
This first stanza almost acts as something of a thesis statement for the rest of the poem since it clearly defines and outlines the speaker’s beliefs about aging and death.


When he says, “rage, rage against the dying of the light" it is clear that the dying light is means darkness, which is a metaphor for death and that in old age, we should “burn" with life, which brings to mind images of brightness, light, and life. When the speaker of “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas states in the second line of the first stanza, “Old age should burn and rave at the close of day Rage, rage against the dying of that light" he is expressing the idea that moving toward death should not be something we do in a resigned way, but rather that we should fight it and go out in a blaze of glory. In many ways, one could read this poem and provide the suggestion in an analysis of “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” saying it is as a statement about living a strong life and refusing to go down quietly just as easily as it can be read as a poem about death and the process of dying or aging. This is followed by four stanzas that offer examples of what he is expressing followed by the last stanza, the third part, in which the tone becomes far more personal as the speaker talks about his father. Interestingly, this poem can be divided into three parts, the first of which acts as an introduction to the speaker’s message. The speaker of the poem “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas seems to think it is not honorable or befitting for a great or interesting man to die quietly in old age and he encourages the reader to think that death is something that should be fought rather than mutely accepted. Through the structure of “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas as well as the use and choice of language that invokes certain images and employs certain techniques that arouse deep imagery/ In general, it is clear that this is a poem about death and dying but when examined closer, it becomes apparent that it is also about life and how it is lived.

There are six stanzas in “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas with a simple rhyme structure that belies the complex message of the poem. In this analysis of “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas, it will be explored how this is a poem that explores the helplessness associated with growing old and inching toward death.
