Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

i love this poem and death will hold no dominion.
also love shelley, yeats, eliot & browning. yeah poetry rocks!

Again, you get the contrast between youth and old age, but here the narrator refers to someone he calls his father and implores him to fight against death with as much rage and strength as possible. This could relate to Thomas own life in that his father had been a strict disciplinarian when Thomas was a boy, but became ineffectual and unimpressive in Thomas’ eyes as he grew older.

This poem for me really captures the anger and helplessness thata bystander feels when a loved one is approaching the end of their life. I know when my grandfather was sick with Cancer all i wanted was for him to 'rage aginst the dying of the light'

In the poem, the narrator was trying to tell his father to fight against the horror of death and be strong when facing it. The father represents all of us who are scare by the ending of our lives. Dylan was trying to tell us to believe in God and not to lose the believe that there's another life waiting for us after we die. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," the dying of the light refers to death and Dylan is trying to tell us to not give in to it and be brave and strong about it. I really like this poem because it relates to the one thing that horrify us the most in life. We shouldn't be just waiting for death to come to us, but to fight our way through it when it arrives.

This poem says alot. I'm only eleven and I understood it well. You just have to take your time.

I recently found out my father is dying of cancer. THe only catch is, I've never met my father....Yeah, explain that one. But, God is faithful. This poem I intend on using as a project for the emphasis on "fighting for life" or as Thomas puts "rage, rage against the dying of the light. Such an amazing poem.

The overwhelming farthocity of this poem is spectacular. The fight against miller is strong and mighty. It really helped me through a tough time. cts.

I think the father represents his hetrosexuality dying as in his later days Thomas became homosexual. It started off in secret but became quite public before his death. The rage is in his pants.

None of us go our way alone.I have requested that Dylan's poem be read at my funeral.

Personally, I think that Thomas’s poem has a selfish element, he is said to urge his father to live and yet there is no hope. The force of Thomas’s encouragement to his father not to die is the result of his own desire not to be abandoned and next in line to the graveyard. He portrays death as the destroyer of life, unfairly consuming those who can still live, were as if fact death is the repayment of life. It is not unjust, as man was granted the privilege of life by God, who therefore he has the right to extract it.

I would just like to actually comment that this poem was really written to Dylan Thomas' father on fighting death, not just giving into it. Though there are always different views on the poem, it really was written for a specific purpose and person.

yes i agree with most that say that one could interpret this poem in different ways. People looking ideas for exams-just forget it. read the poem, cose your eyes and try ot imagine what you would feel like if u were in the same situation as dylan.
this is a very personal poem to the poet, and strongly ironic.

Well, contrary to the idea of fighting 'through' death, I belive Thomas was probably an atheist and did not believe in what lies ahead after death. (Oh and God does not 'extract' life from us.) I thnk Dylan thought that fighting against the death, fighting for every breath would justify his life.

I read this as an exhortation to Dylan Thomas father to live his life fully until the end. As the title says, it is That Good Night. He wrote it for his father and for himself.

i am a sophomore in high school and have to analize i guess this poem for discussion tommorow so thanks for everyones help. i agree with many of you that this poem can be read differently by different people. it doesnt really matter that this poem has a specific purpose i am sure he unintesionally helped many people find different things like religion, hope for survival or even the hope after the end of a friendship

I feel that Thomas was saying to fight against the 'dying of the light' purely because his father is strong and independent in life and he (Thomas) did not want death to take his father easily as that would not be his father's way. I have recently watched my strong independent grandfather die. His fight was dignified and he chose his moment. He fought against death yet knew ultimately that was what was to come. He made the decision and went to death-death did not win. I feel this poem is about that.

This poem is thus one of the most memorable and beautiful in my book. For my class I need to create an original following the same format. It really sounds fun. Once again-amazing poem.

i first read this poem about 3 years ago, and the helplessness of the poet never fails to strike me. There seems to be a downward spiral of his emotions with the repetition of "rage, rage...". Sounds more like filial love than anything.

dylan thomas has always been one of my faorite poets, and reading this makes me feel as though i know him a little better, this give you more insight on he relationship with his father

I love this poem, it views life in a way which i can relate to; forget about afterlife (if there is one) concentrate on the now, ultimately enjoy your life do what YOU want to do.

I think this poem is brilliant because he combines both the personal and the universal. By talking to his father and then talking to ALL men "wild" "wise" "good" "grave" he is telling us ALL to don't take death quietly. He then shows his personal side by talking directly to his father. It goes without saying that this is a beautiful poem. I'm doing a paper on Dylan Thomas and his theme of death and I'm enjoying it immensly.

