Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion Paper

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5-1: Explication Essay

The selected poem is “Do not go gentle into that goodnight” by Dylan Thomas and was initially published in 1951 in a literary journal. The poem is more of a dark poem that revolves around the end of life and individuals’ struggles during that time to hang. As one reads through the poem, the reader can understand that the poem’s addressee is a father at the end-of-life stage who needs to hold on regardless of what he is going through. Hence, the essay will evaluate Thomas’s poem’s main theme explanation and poetic devices analysis and discussion. Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion Paper

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Thomas’s Poem Main Theme Explanation

The main theme in “Do not go gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas is death. The reason for such an assertion is based on the speaker’s comparison of death to nighttime and darkness. That is portrayed by the poem’s title, “good night,” while comparing life with light as portrayed in “Dying of the light” (1st stanza, 3rd line). The poem expresses the speaker’s complex attitude toward death, where the speaker acknowledges that no one can evade death but encourages the father to continue fighting for a little longer. However, the complexity showcases itself when the speaker believes that despite death being inevitable, the best way to overcome it is by leaving a great legacy that needs individuals to resist yielding to death.

An example is the second stanza, which addresses the “wise men” who acknowledge that their words have not offered enough influence. Contrary, the third stanza talks of “good men,” worrying that their deeds may have been more impactful if they had emerged stronger. Hence, “wise men” and “good men” commit to avoiding death with acquiescence by striving to leave a better legacy that others may use to remember them. That makes the poem’s principle idea reflect the need for individuals to resist death with all their energy before the end. Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion Paper

Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion

Poetic devices are crucial since they enable the reader to understand and differentiate the poem’s surface and deep meaning. One poetic device in Thomas’s poem is visual imagery that gives the reader a sense of experience. In that case, the speaker in the second tercet indicates that the wise men during their end of life acknowledge that dark is right since “…their words had forked no lightning (2^nd stanza, 2^nd line). The line focuses on the wise men and their attitudes toward death, where they seem to acknowledge that it is possible to leave the world without any influence with their knowledge and wisdom.

Thomas’s poem represents a villanelle form since it has one quatrain and five tercets out of the nineteen lines written by the poet. Also, Thomas’s poem follows the iambic pentameter since it is common with Villanelle and is also reflected in the poem under assessment. Concerning the poem’s diction, the poet uses light and dark and happy and sad juxtaposition that enables the reader to understand the poet’s mindset when composing the poem. Such diction, in combination with the villanelle form, art of pastoral content, showcases that the poet aimed to encourage the father to continue fighting despite death being unavoidable. Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion Paper

The poem’s rhythm can be easily noted through the rhyme scheme employed in Thomas’s poem, which is “ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA.” That means that the poem has two rhymes for all the lines. The other realization is that the refrains, first and third lines have been repeated four times each and that the first line can be located at the end of tercet two and four like the second-to-last-line within stanza six. Also, the poem’s third line can be spotted again in stanzas three, five, and six.

Conclusion

The paper has analyzed the Dylan Thomas poem “Do not go gentle into that goodnight,” written using the Villanelle form. From the evaluation, the paper addresses death as the main theme, where the poet requests his father not to give up and fight until the end. The poem employs various poetic devices like diction, rhythm, line structure, stanzas, and imagery. Hence, all these factors have been crucial, considering they add insight to the readers’ understanding of the poem and the poet’s message. Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion Paper

Assignment 5-1: Poetry: Explication Essay
The purpose of this assignment is to perform a poetry explication where you identify the main theme(s) of the poem and demonstrate in a line-by-line analysis how the poetic devices (diction, stanza, line structure, meter, rhythm, and imagery) work to create meaning in the text. You will complete an annotation of the poem, and a poetry explication essay that contains a thesis statement, a detailed examination of the poem, and a strong argument where you have let the poem itself guide your interpretation.

Step 1: Select the poem you would like to explicate from the required poems listed in Lessons 4 and 5.

Step 2: Annotate and explicate the poem using the guidelines as outlined in “Reading Literature Closely: Explication” Download “Reading Literature Closely: Explication”specifically the “Checklist: Drafting an Explication” on pages 142-143. Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion Paper

Step 3: Write a two to three (2-3) page explication essay that includes the following

Guiding thesis statement, introduction, main body paragraphs, and conclusion
Explanation of the poem’s main theme(s)
Discussion and analysis of poetic devices (diction, stanza, line structure, meter, rhythm, and imagery) that led you to this interpretation
Specific examples from the poem to support your interpretation
Do NOT provide a summary of the poem as you can assume your reader has read it.
Your paper should maintain a formal tone, style, and diction. Format your paper according to MLA guidelines and remember to cite correctly using MLA in-text citations.

Assignment 5-2: Quick Write Response Essay
Answer each question using complete sentences:

What were the most important concepts of this lesson? Define any terms and concepts in your own words.
What made the least sense to you in this lesson?
What would you like to know more about from this lesson and why?
How does this lesson relate to something you have learned and/or experienced outside of class?
Your response in the essay should be about 500 words.

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Reflection Paper 5: Powerful Image
Recount one of your favorite poetic metaphors from the Bible. Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion Paper

Why do you find this image so powerful?
INSTRUCTIONS: Your Reflection Paper is to be between 500-750 words in length (about one to two pages) following MLA format and submitted as a Microsoft Word compatible document (.doc or .docx). If you cite source material, include a Works Cited page, but do not include the Works Cited in the total requirement for the assignment. Poetic Devices Analysis and Discussion Paper