Comparing Death in Do not Go Gentle into That Good Night and Australia,

Rage against Death in Dylan Thomas’ "Do not Go Gentle into That Good Night", and Judith Wright’s "Australia, 1970" Mortality is a subject often contemplated in both traditional and modern poetry. Traditionally, death has been viewed as a great leveler of people, and as a frightening, yet noble experience that is best approached with a quiet, dignified, Christ-like acceptance. In the work of some modern poets such as Dylan Thomas and Judith Wright, however, the message is a different one altogether. These poets advise the dying to not assume the role of the martyr, teaching by quiet example; rather, the dying are instructed to "rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas) and "die like the tigersnake" (Wright) in order to send their messages to the living. While these two poets give these startling instructions with different goals in mind, one idea comes across clearly: that the image of the martyr quietly and knowingly accepting death is no longer an image that will satisfy modern poetry as it looks for reason in its examination of impending mortality. In his 1952 poem "Do not Go Gentle into That Good Night", Dylan Thomas examines the idea that entering quietly into death is not the proper way to leave life; instead, as life draws to a close, he instructs his readers to "rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas). At first glance, this could appear to be futile advice, for raging against an inevitable, unalterable experience such as death obviously does nothing to impede its course, and could therefore be seen as a pointless exercise. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that Thomas’s poem does not attempt to fight or ward off death; rather, it attempts to convince others to live fully and ... ...ugh mercilessly taunted by the turncoat crowds, those dying in these poems are instructed to do so violently and wildly, to kick and scream, yet at the same time accept the fact that death is an unstoppable force. By depicting these violent, unorthodox, traditionally ignoble methods in a positive light and instructing others to partake in them, Dylan Thomas and Judith Wright are disassociating themselves with the ‘beneficial martyr’ outlook on life and death adopted by Christianity and instead aligning themselves with a far more rebellious and modernistic school of thought Works Cited and Consulted Stanford, Derek. Dylan Thomas. New York: The Citadel Press, 1986. 116-118. Thomas, Dylan. "Do Not Go Gentle." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 1996 Thomson, A.K. Critical Essays on Judith Wright, ed. 1968. Wright, Judith. Collected Poems 1994. Comparing Death in Do not Go Gentle into That Good Night and Australia, Rage against Death in Dylan Thomas’ "Do not Go Gentle into That Good Night", and Judith Wright’s "Australia, 1970" Mortality is a subject often contemplated in both traditional and modern poetry. Traditionally, death has been viewed as a great leveler of people, and as a frightening, yet noble experience that is best approached with a quiet, dignified, Christ-like acceptance. In the work of some modern poets such as Dylan Thomas and Judith Wright, however, the message is a different one altogether. These poets advise the dying to not assume the role of the martyr, teaching by quiet example; rather, the dying are instructed to "rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas) and "die like the tigersnake" (Wright) in order to send their messages to the living. While these two poets give these startling instructions with different goals in mind, one idea comes across clearly: that the image of the martyr quietly and knowingly accepting death is no longer an image that will satisfy modern poetry as it looks for reason in its examination of impending mortality. In his 1952 poem "Do not Go Gentle into That Good Night", Dylan Thomas examines the idea that entering quietly into death is not the proper way to leave life; instead, as life draws to a close, he instructs his readers to "rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas). At first glance, this could appear to be futile advice, for raging against an inevitable, unalterable experience such as death obviously does nothing to impede its course, and could therefore be seen as a pointless exercise. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that Thomas’s poem does not attempt to fight or ward off death; rather, it attempts to convince others to live fully and ... ...ugh mercilessly taunted by the turncoat crowds, those dying in these poems are instructed to do so violently and wildly, to kick and scream, yet at the same time accept the fact that death is an unstoppable force. By depicting these violent, unorthodox, traditionally ignoble methods in a positive light and instructing others to partake in them, Dylan Thomas and Judith Wright are disassociating themselves with the ‘beneficial martyr’ outlook on life and death adopted by Christianity and instead aligning themselves with a far more rebellious and modernistic school of thought Works Cited and Consulted Stanford, Derek. Dylan Thomas. New York: The Citadel Press, 1986. 116-118. Thomas, Dylan. "Do Not Go Gentle." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 1996 Thomson, A.K. Critical Essays on Judith Wright, ed. 1968. Wright, Judith. Collected Poems 1994.