Thomas is still discussing the “wise men” as he says “Because their words had forked no lightning they/Do not go gently into that good night” (Thomas, lines 5-6). This contradicts the earlier statement that implies that their wisdom allows them to accept the darkness or the impending sentence of death and finality. Truly, this latter portion of the same stanza leads its reader to believe that even wise men who know the certainty of death, will not agree to succumb to it without fighting. After mentioning old and wise men and their propensity to comprehend their certain fate, Thomas introduces the idea of “wild men” and how these men do not go willingly to their deaths, just as the readers learn that even wise men do not or should not go willingly to their deaths, “Wild men who caught and sang the sun in light,-And ;earned too late they grieved it on its way /Rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Thomas, lines 10-12). Essentially, by this point in the piece, the reader begins to notice that the poet is listing different types of “men” in order to illustrate that no one should give in to the inevitability of death. Within the third stanza, Thomas discusses “good men” and their “frail deeds” are still facing certain death, “Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright-Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,-Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. Thomas’ repetition of the term “dying of the light” is interesting as it could have also easily been called ‘The coming of the darkness’. Thomas is making sure that the reader is left with the notion that life is to be cherished and preserved and even remembered. In other words, it is more emphatic for Thomas to have mentioned the light which is dying as opposed to the darkness and its approach or the approach of death. The poem ends with the inclusion of “father” which makes the piece suddenly much more personal for the poet “And you, my father there on the sad height,/Curse, bless me know with your fierce tears, I pray,/Do not go gently into that good night” (Thomas, lines 16-18). It is also within this last stanza that the reader can establish a certain pattern to this piece. Each stanza is concluded with the admonition, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”. The contrast of the word “rage” and the word “light” is just as profound as the contrast made within the repetition of the poem’s title “do not go gently into that good night”. The reader can see the repetition of this contrast of “rage”-“light” and “gently”-“darkness”. The specificity of this wording and its stark contrast creates an even more vivid image of death as darkness and light as life itself. In the poem Daddy by: Sylvia Plath, there is also an element of death and dying,”daddy I have had to kill you,/but you died before I had time”. (Plath, lines 6-7). In contrast however, Plath uses the idea f death or morbidity to illustrate very strong feelings and emotions without specifically sending a message of life and death as Thomas did. Thomas was directly dealing with death and life in his piece while using organic metaphor to paint such a picture. Plath however, was discussing life -things or past events within a lifetime by utilizing death as metaphor. In other words, in order for Plath to convey the intensity of the emotion that she does within this piece, she requires an almost shocking descriptive device in order to plant this feeling within the reader. Thomas is outright discussing death but does so with elemental imagery and metaphor such as darkness and light. “And a head in the freakish Atlantic/where it pours bean green over blue/In the waters of beautiful Nauser/I used to pray to recover you” (Plath, Lines11-14). At this point in the poem, the reader can assume that “Daddy” is already dead and the poet is somehow attempting to come to terms with this event or make sense of this event. The use of the word “freakish” is almost presumably for shock value. The word seems to stick out and also grab hold of the reader in such a way hat the reader can better understand the frame of mind of the poet at this point. Many critics feel that this particular piece by Plath is a weak attempt at feminism, while others argue that Plat’s work as a whole was full of feminist continuity, particularly the piece Daddy, “The self-revelatory nature of much of Sylvia Plaths poetry led critics to classify her as a confessional poet, suggesting to readers that her poetry should be read as predominantly autobiographical” (Bradley, pp. 1). A recurring theme within this piece is sparsely scattered German words and references to World War II imagery, particularly the Holocaust. The third stanza ends with the phrase “Ach, du”. The fourth stanza begins by saying “In the German tongue” and then goes on in the third line of the fourth stanza, to