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DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
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 serious, somber 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. [1]

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.”[1]

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.

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COMMENTARY: Also, from Wikipedia: “The term MORT GAGE comes from the Old French “dead pledge,” apparently meaning that the pledge ends (DIES) either when the obligation is fulfilled or the property is taken through FORECLOSURE.”

I’ve long been aware that the MORT of ‘mortgage’ means or comes from the root ‘DEATH.’ Many of us are fighting valiantly to prevent the DEATH of our American Dream through FORECLOSURE, a dying of the light against which we must RAGE.

Wasn’t our pledge – our GAGE – which we supported with our toil, sweat and sacrifice, after all, aggregated into a pool of assets that could be leveraged, sometimes egregiously, seventy to one, and ignited to produce explosive and insured profits totally disproportionate to what we put at risk? Did we MORTgagors participate or benefit from these excesses?

We should ‘not go gentle into that good night.’ We should accede neither to short sales nor to loan modifications that strip us of our rights.

Nor should we hand back the keys and walk away from a just fight, if our claim is superior or equity requires we stand our ground or firmly push back.

Remind those who took and parlayed our pledges- upon which we built our dreams – that to come with unclean hands and ask that justice be done, they too must do justice!

For countless millions, this presently is nothing short of a life and death struggle. Do not GO GENTLE! Rage, RAGE!

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Allan
BeMoved@AOL.com

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