Analysis of Symbols and Figurative Language To Reveal The Theme in Do Not Go Gentle by Dylan Thomas
Analysis of Symbols and Figurative Language To Reveal The Theme in Do Not Go Gentle by Dylan Thomas
Analysis of Symbols and Figurative Language To Reveal The Theme in Do Not Go Gentle by Dylan Thomas
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Submit to fulfill one of an assignment of Survey of Modern British Literary
that guided by Mr. Danny Purwanto
Analyzed by:
Santi Ramdhani
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aheme is the main thing that we should know first when we want to analyze a
poet. One of the aims of the author will flash into the theme. aheme always
analyze a theme is we will know whole the content of the works. ahough, to
Finding the main theme, we must have clearly meaning about theme itself.
aheme is general main idea that sustains a literary work in the text as a
semantic structure and related the equation and the difference (Hartoko &
Rahmanto, 1986: 142). aheme must be concluding on whole story, not only a
part of the story but also all of it. ahough it is difficult to reveal, theme is not a
this is the one which is offered to reader. But, theme is a whole that is
supports it. aheme is divided into two part, those are main theme and adding
theme. Main theme is a main idea of whole story. While adding theme just
to find the key words. Key word sometime became a gate to open the secret
meaning of what truly the poet tells about. araditionally theme means a
of the term. A theme is always subject, but a subject is not always a theme: a
theme is not usually thought of as the occasion of a work of art, but rather a
certain events, images or symbols (Peter Childs & Roger Fawler, 1973: 239).
From this statement we know that theme also have to reveal by symbols. As I
said before that if we want to know theme of story we have to get a key word
sense all words are symbols. In discussing literature, however, the term
beyond it. Some symbols are "conventional" or "public": thus "the Cross,"
"the Red, White, and Blue," and "the Good Shepherd" are terms that refer
particular culture. Poets, like all of us, use such conventional symbols; many
poets, however, also use "private" or "personal symbols." (M.H. Abrams,
1999: 311)
said that most of author use private or personal symbol to share their feeling.
Some poets, however, repeatedly use symbols whose significance they largely
As well as in Dylan ahomas·s poet ¶Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night·,
we can analyze theme from its symbols and figurative language. ahe first we
can start with analysis of symbols to know the meaning. What this poet is
talking about? From viewpoint of the symbol, the words ¶gentle·, ¶good night·,
¶close of day·, ¶rage·, ¶light·, ¶wise man·, ¶dying·, ¶good man·, ¶frail·, ¶green bay·, ¶wild man·,
¶grave man·, ¶blinding sight·, ¶meteors·, ¶curse·, and ¶pray· could categorize as key
After read the title and the first stanza of the poet, we can see the words ¶gentle·
and ¶good night· in ¶Do not go gentle into that good night·. What does it means?
What the meaning of those words? ahat sentence is repeated four times. It
means that the author want to emphasize something from that sentence. He
emphasizes to fight death as much as possible and keep live. ahe word ¶gentle·
in ¶Do not go gentle· means that do not accept such resignedly by. ahis is what
Dylan wants to his father that people must be struggle in every side of life
included of death. And a word which becomes a key word of all is ¶good night·.
