English Desc

Poet’s Name: Dylan Thomas
Titles of Two Poems: The Hand That Signed the Paper And Death Shall Have No Dominion

Dylan 1914-1953
Three children, lived in whales
A punster- liked multiple meaning, ambiguous terms

The Hand That Signed the Paper 4 stanzas, 4 versus in each stanza-
Conceit-Constantly repeats ‘the hand’ – everything in this poem is something a hand can do. The hand represents authority and power. “Sovereign fingers, kings” The hand is detached to a person. Signing and writing off these papers Metonymy- ruler’s ability to start the war and end the war Theme: the operation of modern warfare Tone: bitter “Man by a scribbled name” scribbled, careless. Thought to have been fascism “Fillanges” meaning fingers or a military group, double meaning Argued that its not 5 fingers/about hands but about different countries Poem published in 1956, after WWI, when Nazis gaining power
It was written then and applied then, but applies now. It will probably always apply.

And Death Shall Have No Dominion
Title starting with ‘And’ because it refers to something that he doesn’t talk about that is in his past Death shall now in. Material and status doesn’t matter- No matter what happens in life, life will not win because it will og on Nature is strong and you can fight back Related back to-Do Not Go Gentle in That Good night Alliteration-They lying long shall not die windily A lyric poem Theme: Defining death
Second stanza- unicorns- symbolism because unicorns represent innocence and innocence kills. People going to war who are innocent that dies Same repetition as Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night
Wrote it at 18, at a young age. Does not understand death, tries to understand.
Hand talks about how war holds the destiny of other in hands
No matter how you are tortured, and you die, your memory lives on. Nature will go on, and defeat death. Someone will be reborn. Life goes on