Whatever lies after the grave will last forever. At the end of your light will you count youre time here well spent? Will you simply give up or will you want just a little more?

either fight the good fight or die trying when you give in you lose when you fight you have a chance

Brilliant poem. Life is beauty, beauty life. That's all you know and all you need to know. Dylan's poem is brilliant.

Although Dylan meant it to be about not just accepting death; one can put the two lines into a more personal context. It doesn't have to be about fighting death, per se. What it means to me, is don't accept the inevitable. Don't just accept it, and let it creep upon you. Fight for what you believe in, fight against the inevitable. Do not accept what is put in front of you, if you do, you already lost.

I have research on this poem .How can I do well my project

Hi people,

This poem is brilliant, surpasses language barriars entirely. Sorry my grammer isn't great. Anyway, its beyond what I can say to praise it....sublime.

I understand all the comments about death. As I contemplate this poem, it is about growing older. As I approach age 60 it is so easy to give up on so many passions of youth, yet this poem exerts me to live on and to not go gentle into my older years.

I love this poem! I rarely read literature of any kind but this poem speaks volumes with just a few words. I will endeavor to not go gentle anymore.

Mr.Thomas had a way of exspressing his thoughts and feelings he put it to great use

I know this isn't exactly erudite academic comment onthe poem but I came back to this one on finding it in a crossword puzzle I was doing on the was back from the hospice being with a friend in their final hours. Despite 6 months of cancer and a brain tumour, until the week before he died, he was hoping they'd hurry up and get his drugs right so he could go home. In those final hours his raging against that dying of the light was all too clear and finding the poem in the puzzle was one of those serendipitous events that give comfort in the randomness of life. I came into work and have it printed out at my desk - a lesson for living.

I just got home from seeing "United 93" and the line "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" just kept running through my head the entire part of the movie where they are fighting the terrist back. This poem speaks to all of us in the US & all other countries being "terriorized". We will NOT go gentle into that good night EVER again!

I'm writing a commentary on this poem for a school presentation. We could choose between almost a hundred poems, but I chose this one because I absolutely love it!!

What a compelling poem. I did not appreciate it fully until I reread it several times. I have reached an age where the advent of going "into the night" is more and more present, however, the poem has shown me that while there is any life at all, it's precious. So, when I finally "go" it will be kicking and cursing all the way!

This poem keeps playing on my mind as I watch my husband battle end stage heart failure and hope for a battle not a surrender. He mainly remains feisty but signs of exhaustion if not tacit acceptance are creeping in. A heart transplant is remote and as yet unlikely but this poem urges such a step. A way to rage
against the inevitable and buy more time for a man not ready to go gently. Therese

I used this poem in one of my english classes for two reasons: it's packed with figures of speech and it talks about one of the realities of life all of us must understand.I admire the speaker in the poem, the son who loves his father by believing in his strength, that life is still worth living even to the brink of death.

Teh poem for me is an inspirational piece- its about not resting on our laurels!

wut is this poem about?

This is a lovely poem,written by Dylan Thomas to his father when he was sick.He builds courage in his father to face death and to fight against it.This is not noly to his father but to every man.

after reading this poem i came to the conclusion that this man is greeving his fathers near death. "do not go gentle" is the main part of this poem because it is symbolic to dylan telling his father to fight like he has done the past years. it is a sad yet understandable poem during the struggle for life

as far as i can tell this poem is about a man pleading with his dying father. he is pleading that his father should not give up the fight and should live life to the bitter end. a line from the poem sais "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" i interperite this as him being angry because his fathers light is fading (his will to live) "the greatness of life is directly proportional to the quality of your thoughts"

Through my life time experiences, i've experienced moments where a very important individual in my life was on the verge of self destruction but devotion and a lust for life kept them going to successfully break through the collision of the unwanted obstacle. The message within the poem 'Rage against the raging of the light' reminds me and shows me that hope and faith is always from within and is thouraghly brought out as long as theres belive!!!

This poem is very inspiring; the fact that even whilst Dylan Thomas’s father is on his death bed he writes this beautiful poem trying to get his father to fight against what is killing him. Dylan Thomas’s poem shows that he has not given up the fight so neither should his father “Do not go gentle into that good night” meaning that if he is to die he must not just let it happen, he must fight till the very end.

This poem is a brilliant metaphorical reprensentation to the resitance of death and the ability of people who are close to loved ones to display blatant love and support for them.

