Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night: Dylan Thomas

Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night is, on the surface, a very straightforward poem. It is written in standard rhyme without use of free verse or other unusual conventions, there is no use of blank verse or unorthodox rhythm schemes, and even the poem's theme is easy to understand. That being said, it illustrates the direct power of clear, precise, and strong writing and its ability to provoke introspection. It is a gentle, but haunting work of art. Just like how Hemingway proved that you don't need a plethora of adjectives to describe something, you don't need intricate technique to create a beautiful poem. 

The poem uses an extended metaphor and diction to address the issue of death and its inevitability. Here is the first stanza: 

"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." 

There are six stanzas, all of them very similar in their theme, structure, and use of diction.

They all have the same number of lines [except for the final stanza, which has four lines], same progression of events, and same inevitable conclusion; urging the dying men to rage against the night, to be banished away in a flame of glory rather then fade into the darkness slowly.   

Thomas takes the concept of the good night- in the metaphor,  death- and then contrasts the reactions different types of men have to it. Whether men be wise, wild, good,  or grave, they will, according to Thomas, rage against the good night. No matter how much we think about death, or try to understand the abyss, no matter what level of wisdom or peace we have attained, we will all rage against that night and the dying of the light.  Death makes everyone equal in their insignificance and their lack of acceptance. 

Thomas does not consider this a vice. The final stanza of this poem finds the author urging his own father, who is "there on the sad height" (close to death) to:

"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."

Thomas, just like the men he outlines in his poem, fully admits he does not understand or accept death. He urges his father to fight against the good night- against nature- and to endure and live on. He refuses to see his father slip away like a memory; we would rather he ravaged like a storm. 

This poem showcases one of the paradoxes of humanity. We understand the inevitability of death- and yet refuse to accept it.