Do not go gentle into that g... free essay sample

Do not go gentle into that good night and Death Be Not Proud, both have to deal with the subject of death. These poems have opposite messages about death, but at the same time have many similar attitudes toward it. Death Be Not Proud talks about how death has absolutely no power over people, while Do not go gentle into that good night says that it is part of human nature to fight against death even if wed rather not. Do not go gentle into that good night and Death Be Not Proud see death as an opponent, however one sees it as an enemy that is already defeated while the other sees it as an enemy that must be defeated. In Death Be Not Proud Donne says Those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow / Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me(lines 3-4).This passage shows Donnes belief that people will always overcome death. We will write a custom essay sample on Do not go gentle into that g or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In Thomas poem, he writes Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in the green bay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light (7-9).Even the so called good men are eventually in the end defeated by death according to Thomas.The tone of both of these poems is one of bitterness towards death, although in different ways. In Death Be Not Proud Donne hates death because he thinks it has power over humans and in his opinion just the opposite is right. Donne says that death is a Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men. (9). He thinks death has no reason to be proud because he relies on these things for its power, so people have the power over death. Thomas feels almost the opposite, though. He sees death as having power over people, and is saying that people dont want to give in to death. To get his point across he repeats the lines Do not go gentle into that good night and Rage, rage against the dying of the light four times in the course of the poem. Even though they have different views of death they share the theme of rebellion of death.The two poems Do not go gentle into that good night and Death Be Not Proud dont see death as a negative thing. When happening to be looking at the title Do not go gentle into that good night you notices that Thomas calls the night, a metaphor for death. He also says Though wise men at their end know dark is right (4). This would suggest that he believes that death is a necessary occurrence. If Thomas sees death as essential, then why does he say Rage, rage against the dying of the light (19)? In line 16 when he addresses his father is where you can find the answer. Throughout the entire poem he names different types of men. Then in the last stanza he specifically names his father. In the poem Thomas is trying to express that even though he knows that death is natural he doesnt want his father to die. This creates a sort of conflict in the poem where Thomas knows that eventually death will come for everyone, but he wants to put it off as long as possible in the case of his father.Donnes view of death is that it is a pointless thing that has no power over people. By saying One short sleep past, we wake eternally (13). He illustrates that he believes that there is some sort of afterlife. In fact, he says that the time death has power over a person is so short that it can be matched, or even exceed in life by poppy and charms (11). When reading through Death Be Not Proud one might get the feeling that, although the tone is one dislike towards death, Donne sees it as something of a positive experience. This aspect is represented when he says From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, / Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow (5-6). In all reality, if sleep is soothing and calm, then death must be somewhat as grand.The major difference between these two poems is whom they are directed at. In Do not go gentle into that good night it seems to be a message to Thomas father. He is saying all types of men rage against the dying of the light, and pleads that his father does the same. Although Death Be Not Proud is seemingly directed at the personification of death, it seems like it could also be directed at the people who treat death like it is Mighty and dreadful (2). He wants to get this message across to those that fear and honor death and that death is controlled by people, not the other way around.These two poems can each be summed up by one line from each. In Do not go gentle into that good night the main point of the poem is Old age should burn and rave at the close of day (2) and Death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die (14) in Death Be Not Proud. The reality of these two poets disagreement on death is characterized. Thomas believes one should not go gentle into that good night, while Donne believes death is the Rest of their bones, and souls delivery (8).