Refrains and the Inevitable

"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"
Dylan Thomas

Throughout "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," there are two refrains that are alternately repeated every stanza. They are both presented in the first stanza of the poem: "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," (Thomas, 968). In each subsequent stanza, the refrains are placed at the end of the sets of three lines and cause the reader to recollect the theme of this poem. The poem details a sunset, a typical and inevitable part of daily life. Through his use of a sunset, Thomas suggests that death is also to be expected in the life of every person. However, his refrains suggests that despite the inevitability of death, we should not give in to its grip on our life. We should fight for every moment that we spend alive and not give in when death seems all too close. He urges the reader to "rage against the dying of the light" that exists in the life of every human being. Although it is bound to happen to all people, Thomas ultimately challenges the reader to make the most out of the time that he does have and not to go through the routine of life watching it pass by without question. Carpe Diem!