Poetic Analysis of Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

Which two phrases from the piece serve as metaphors for “death” in the text?

• “Blind eyes” & “Blinding Sight

• ‘” too late” and “on its way”

• “Good night” & “Dying of the Light”

• “Curse” and “Blaze like meteors”

2.)  What does the author’s diction reveal about the way in which he views death? (_RL11.4)

• a.  The author’s diction is hazy and angelic giving death a sweet heavenly connotation
• b.  The author’s diction is angry “rage, rage” giving death an evil connotation seeking to end a good life that “blaze like meteors”
• c.  The author’s diction positions death as a positive release from life using diction like “good” next to night and “light” to refer to “dying” 
• d.  The author’s diction is neutral neither suggesting that death is peaceful nor the bitter end to a life lived, but a transition everyone will experience

3.)  What is the central theme of the poem? _(11RL.2)

• a.    Rage and anger should be used to fight off death so that you can live a powerful life at any age
• b.      Even when death is near and suffering comes, people should fight as long as they can from entering “the light” of death
• c.  Death may seem to be a sweet ending to a life of pain, but it actually is a sad ending to a lifetime of happiness
• d.  “Old age should burn a.  Men who lead uneventful and dull lives need to fight off death so they don’t “go gentle into that good night” 
  

4.)  Which line in the text best supports the central theme of the poem? _(RL11.2)

• a.  “Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight” 
• b.  “Rage, Rage against the dying of the light” 
• c. a.  “Do not go gentle into that good night”
• d.  “Old age should burn and rave at close of day;”

5.)  In the line “Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight” the figurative word “sun” most likely can be interpreted as…_(RL11.4)

• a.  Fear derived from flying 
• b.     Happiness derived from liberty
• c.  Anger derived from heat 
• d.     Pain derived from getting “caught” up

6.)  Which narrative perspective does the author switch to in the final stanza; what can the reader infer about the decision to include this transition in the poem? _(RL11.6)

• a.  First person; to encourage his dying father to heed or take his advice and fight to remain alive
• b.  2^nd Person; to encourage his father that he is not alone in his time of suffering
• c.      Third Person Omniscient; to persuade the reader using pathos because a father’s love is irreplaceable 
• d.  Third Person Objective; to show the reader his father was unfortunately a sad man who did not live a worthy life

7.)  “Their frail deeds might have danced” is example of which figurative device? _(RL11.4)

•  Irony 
• Personification
• Paradox
• Hyperbole