Death and Dylan Thomas Essay -- Literary Analysis

Dylan Thomas, a famous 20th century poet from Wales once said that poetry is â€Å"the rhythmic, inevitably narrative, movement from an over clothed blindness to a naked vision† and that it â€Å"must drag further into the clear nakedness of light† (â€Å"Dylan Marlais Thomas† 189). Though his poetry, Thomas often sought to reveal aspects of life that are often overlooked in order to reveal important truths about them. Like many authors, his experiences influenced his writing and revealed many important themes such as the â€Å"celebration of the divine purpose that he saw in all human and natural processes†(â€Å"Dylan Marlais Thomas† 189). Growing up and living during the times of the bombings of London and the massive death tolls of World War II, Thomas’ poetry depicts a war torn society, which contributes to his themes dealing with death- the inevitability of death and the acceptance of death as part of the cycle of nature. In Thomas’ poem â€Å"Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night,† a child urges his dying father to â€Å"rage, rage against the dying of light†(3). This poem acts as a reflection of Thomas’ own feelings towards the death of his own father from cancer. This poem reflects Thomas’ own â€Å"raging against and rejoicing in both the limits and possibilities of all human forms† as well as a â€Å"vivid declaration of love and fear†(Persoon 2). Although many people wish for their relatives to die in peace, this son wishes his father to fight off the evilness of death and fight toward the light showing the paradoxical nature of the poem. For example, the speaker says â€Å"dark is right†(4), â€Å"blinding sight†(13), and â€Å"curse, bless, me now†(17). All of these phrases contribute to the paradoxical nature of the poem and reveal the overall sentiment that although deat... ... to mourn the death, by fire, of a child in London,† and â€Å"Ceremony After A Fire Raid,† Dylan Thomas sought to describe the realities he faced such as death and shed light onto the acceptance of death as a part of the cycle of nature. His poems catch the â€Å"imagination and the spirit [and] understanding of the people who endured the Depression and World War II† and embody a â€Å"fearless†¦search for reality and a limited hope in a world bereft of its traditional theological certainties†(Knepper 3838). In a world where many people fear death and the consequences that death presents, we must accept it as part of the cycle of nature and realize that we can try to fight death, but in the end, death is inevitable. Mankind must remember that â€Å"human beings will die in many ways and places† but in the end, â€Å"their bodies will return to the elements and be scattered†(Knepper 3839).