Life Too Short

The poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas is an anxious appeal from a son to a father. It makes readers feel sad and somewhat sorry for the narrator, because they can relate to his desperate plea. The author uses repetition, symbols, and examples to convey to the reader the poem's meaning. In doing this, the author shows that a person should not accept death, but that they should fight against its inevitability, and win a few more moments of precious life.

In the poem, the narrator tells his father to "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" (3,9,15,19). The word 'rage' refers to an intense anger, and 'dying of the light' is symbolic of death. Readers understand that in this line of the poem, the narrator is telling his father to be angry at death and not to accept it. This line is repeated four times, which is indicative of the importance of these words, as the narrator implores his father not to give in to death. The line "Do not go gentle into that good night" is also repeated four times in the poem, again showing emphasis and imparting to the reader the meaning of the poem (1, 6, 12, 18). The 'good night' is a euphemism for death. The narrator is again telling his father to struggle against death, so that he can prolong his life.

The narrator also describes the traits of different types of men when speaking to his father. He does this in order to convince his father that he must be angry at death and use what strength he has left to fight it. In the second and third stanzas of the poem, the narrator tells his father about two types of men. He first speaks about "wise men" that would not accept death, "because their words had forked no lightning" (4, 5). The narrator uses symbols to illustrate why these intelligent men would not accept death. These symbols explain that the wise men's words had no major impact on humankind, and, even though they are intelligent and know death is inevitable, they do not give into it without a struggle. These men want more time to make their words have a greater impact on the human race. The narrator goes on to tell his father about the "Good men"(7). These men are like the wise men; they too would like more time. As they wave their last good bye, as represented by the words "the last wave by," they realize that they are not ready to depart from the world, because they want to do more to help humanity, and so they fight against death (7).

In stanzas four and five, the narrator continues to try convincing his father to struggle for life by telling him about two more types of men. He speaks to his father about the "Wild men"(10). These men did not lead very good lives, and they "sang the sun in flight"(10). The author uses the words 'sun' and 'flight' to symbolize life as the sun, and the trials of life as its movement across the sky in preparation for a sunset that represents an end to life. These men were happy with their lives, and they 'sang'. As death approached them, they regretted their wrong doings and realized they needed more time. They fought against death so that they might have enough life left to repent and make their lives right. Finally, the narrator tells his father about the "Grave men"(13). Readers understand that the author uses 'grave' as a symbol of seriousness. These men were so serious that they were unable to see how enjoyable life could be, as symbolized by the words "blinding sight" (13). Then, near death, they realize that "blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay"(14). The narrator is telling his father that these blind men realize, while dying, just how blind they had been. They believe