Poetry- Example Essay (GCSE) (Do Not Go Gentle)

How does the writer present death in ‘Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night?’

·         Metaphors- ‘close of day,’ ‘dying of the light’

·         Language- ‘wise men,’ ‘frail deeds,’- own father etc. Irony (death- weak, dying- strong)

·         Form and structure- Villanelle poem- like a prayer/hymn- religious connotations (funeral)

·         Mood- empowering- makes the reader stop fearing death but rather see it as one final challenge.

‘Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night’ is about a son who is begging his father to fight against death, and not just let it take him without any struggle. The writer uses a variety of techniques to present death in the poem.

One way that he does this is through using metaphors. Throughout the poem, there are numerous metaphors for death, such as ‘close of day’ and ‘dying of the light.’ ‘Close of day’ suggests that death is like sleeping. This suggests that death is a peaceful thing, and perhaps that the person that is dying will wake up to something better- like a heaven. The writer’s purpose for using metaphors is to make death seem like a more understandable concept and take away the fear that is often associated with dying. By comparing death to sleep and suggesting that there may be something better waiting on the other side, the writer brings comfort to the reader and almost makes them see death as more of a peaceful thing than something that should be feared. This, however, is contradicted when the writer says things like ‘rage against the dying of the light,’ which suggests that a peaceful death is not as significant as that of someone who has fought the peace until the end.

The writer using language to strengthen these ideas about fighting against death throughout the other tercets and the final quatrain. ‘Gentle’ and ‘rave’ show a contrast in language. This is used by the writer to show the difference between what death should be met with, and what it should not. ‘Gentle’ is a calm and peaceful word, whereas ‘rave’ suggests strength, anger and will. ‘Rave’ is a much stronger word than ‘gentle,’ and so it overpowers it, like the way that the writer thinks that dying overpowers death. Irony is used by the writer. Death is described as being weak and powerless, whereas dying is considered strong and almost admirable. This shows the writers views on death, and that he believes that death is much easier than life, and so people should choose the most difficult option and fight to hold onto life. Further on in the poem, the writer suggests things about his own father. It is said that ‘wise men’ fight against death, even if they know that it is the right thing for them. This could suggest that the writer’s father is starting to give up on life, and is maybe beginning to see death as the best option for him. The writer is trying to tell his father that he must hold on, even if it is not easy and he does not want to, and that he would be a wise man if he did that. This suggests that the writer believes death to be for the weak and feeble people, as the wise people know that it must be fought against.

The writer has used a villanelle form for his poem. This gives the poem a song-like feel to it, almost like a hymn or a prayer. The writer has chosen to do this to extend the theme of death throughout the entire poem, as prayers are said at funerals after people have died. Hymns are also religious songs that are sung at funerals, and so the writer is trying to suggest that death has taken the person that the funeral is for, but that they fought death until the end. The poem is a popular choice for funerals, as it can often bring the family of the person that has died peace to hear that their loved one fought with all of their might until the very end. This emphasises the message of fighting death, as it makes the reader or listener also want to be remembered as someone that tried to live rather than gave into death, and so they will try to do the same when it comes to their death.

The mood of the poem could be described as many different things. Some may describe it as a sombre and depressing poem, as it is talking about people dying, and the writer is asking his father to try and hang onto life. However, I believe that the poem has more of an empowering mood. This is because of the thought that people should fight against death, and that the writer has used many words which, when together, form an almost unbreakable barrier between the reader and death itself. The language that the writer has used makes the reader feel, in a way, invincible against death and gives them the will to carry on fighting to live. This can really empower people and unite them against dying in an easy way, as the writer believes is wrong. The mood, in my opinion, is far from depressing, as it is not the writer talking about death, but talking about life. This emphasises the message of death, as it shows that it will never be strong enough to outdo life, and it is simply one final challenge in the lives of strong people.