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Do not go gentle into that good night
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Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle composed in 1952, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953). Originally published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951, it also appeared as part of the collection "In Country Sleep." Written for his dying father, it is one of Thomas's most-quoted works.
The poem has no title other than its first line, “Do not go gentle into that good night”, a line which appears as a refrain throughout the poem.
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Encyclopedia
Do not go gentle into that good night, a villanelle composed in 1952, is considered to be among the finest works by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953). Originally published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951, it also appeared as part of the collection "In Country Sleep." Written for his dying father, it is one of Thomas's most-quoted works.
The poem has no title other than its first line, “Do not go gentle into that good night”, a line which appears as a refrain throughout the poem. The poem's other, equally famous, refrain is “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”.
Analysis
Thomas watched his father, formerly in the Army, grow weak and frail with old age. Thus, the speaker in his poem tries to convince his father to fight against imminent death. The speaker addresses his father using wise men, good men, wild men, or grave men as examples to illustrate the same message: that no matter how they have lived their lives or what they feel at the end they should die fighting. It is one of Thomas' most popular, most easily accessible poems, and implies that one should not die without fighting for one's life, or after life.
Another explication is that the speaker admits that death is unavoidable, but encourages all men to fight death. This is not for their own sake, but to give closure and hope to the kin that they will leave behind. To support this, he gives examples of wise men, good men, wild men, and grave men to his father, who was dying at the time this poem was written. There is little textual evidence for this interpretation, however, except the words "curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray." Also, it has been historically stated that Thomas never showed this poem to his father; if so, it would seem that Thomas composed it more for his own benefit than his father's.
A third reading of the poem observes the possibility that the speaker's listing of various reactions of men in their final hours is a self-addressed rationalization of his father's scolding catharsis before passing on. The line "Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray," might then suggest a negative interaction between the two generations, and because historical evidence leads readers to believe that the poet never in fact showed this poem to his father, it would not be ridiculous to think that Thomas wrote the poem knowing that his father was not the designated audience at all. He cites all of human beings' rage, regardless of disposition, against death, and perhaps attempts to write off this negative interaction as a natural byproduct of death's impending arrival.
Another reading of this poem shows the author's own fear of death. He seems to fear having little separation between life and death such as in John Donne's poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning", where:
"As virtuous men pass mildly away,
- And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
- "Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."
It shows the author's fear that there is very little that separates life from death. As such he feels the need for a strong indication of the difference between the two. It does not even matter whether he is being blessed or cursed, he wants to see a reaction (l. 17). The poem could be written as well in the hope that the speaker would be able to see his dying father. He gives the impression that since wise men, good men, wild men and grave men all regret leaving this world his father as well should not be wanting to leave this world without a fight. It seems to be a wild hope, that he will be able to see his father before he passes; that each will be able to say those last words to each other - whether curses or blessings.
In popular culture
- In the Doctor Who episode The Shakespeare Code the poem is referenced when The Doctor quotes the line, "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Shakespeare said he might use it and the Doctor responds by saying "You can't. It's somebody else's".
- At the end of the Northern Exposure episode "Northern Lights," Chris Stevens (played by John Corbett), Cicely's enigmatic and oracular disc jockey, reveals his yearly artistic endeavor. The "light sculpture," an agglomeration of light fixtures stolen from about town, fills the city center. To herald its unveiling, he gives a speech quoting Dylan Thomas (along with John Henry Newman, Isaiah 60:1, and Psalms 119:105): "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
- In the film Dragnet (1988), Reverend Jonathan Whirley references the poem by stating: "he is not going gentle into that good night."
- In the 1979 film, Norma Rae, Sally Field's character asks about a book which union organizer Reuben Warshowsky is reading. He aswers to her it is a Dylan Thomas's book, and when she starts browsing the book, he recites "Rage, rage against the dying of the light".
- In the Family Guy episode "Fore Father," Stewie becomes ill and delirious after receiving booster shots and, just before passing out, says "Getting dizzy! Fight it, Stewie. 'Do not go gentle into that good night,' to quote Bob Dylan. No, no, Dylan Thomas."
- In the drama series Rain Shadow Jill Blake uses the poem to persuade Kate McDonald to use stolen vaccine instead of alerting the authorities about the spread of yonies among sheep in the district. The poem is most effective as it is quoted on the tombstone of Kate's late husband.
- Australian Jeannie Lewis dramatically sang and recorded the poem in her 1973 album Free Fall Through Featherless Flight
- Igor Stravinsky also wrote a musical work in 1954, "n Memoriam Dylan Thomas", that included this poem to commemorate the deceased poet.
- Rodney Dangerfield spouts this poem in his hit movie Back to School. When asked what the poem means to him, he responds: “It means... I don't take shit from no one”.
- A paraphrase of the first line of the poem and its refrain was made memorable to an unwitting popular audience in the 1996 blockbuster action movie Independence Day during a critical speech by the President Whitmore character (played by Bill Pullman), demonstrating the poem's highly effective rhetorical value. "We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"
- The final line was also borrowed for the title of the 2001 film, Against the Dying of the Light, which commemorated the work of the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales. The archive houses several rare recordings of Dylan Thomas himself, including his own reading of this very poem. This same line, "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" was also used by the English black metal band Anaal Nathrakh as the title for the last track on their 2004 album Domine Non Es Dignus, which uses the poem as lyrics.
- In the novel Soldier of Light by John de Lancie the main character at end quotes this poem.
- "Into That Good Night" was the title of the final episode of the sitcom Roseanne.
- Australian band Compliments of Gus put the poem to music on their album "There and Somewhere Here" (released April 2000).
- In the television series, St. Elsewhere. The final episode, "Addiction," includes a scene in which an elderly doctor discusses his yearning to be young again with his colleague at the hospital. His colleague responds with, "Rage, rage against the dying light."
- The sixth episode of the third season of NBC's Heroes is entitled "Chapter 6: Dying of the Light"
- Legendary Filipino band The Jerks made use of the lines "go not gently into the night" and "rage against the dying of the light" in their song "Rage" featured in their 1997 self-titled album under Star Records.
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