2008 - Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC)

P o e t r y E x p l i c a t i o n
ENGL 1302: Composition and Rhetoric II. Brianna
Moore explicates Dylan Thomas’ poem “Do Not
Go Gentle into That Good Night.” Her explication is
short but thorough in how she examines the rhyme,
sound, and other literary devices to understand what
Thomas is trying to say and why he is saying it in
this way. Her ability to see the smaller details is what
makes this explication strong.
Paullett Golden
Death Be Not
Tranquil
by Brianna Moore
Dylan Thomas wrote the villanelle “Do Not Go Gentle into
That Good Night” on behalf of his dying father, David John
Thomas. Through several literary devices and the comparison
of four diverse, elderly men, Thomas expresses to the reader
why death should not come without one last fighting struggle.
Thomas “advocates affirming life up until the last breath, rather
than learning to accept death quietly” (Napierkowski 50).
The meaning of this poem relies mostly on the descriptions
of four types of enlightened men, presumably adjectives
to describe Thomas’s Father, and their attitudes as death
approaches. The “wise men” are distinguished scholars and
philosophers “known and measured for their words,” and they,
being more knowledgeable than most, openly accept death
(Napierkowski 53). But still these men’s words have “forked
no lightning,” meaning they still have many words and notions
left unwritten and unspoken; their purpose has not yet been
fulfilled. In correlation to the unfinished works of the wise men,
Thomas ends the fifth line in midsentence as representation of
their partially delivered messages. The following stanza speaks
of “good men” who give their “last wave by.” Morally, these men
have lived commendable, admirable lives. However, these men
are “crying” out in protest because they, like the wise men, have
not completed life’s journey; they have not accomplished all the
goals they sought to achieve. The third type of man Thomas
describes is much different than the earlier, more subtle men.
The “wild men” have lived life fully and contently without realizing
the vast approach of death and perhaps, due to sinfulness and
lack of forgiveness, are not ready to attend their final judgment
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