Tham Kah Loon (4H1 – 26)Literature Home-Based Learning

DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Pre-Lesson Reflection• “the sound should seem an echo of the sense”• This reflects the great effort poets have to take in order to select words which suit the mood of the poem, and thus can effectively convey the message of the poem. For example, happy sounds such as “tinkle” should not appear in a gloomy poem about death.• The poem is essentially meant to be read aloud, and as such, the sound produced by each syllable and word should evoke feelings in the reader, and the skilful poet is one who is able to manipulate the emotions of the reader through the words that roll off his tongue.• The power of sound can be easily illustrated by the phrase “cellar door”, which is claimed to be the most melodious-sounding phrase in the English language. • Hence, the sound should be used to supplement the meaning of the poem.

Pre-Lesson Reflection (cont.d)• Rhyme:• The cat/Oh so fat End rhyme, where the words at the end of

the lines rhyme + Masculine rhyme (1 syllable)• I pity the flower/That has lost its power Also end rhyme, but

feminine rhyme, as it has 2 syllables

• Rhythm:• “gather, feeling” one stressed syllable followed by an

unstressed syllable (trochaic)• “heartbreak, wineglass” two stressed syllables (spondee)

• Assonance:• “free, easy” close repetition of similar vowel sounds (‘ee’)• “time, mind” close repetition of the ‘I’ vowel sound

Pre-Lesson Reflection (cont.d)• Consonance:• “flip, flop” close reptition of identical consonant sounds

before and after different vowels• “hip, hop”

• Onomatopeia:• “hiss” use of word whose sound expresses or reinforces their

meanings (in this case, imitation of a snake)• “bang” imitates gunshot or loud noise

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night – Dylan Thomas

• The poem is addressed to his father, and shows the poet being touched by death personally and the mood is not calm nor accepting. It protests against the inevitability of death with language that is forceful and emotive.• Dylan Thomas structures his poem in the form of a villanelle, which is a very rigid poetic form, and by doing so, he is forced to control his grief within a restrictive pattern of rhyme and repetition.• The tightness of the villanelle structure is directly juxtaposed with the personal tone, as he attempts to move away from the personal tone towards the presentation of an objective case.• The use of verbs such as “burn”, “rage” and “rave” are part of an emotive plea to his father that he should defy death, and the use of imperatives such as “Do not go” adds force to this.

• In the poem, only the first and final stanzas are addressed directly to his father. The other stanzas bring the theme to a broader level by addressing ‘death’ in a range of contexts, addressing “wise men”, “good men”, “wild men” and “grave men”.• The use of juxtaposition (“dark/lightning”, “sang/grieved”) underpin his plea for defiance in the face of death, bringing to mind the fact that in the face of death, there is still life present.• The diction and imagery employed brings to mind ‘light’, as words such as “burn” and “blaze” and “the sun in flight” create a positive mood despite the theme of death.• Dylan Thomas cleverly employs ambiguous diction in order to create several layers of meaning in his poem. For example, the phrase “grave men” can refer to both serious men and men at the point of death.

• Thomas makes many euphemistic references to death, such as “into that good night” and “at close of day”, keeping the harsh reality of death at a distance. This symbolizes a lack of fulfilment and the refrains employed in the poem are like incantations urging his father to fight against the inevitable.• The repetition of the lines “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” are reminiscient of rallying, as Dylan Thomas implores his father not to give up without a fight. • The rhyme scheme of aba-aba-aba-aba also creates a chanting, haunting mood in the poem, underpinning the theme of death.• The internal rhyme employed in “Old age should burn and rage at close of day” as well as onomatopoeia of the sound “age” brings to mind a burning flame, symbolizing life.

• In the poem, “wise men” are portrayed as knowing the inevitability of death, yet because they feel that they have not yet fulfilled their purpose in life completely, they are unwilling to succumb to death.• On the other hand, “good men” refers to men who have done many a good deeds, and are unwilling to succumb to death because they could have done more to help others.• “Wild men” are unwilling to succumb to death because they have “caught and sang the sun in flight”, and hence feel that their time is not yet up, for they are unwilling to see the sun go down, symbolizing the end of life.• The use of oxymorons in the poem, especially in the phrase “blinding sight” refers to the fact that the people who are on the verge of death are the ones who see the clearest, for they have learnt to look at life from a detached, new perspective.

• In conclusion, the use of light imagery contrasted with the gloomy undertones of death, as well as the brilliant rhyme scheme employed, create a contrasting mood with several layers of feelings, thus effectively bringing about feelings of confusion in the reader, reflecting the difficulties of dealing with such a harsh theme as death.

Post-Lesson Reflection• I feel that sound is in fact extremely important in poetry, and I enjoy reading poems in which sound is cleverly manipulated In order to create specific emotions and feelings.• For a poem which relies heavily on aural poetic devices, I feel that the poem God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins is especially significant, as he effectively allows him to control and develop his theme through the tightness of the Italian sonnet form, and the four recurring end rhymes are effective in underpinning his theme of the power of God. Alliteration is also extremely significant in the poem.• For a poem in which sound is not as important (while this is disputable), I feel that Robert Burns’ poem A Red, Red Rose is significant, as he employs metaphors, similes and imagery in order to convey his feelings towards his lover.

Post-Lesson Reflection• I prefer the use of visual poetic devices, especially in the way employed by poets such as Sylvia Plath. For example, in the poems “Daddy”, “Lady Lazarus” and “Getting There”, the imagery employed of a fragmented post-war Europe in which death dominates is extremely vivid and convincing. I feel that visual poetic devices are more effective and profound in evoking emotions in the reader, as compared to aural poetic devices, which I feel are more of “sound effects” meant to complement the poem, and incapable of bringing about the same intensity of emotions as visual poetic devices do.