say “Of wars, wars, wars”. There is a very strong contrast here between the idea of the endearing term “daddy” and the references to the Holocaust or war in general. By the sixth stanza, the reader is fully aware of Plath’s emphatic and turmoil’s feelings about the individual that the poem is about particularly as there is little discretion at this point about describing the individual in terms of the Holocaust, “It stuck in a barb wire snare/Ich, Ich, Ich, Ich/I could hardly speak/I thought every German was you/And the language obscene.” (Plath, lines26-30). This is certainly a point in the piece where a certain epiphany is reached for not only the reader for seemingly for Plath as well. She is making no effort to conceal her resentment and detest for “daddy”, as well as her fear. The idea of thinking that “every German was you” particularly emphasis her deep and intense emotions on the matter. An almost aversion to an entire culture is established due to the loathing of one individual. The next stanza is also a turning point as Plath relates to being “like a Jew”. Furthermore, she lists several concentration camps, “An engine, an engine/Chuffing me off like a Jew/A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen/I began to talk like a Jew/I think I may well be a Jew” (Plath, lines 31-35). This is a fully intentional and vivid contrast that Plath makes between herself (the victim, the persecuted Jew) and the German would be officer or offender. This is imagery that causes the reader to fully picture the gravity of “daddy’s” offenses towards the poet. There are not many other parallels which can draw such a stark and almost horrific contrast allowing readers to make the connection of how despicable the subject of this poem really is in the eye of the poet. Therefore, the references to Nazism and concentration camps acts as a vehicle for perception, allowing the reader to realize the gravity of the wrongs committed in the eyes of the poet. Several stanzas later, Plath writes “Not God, but a swastika” which follows an ending to the previous stanza “o You-“. This clearly depicts an ultimate contrast between God and a symbol of true evil. It is the clear and definite relating of “daddy” to a symbol of treachery, the swastika as opposed to being like God. This same stanza goes on to say “Every woman loves a fascist/ The boot in the face, the brute/Brute heart of a brute like you” (Plath, lines48-50). If ever there were question as to whether Plath was relating “daddy” to a Nazi or to something horribly bad, this portion of the piece clarifies any confusion. Progressively, as the piece draws to an end, the harsh emotion of the poet becomes a reality for the reader. There is no more dancing around the subject of how desperately dark and horrible Plath wishes for the reader to see “daddy” as, “There’s a stake in your fat, black heart/And the villagers never liked you/They are dancing and stamping on you./They always knew it was you/Daddy, daddy you bastard, I’m through” (Plath, lines 75-80). This is how Plath chooses to conclude the piece and does so in no uncertain terms, “I’m through”. This is the finality of what the poet is saying, essentially after all the horrors of emotional havoc brought to her through “daddy”, she has explained why in the end, it is over. This could mean that the process of remembering and fearing this ghost is over or that the ties with this individual are forever severed at this point. Either way, the dark imagery of the Holocaust and of Nazi Germany are powerful in providing the reader with a clear idea and sensation of the type of person that the piece is written about. The reader is also able to share this emotion to some degree with the poet, because of the imagery which almost anyone can relate to or understand as the Holocaust was such a Universal event that needs little explaining to most. Both Thomas and Plath address life and death in one way or another. They both use imagery that is easily adopted and translated by most. It is Thomas’ piece however, that encourages not succumbing to death while Plath, on a personal level, ultimately shares a journey of not being subjected to one person in particular who can ultimately be said to represent all that is dark and even death itself. Works Cited: Bradley, Amanda J. A Vicious American Memory: Sylvia Plath’s Criticism of Wars, Wars, Wars, retrieved May 12, 2008 from website at: http://www.americanstudies.wayne.edu/xchanges/4.2/bradley.html Ferris, Paul. (1977) Dylan Thomas: The Biography, New Directions Publishing Company, Washington, D.C. Thomas, Dylan (1951) Do Not GO Gently Into That Good Night, J.M Dent and Sons LTD Publishing, London. Thomas, Dylan. (1971) A Refusal To Mourn the Death, By Fire, of a Child in London, J.M Dent and Sons LTD Publishing, London. Plath, Sylvia (last published, 2004) Daddy Read More