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Poem

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 that 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.

Short Poem Analysis

"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas is a powerful and emotional plea to fight against death. The poem is structured as a villanelle, with repeating lines that emphasize the speaker's urgency and desperation to keep their loved ones alive. The poem presents a contrast between those who "rage, rage against the dying of the light" and those who accept their fate peacefully. Thomas suggests that it is better to fight and resist death, even if it ultimately proves futile, than to simply give in to it. The poem is a celebration of the human spirit and the power of determination in the face of mortality.

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