Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Tennyson Analysis

Both Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night” and Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar” present the two different views on the central idea of death. Thomas supposes that a person should die quietly; he believes that wise men do not take such news lying down and will fight the inevitable with an ounce of their being. Tennyson, however, believes there to be an individual dignity associated with accepting the fact that one’s days are drawing to a close. While it is true both authors have differing opinions on the best way to view death, they both use similar instances of careful word choice, important word order, and witty metaphors to establish comparable themes.
Both authors use careful word choice to advance their central ideas. In “Do not
In “Do not go gentle into that good night” Thomas’s word choice establishes a distinction between light, dark. Thomas states “Old age should burn and rave at the close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Thomas uses close of day to symbolize the end of one’s life and rage against the dying of the light is what he believes the dying person should do. The said person should cling to the light and reject the darkness which is death. Similar ideology is present throughout pop culture even today. “A Walk to Remember” is one such movie that embodies the same ideas Thomas expresses. Jamie, a dying girl with terminal cancer, rejects all form of treatment. She then decides to tackle her bucket list before her time on earth is over, thus embodying the same rebellious spirit against death as Thomas has. Additionally, Tennyson also uses the passage of time to emphasize his thoughts. He, however, states “Twilight and evening bell, and after that the dark! And may there be no sadness of farewell, when I embark.” (1) This transition from twilight to darkness indicates that the author is nearing the end of his life, but he does not want anyone to grieve his death as they should know it is inevitable. This choice of words also seems to indicate that the author does not fear death; it appears as if he is almost excited for his time to end. Tennyson wants to inform his readers that he believes in a place after death, one that is better than the position he is now. Both authors choose their words carefully as their medium of convection is limited. These men both use words differently to contribute their conflicting opinions on the prospects of