Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas, page 968).

The poem has an opposite feeling towards death than "Crossing the Bar". While "Crossing the Bar" had a content and almost joyous feeling toward moving forward past death, "Do Not Go Gentle into The Good Night" uses the diction to display a dismay towards death. The repetition of "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas, page 968) is mentioned four times in the length of the poem. The repetition in such a short piece puts emphasis on the line. Life is compared to a day. As the light lessens, the end of the life or day is nearing. Furthermore, saying that the light is dying is comparing the livelihood of someone to the light. As the light dims, life is coming nearer and nearer to its end. Words such as burn, rave, and blaze allow for a feeling of angst against death. The title of the poem sums up the opinion of the poem about death. The message is to not be at peace with leaving earth for the afterlife. Although the afterlife is characterized as That Good Night, the time leading up involves resent towards death. As many people resent death, the poem is describing that there should be more peaceful and calm attitude toward death as it is good in the end.