Topic > The theme of death in "Don't Go Gentle..." by Dylan Thomas

Death is often a sensitive topic; after all, most people connect death to the loss of someone who was particularly important or loved. In “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, a strong message is conveyed to those close to death. Thomas asks them to continue fighting their ailments and not to accept that death looms over them. Using symbolism and strong language, the message to fight death is conveyed to all different types of dying men, including Thomas' father, throughout the poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThomas wastes no time trying to convey his message and begins the poem by evoking powerful emotions and creating a sense of urgency. Words like “burn,” “rave,” and “rage” in the first stanza induce feelings of anger and desperation that set the tone of the poem from the beginning. Thomas doesn't want his audience to take his message lightly. In the second and third lines, death is referred to as “the end of day” and the “dying of the light.” These phrases are synonymous with sunset and tell the life of a single day. While a life may be long, a single day is too short to be considered a period of time. Thomas feels that life is too short and believes that all people should strive as long as possible to lengthen it. For the rest of the poem, Thomas uses each stanza to relate to a different group of men and attempts to show why. everyone should fight to postpone their inevitable end. In the second stanza we address the wise men. Although they know that death cannot be avoided, they simply do not accept it. He states that “because their words have not forked the lightning” they resist death. Thomas believes that these wise men are capable of great things, but because life is so short, they have little or no impact. In the third stanza the focus is on good men. Thomas states, "Good men, the last wave passed, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay," where he compares life to the sea, good men to the waves, and good deeds to the dancing waves . Death in this case occurs when the waves reach the shore and can no longer dance in the ocean. Good men, just like wise men, have had too short a life to accomplish anything useful. In the fourth stanza we turn to the wild men, or rather to those who celebrated the world and its beauty. Thomas states, “And they learn, too late, that they grieved him in his way,” in which he explains how men lose the day as the sun begins to set, once again linking death to a short day. These wild men who once celebrated the world soon begin to realize that they fear the end. In the fifth stanza, serious men confront each other. Thomas states, “Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight / Blind eyes might burn like meteors and be merry, / Anger, anger against the dying of the light,” where he addresses sick men. Even though grave men are blind or sick, Thomas still expects them to fight death with all their remaining strength because he believes there are still reasons to live. More powerful words like “blindness,” “flame,” and “anger” are used to elicit more powerful feelings of desperation. In the last stanza, Thomas addresses his father, revealing the reason behind the poem. The “sad height” he mentions refers to the fact that his father was on the brink of death. Thomas states, “Curse, bless me now with.