Question

In "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night", the author often used the metaphor of "light". Thomas once said, "My poetry is the record of my individual struggle from darkness towards some measure of light." How is Light used metaphorically in this poem? State three reasons/ways.

Answer 1

In 'Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,' the metaphor of light symbolizes life and vitality, knowledge and enlightenment, and hope and defiance against death, representing the human struggle against mortality.

Step-by-step explanation:

In "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night", the poet Dylan Thomas uses light metaphorically in several ways:

1. Light as life and vitality: The plea to 'not go gentle into that good night' and 'rage against the dying of the light' suggests that light symbolizes life, with its extinguishing representing death - Thomas implores to fight against this inevitability.
2. Light as knowledge and enlightenment: Thomas may also be referencing the light as a symbol of understanding and wisdom that one seeks throughout life, contrasting the darkness which represents ignorance or the unknown.
3. Light as hope and defiance: The recurrent exhortation to 'rage against the dying of the light' epitomizes a spirit of resistance and hope, urging the listener to defy the darkness of death until the very end.

Through this powerful and passionate repetition, Thomas imbues the metaphor of light with a sense of urgency and fervor, emphasizing the human struggle against the inevitable darkness of death.