The poem is very deep as his father is on his death bed, whilst his son Dylan is trying to fight for his dads life as well as he is trying to inspire his father to fight for his own life. This poem also makes you realize the importance of life and shows we must not waste our life at all as it is precious. The poem only made me realize the importance of it after reading it several times.

Hi all!!!
I think this poem is exceptional. it has metophorical values... but i like it most since it is written in a style i am most fond of

I think that this poem can inspire a lot of people who have given up on life and don't have the need to fight anymore. Dylan Thomas wrote this poem as a dedication to his dying father. As an encouragement to get his father to not give up fighting and lose himself. Thomas wanted his father to go back to how he was before he became ill. The poem is very well structured and consists of many different figures of speach. the form of this poem is called Villanelle. Overall this poem is meaninful and definitely comes from the heart.

This poem shows the love Thomas had for his father, his father taught him to speak only english from a young age and this propelled Thomas to start creating poetry and other pieces of writing..brillaint poem =)

It is a harmful experience that he had to go through and it is nice that he is acknowledging he's father death. Its a nice poem.

“Do not go gentle into that good night” is a poem that has a lot of depth based on the fact that it is about death which is something that everybody tries to forget and not talk about. It shows the love that Dylan Thomas had for his father as he convinces him that he needs to and must keep on fighting to stay alive.

The poem is very effective in its way of showing a sons love for his dying father. The structure of the poem as a villanelle is very capturing with its rhyme scheme aba, and then in the sixth quatrain, abaa. I really enjoyed reading this poem because it is full of hope and love, where the son prays and believes that his father is strong enough to over come his death, "Rage,rage against the dying of the light". The poem also makes me feel sad and sorry for the son who has to watch his father dying slowly, "And you, my father, there on the sad height". Dylans true life experience is shown unbelievably well through this poem and how he in reality had to sadly watch is father pass away.

This poem resembles a very personal and direct act of sincerity to his father but also encourages everyone beyond barriers of race, gender, and culture, which is the quality in writing that is lacking today.

I have always understood that death is inevitable and that we can't prevent it, we should just accept it... But then I read this poem and to me it means not only that you shouldn't let your body die; but that you shouldn't let your spirit die either..

I enjoy this poem, because it depicts how everyone is scared of death. Also, anyone who has lost a family member or friend to a disease and has watched them struggle, can relate to the poets view of trying to allow the person to fight and not give in. I have lost a family member to cancer and i can relate to what he is saying.

I believe that Thomas's poem is very emotional. It steps away from the normal villanelle style, his use of adjectives is very strong in the poem, as well as the use of figurative language.

I feel the poet is being quite selfish because his father might not want to rage or fight anymore. However the style he chose makes the poem interesting and his unwavering defiance on his fathers behalf is admirable. This is a good poem and it's memorable.

I think this poem is an interesting view of death. It does not fear death, but protests to people simply giving up living, and dying. The poem is a good one, which is interesting to analyse, but can not be over analysed, for then it ruins the poem. It is very well written and thought out, and the figures of speech make it even more interesting. A truely unique view on death, which makes it a truely unique poem.

I enjoyed this poem a lot as it was very clever but also significant towards life and the emotions that one faces in this situation. His use of metaphors most of the time gives the poem more meaning too.

This poem was at times sad and made you think of whether you are wasting your life or not, but also motivational to help you realise that you should live your life to the fullest:)

This poem is a very deep representation of death and accepting it. The resistence shown by the poet when composing his poem is very admirable.

The poem was very emotional and clearly shows the love he had for his father.

This poem was very powerful and clever it deels with death and its clever as he reffers to his dads death through out the poem.it also creates a very sad and depressing mood.

This poem was deep and somewhat forfilling to show no matter what you do you will die it prewriten and its inevitable so the poem tell you "the sky is the limit when you keep going and keep on pressing on" Notorious B.I.G

The poem was very emotional, i cried, and it truly showed the love and respect that dylan had for his father. Blah blah blah blah blah

supa duper coooool poem!kwl beans!

This poem represents an often misunderstood and judged point of view and lifestyle. I love how the poet stresses that the reader should just live as much as they can, fearlessly. He encourages that they never hold back so that later when it is too late, they dont regret missing opprotunities to just live. Powerful =)

the poem with the title dont go gentle into that cold night was extremely cool and amazing. he is obviousely a bit phased about his fathers unfortunate death.

This poem is very touching although I had to read it a couple of times to really understand its intention. Its seems simple in a way that you think it is only about raging against death yet it has many hidden messages and meanings waiting to be deciphered, especially the comparison between different types of men. This poem has made me think about life and how I should live it to the full.

