Do not go gentle into that good night
Dylan Thomas - 1914-1953
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.
The essence of Dylan Thomas’ art is his approach to language. Whilst the subject-
matter of his work is of interest, his hallmark is his unique use of language. The theme
is of course the unstoppable nature of death but how effective is Dylan Thomas in
conveying this through the language used? The title itself exemplifies Thomas’ style. He
manipulates grammatical rules without us even noticing that it has been done. He is a
master of this. The word ‘gentle’ is not in the form of an adverb; the immediate effect of
this is that the sentence draws us in; the deviation from grammatical rules makes the
sentence striking and memorable.
Extract from an Examiners Report
Dylan Thomas - 1914-1953
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.
The essence of Dylan Thomas’ art is his approach to language. Whilst the subject-
matter of his work is of interest, his hallmark is his unique use of language. The theme
is of course the unstoppable nature of death but how effective is Dylan Thomas in
conveying this through the language used? The title itself exemplifies Thomas’ style. He
manipulates grammatical rules without us even noticing that it has been done. He is a
master of this. The word ‘gentle’ is not in the form of an adverb; the immediate effect of
this is that the sentence draws us in; the deviation from grammatical rules makes the
sentence striking and memorable.
Extract from an Examiners Report
