dying of the light

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night- Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

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.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,   

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Exploring a topic universal to all living creatures, this poem confronts the subject of death. It’s an inevitable end for all of us, yet every human reacts differently to the concept. In “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” Dylan Thomas discusses the end of life, suggesting that humans often feel that opposing death results in the treasuring of life though this is not necessarily true.

Throughout the poem, the speaker mentions the “dying of the light” and the “night” that follows. Coupled with terms such has “old age,” these bring to mind the end of not “light” but of life. The “dying of the light” comes to represent the fading of vitality as a person’s life nears its end just as the light fades as the day nears its end. Thus, the “night” follows to represent what comes after life: death. The speaker describes the actions of men faced with this “night,” speaking of how they “burn,” “rave,” and “rage” against the approaching of the end of light and life. As displayed by these words, the men described face not only going “against” death, but they do so with an aura of anger, the emotion brought to mind by such passionate and fiery words as “burn” and “rage.” Such anger suggests an opposition to death so strong that it borders on hatred, an explanation for the statement “Do not go gentle.” This direct command conveys the strong conviction of mankind’s opposition to death, as it suggests that one should not be “gentle” and go into the “night” that waits at the end of our lives. The connotations of the rage and command come together to characterize death as an enemy that must be fought against, or “[raged] against.” The poem develops to suggest that this characterization of death is spurred on by a desire to treasure life. The men that “rage” against death think of how their deeds “might have danced,” indicating a preoccupation with what could have been during life as opposed to accepting the reality of death.

However, veiled under support for the fight against death, the speaker suggests that perhaps accepting death is the better option. The speaker expressly states that “dark is right,” suggesting that darkness, undeniably connected to the death and “dying of the light” that men are resisting, is in fact the “right” path that should be taken as opposed to the enemy that mankind has made it to be. Even in hidden in the command to “not go gentle,” the speaker emphasizes that fact that it is not simply “night” or death, but “good night,” once again bringing in the connotation that this path, the path towards death, should be accepted instead of rejected. The truth that mankind seem to have accepted, that death is the enemy, becomes questionable and is even characterized as a “blinding sight” that comes near death. As death has not quite been reached, the men are still in the “light” providing them with the “sight” which brings to mind the concepts of truth and understanding. However, this “blinding sight” is not the actual truth, but a fake truth that leads to blindness and a lack of understanding. Therefore, the characterization of death as the enemy takes on the role of a fake truth merely obscuring the actual truth that death should be accepted.

Despite this veiled encouragement to accept death, the speaker does not suggest that mankind completely accept the darkness. Rather, the speaker suggests that mankind must find the light within the darkness, search for life within death. This concept is brought up as the speaker discusses the “blind eyes” that are contrasted with the “blinding sight.” While the “blinding sight” took on the meaning of false truth and the rejection of death, “blind eyes” create a world of darkness, linking them to the death of which the speaker encourages acceptance. However, these eyes, though linked to the darkness, are not caged in darkness. Instead they “blaze like meteors” a phrase that automatically brings in the image of light, suggesting that within the darkness of death, the light of life still exists. The “eyes” linked to death are also characterized as being “gay,” suggesting that the light within darkness, a life that can only be obtained by accepting the death that contains it, leads to happiness. Therefore, while the speaker expresses a sympathy and understanding for the men that resist death in order to cherish life, the speaker ultimately supports that idea of accepting death to find a new life within it.