Though the poem is very powerful in both message and focus, its greatest strength is undoubtedly the medium (the villainel) which serves to both progress the poem and refocus on upon its key message; that of rage and rebellion. Truly a very heartfelt poem.
--------------- COMPLETELY UNRELATED ------------

It is impossible to lift your right leg and turn it in clockwise circles and trace a six in the air with you left hand at the same time.

This poem is powerful in both its literal and figurative meanings. It reaches out to all different types of people, old or young, male or female, etc. To be honest, I did not understand the complete meaning behind this poem at first, but after analysing each stanza, the meaning is pretty transparent. Villanelles have a way of sticking with me because of their repetitive rhymes and lines- very effective.

I enjoyed this poem in the ways that it discusses how not even the wise, the wild, the brave and the good 'men' are ready to die. And the fact that it says that no one is ever ready to die as everyone fears death, and cannot accept the fact that one day you won't exist anymore... You need to take control of your life and fight against death... do not give into it. It was very Inspirational

This poem, for me, was incredibly meaningful. It shows you how you must live life to the fullest and fight death the best you can. It shows how no matter who you are, you can live your life the best way you can. No matter what goals you have, that is what makes you unique, what is important to you may not be important to some one else, all that matters is that you live life, dont have any regrets!

The poem surfaces mixed emotions in me. I enjoyed this peom as it highlights the value of life, life is something we continuosly fight for and if we do not fight we lose our will to live. No one will ever be ready to die and for this reason we do not need to accept death but rather live and fight it.

very very very intellegent poem!très bien fait "i mr décédé il ya longtemps" i think that this poem is very deep and deals with a fairly difficult issue that many people can not accept....it is 1 of those certainties in life, we will all die and we will all pay tax until we die. i love rugby i love miss ouriachi and i love this poem! thank you and goodnight everybody.

I found this poem to be very dark and hard-hitting. The poem reveals a lot about the writers father. At first I did not fully understand what the poem was about, but then once analysed it became clear as to what the poet was trying to say. The specific style of this poem makes the fact even more hard hitting, with the reppetitive lines. Although I do not believe in the whole "fight against death" idea, I am a more "go with the flow" type of person. So if death comes my way, I will accept it.

the poem is saying you can never be ready for death which kind of sucks because despite all the things I've done and all the things i will do it still won't be enough to say I've lived my life to the fullest.
(Yeah! Thats right, I can be deep)

This poem cleverly portrays the life of the poets father's life, the words "Do not go gental into that good night" is a very powerfull way of saying not to give into death. Although this poem in my mind does appear to be quite dark and mysterious, especially the repettitive line "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" once it has been analysised line by line it has a very deep meaning, and is very well meant. It is not a hate peom as I, and am sure many other people thought so when they first read it. I feel personally that it is a good peom, amd it is memorable.

This poem has a very significant message. One which I believe is very important in life. The idea of the poem is to not “go gentle into that good night”, namely do not die before you have really lived. I think it is one of the finest poems I have read as the message is applicable to everyone. All people need to do what they want to do, seize the day, before it is too late. Do not have any regrets when your time is almost up. The poem is also beautifully written. It is in a style that is not easy to write, yet it still manages to portray a vital point and has very descriptive imagery. I really enjoyed it! 

The more I read this poem and delve into its meaning, the more noteworthy I think the message becomes. This poem puts the way you choose your life's path into perspective and leads you to question whether your life will be one you look back on and do not regret. Do not accept the idea of living a dull and bland life, fight to live life the way you would love to live. Live your life to the fullest while you still have the chance so that when you cannot, you would have left your mark upon the earth. This is definitely one of the finest and most potent poems I have ever read.

"Do not go gentle into that good night" is a poem describing and expressing deep thoughts and emotions regarding death. I loved the poem as it gives you a reason to not give up against death, but to fight for your life. The poem is powerful and touches the hearts and minds of people.

This peom is very deep and meaningful and explains that death will inevitably come but you have a lot of control on when it will happen. You must live life to the fullest and dont give up on it when things get tough. If you have experienced someone close to you in the same sisuation as this poem it means a lot more to you.

This poem was assigned to me to recite it in class, and then I had to choose another poem by Dylan to discuss his themes, meaning, and language. I decided to stick with this one to speak about. The assignment kind of annoyed me even though the other 45 kids had one of their own poets too. Once I started learning about him, I found him extremely interesting and I understand and respect this poem, as well as the others, a lot more. I hope I remember this poem my whole life, I'm only 16 haha.