Do not go gentle into that good night : Summary
Do not go gentle into that good night is a notable literary work by Dylan Thomas. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of Do not go gentle into that good night.
Summary
In the first stanza, the poet says that death is inevitable. Death must happen. Therefore, people should not accept death gently. Here he has made four categories of people. Wise, Good, Wild, and Grave. In the second stanza, the poet says, that wise men do not accept death easily. Because they believe that they have a lot to offer the world.
In the third stanza, the poet talks about good men. They have much to offer the world, just like wise men. The last moments of their lives pass like the tide of the sea. They lament it very little. They bring revolutionary changes to the world. According to the poet, those who live in carefree (wild) or abundance, do not understand when the sun of life sets. They cannot enjoy the beauty of life. And in such conditions, death embraces them.
In the last stanza, the poem becomes more personal when the speaker addresses his father, who is approaching death like a mountaintop. The poem changes from a universal message about facing death to an emotional one.