The Use Of Imagery In The Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Perhaps the most terrifying entity to humans is the concept of unstoppable death. We are all extremely aware that death will be our inevitable fate some day, but how one goes about coming to terms with this reality, or not, is entirely left to the individual to be dealt with. Specifically, Dylan Thomas’ poem, 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,' showcases his view of death, as he places a rather strong emphasis and a sense of anger towards the nature of death. The piece takes a personal toll on the speaker, who reveals in the last stanza that his own father is dying. Through the use of various literary devices such as tone, repetition, imagery, symbolism, and stanza structure, Thomas relays his message of living life to its fullest extent by demonstrating pivotal themes related to harnessing all aspects of life. Those who actually lived out their lives to their best capabilities will be able to see how life has been “bright” for them, before they go towards their demise, accepting death.

To commence, many artistic aspects within the poem, specifically tone, imagery and symbolism, contribute figuratively to the development of Thomas’ argument that all men experience death, but they fight for their life, regardless. Primarily, the tone progresses as the poem does; it is loving, downhearted, and adamant. In fact, it seems to grow in it’s intensity as the piece continues until the end, when he directly addresses his father. By carrying this type of tone, it brings an emotionally heavy aura to the poem. Continuing, light and darkness are two symbols that contribute to the grand scheme of this piece. The poem commences with a cautioning to keep from “that good night”, and the poem alternates between nightfall and “the dying of the light”, which is a dramatized way of referring to a sunset. Actually, the sun, which is the greatest source of light, is only mentioned to have a rapid appearance. In this manner, Thomas is using the sun as a symbol of all that is beautiful, alive, and splendid within the world; everything about living that is worth celebrating. Specifically, daytime is meant to represent life, just as night represents death, and sunset represents the moment right before death. Within the poem, the focus on nightfall, and the last lingering of light serves as a reminder that life can easily slip away from us, just as light does as night approaches. The darkness, or death, is what seems to preoccupy the speaker, not the light, or life itself. It could be doubly noted that the in-and-out motions of light and dark could be an allusion to the cycle in which life proceeds.

The way in which readers experience the poem, and appreciate its imagery, is essentially through the senses. In “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” Thomas utilizes the use of visual imagery, in referring to different modes of light and darkness. The speaker of the poem explains that 'wise men at their end know dark is right, /Because their words had forked no lightning'(lines 4-5). Literally, forked lightning is a line of light that divides into several smaller lines near the bottom, almost like the roots of a plant. With this comparison, the speaker is making a point on the attitude wise men hold towards death; they are fully aware that death is inevitable and believe that, with their wisdom, they will be able to influence others and leave a mark by 'their words'. However, their words “forked no lightning”, they have failed to make some sort of influence on the world. Additionally, the following tercet explains the rage that good men also feel towards death, alongside wise men. The lines, 'Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright/Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay” (line), give a vivid description of a wave about to crash against the shore, alluding to their deaths. The green bay is representative of life, filled with a plethora of sea plants/life. This “last wave” can be interpreted as the generation of “good men” who are close to death, and are attempting to rebuke death by exclaiming their deeds. All in all, the imagery of “Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night” develops the meaning of the poem. Thomas does an excellent job in conveying resistance towards death with a multitude of emotions, and descriptions, of fighting death; as his cautioning advice throughout the piece is 'do not go gentle.'