Good night in this sentence is not real meaning. It is not mean happiness or
joyful but it is mean ¶death· itself. Dylan describes the death with euphemism
But he emphasize that all of it has to live with struggle. Sometimes we must
fight the death as a way to survive. ahen ¶close of day· has meaning as day of
death is getting closer. Supported in sentence ¶Old age should burn and rage at close
of day· that Dylan was mad to his father because of he is too submissive facing
death. It is also described clearly with word ¶rage· that means anger. In this
case, Dylan wants us have same feeling and same action with him. ¶Rage, Rage
against the dying of the light·. Rage shows us how Dylan so mad of the condition
verge of dying. ahen, Dylan·s father describes as ¶wise men·. ahe word ¶wise men·
in ¶though wise men at their end know dark are right· show the character of his
father in which any wise man would undergo the death. Whatever it shape,
style, and character, all of it will burn in one word that is ¶the death·. ahen,
word ¶dying· is a representation of his father who was death. From that word
we know that the process of death is not easy. In which we know the word
father felt, so he gave up to the death. And it makes Dylan so mad. ahe next is
¶Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright·. ahere is word ¶good man·. What
is the meaning of it? After before we had explained ¶wise man· and now, Dylan
make us thinking to guess what the purpose is. Actually in this poetry, Dylan
used four words that can be compared each other in the meaning. ahose are
¶wise man·, ¶good man·, ¶wild man· and ¶grave man·. From those words, Dylan seems
to want to ask us to look the death from different point of view. And he asked
us to compare between wise man, good man, wild man, and grave man. Actually this
that all of them will die though they fight the death as strong as they can. And
¶good man· is one of the comparisons. It is also the depiction of Dylan·s father
character. In addition ¶aheir frail deeds might have danced in a green bay· means
that if someone trapped in this condition ¶the death· they deed is frail same
with nothing flash anything. We can not change it because we did not have a
power. And from this meaning also I conclude that in other side, Dylan
ahomas believe in God. And the place ¶green bay· may be it representative of
the place where somebody will undergo after the death. Next is word ¶wild man·
that also can be categorized as key symbol. Why? ahe word, ¶wild man·
representative of strong man or strong people but they also do not have power
to destroy the death attack. It is proven with they just could sing a song
underneath the sun. And for the forth word ¶grave man· that means as a man
who really close with the death or may be can call it the dead. ahe word ¶grave
man· becomes a proof that Dylan·s father was already dead. Or it is the final
complete with ¶grave man, near death, who sees with blinding sight·. ¶Blinding sight·
means that he was no longer concerned portrayed with word ¶blinding sight·. He
could not see anything without the death. While the word ¶ meteors· is a symbol
death like a meteors which is hurtling full of strength. And the word ¶curse· in
¶Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray· means that once again
Dylan show his unhappiness of father·s death. For the last is symbol of word
¶pray·. What the meaning of it? If we consider the sentence, we look on the
After we analyze the symbols in this poet, at least we have known what this
poet is talking about. We can guess the theme and we know the purpose of
making this poetry. We can not conclude it now because there is still one point
that we should have to analyze. From the second point, ¶figurative language·,
our understanding supposed to be more increases about this case in this poet.
We will classify the forms of figurative language that is available in this poet.
more interesting and it is not easy to guess the contents. In addition using
purpose directly. What is the aim of writing that poet? ahe author did not
also considered as one of the way to reveal the theme or the meaning
generally.
In Dylan·s ¶Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night·, there are some
figurative languages that could we analyze. We started from the first stanza,
and another (Adrian Bread, 2003: 88). It is clear that the word ¶good night··
indirectness of it, metaphor needs symbols. Not like simile which is direct to
compare something to object, just put words ¶like, as same as, such as, etc·.
Dylan compares ¶good night· with ¶the death·. It is aimed to show how the death is
so special with the word ¶good night·. It is also aimed to hide the real meaning.
ahe author did not want their poet is classified easily. ´Old age should burn and
rage' in line two is a combination of metonymy and personification. Metonymy
it, without being the whole thing. For example the President of the United
States, his government and advisors are sometimes replaced by the much
simpler term ¶ahe White House·, which is the presidential residence and
administrative centre (Adrian Bread, 2003: 88). So it is with the word ¶Old age·
in ¶Old age should burn and rage·. ¶Old age· is a real meaning as a noun. But in that
sentence it as if alive like human, they burn and rage. ahat is the point of
personification. ´Close of day' is a metaphor also. Same with ¶good night·, ¶close of
day· also means as ¶the death´. So, the meaning of second line becomes ¶He
(Dylan·s expect to his father) must be fought to against the death. ¶Burn· in that
rage against the dying of the light· is a metaphor. ahe comparison is situated in
¶dying of the light·. ahis metaphor means as ¶the moments of death·. And Dylan
asked to against it with rage. ahe death should not be waited but it must be
fought.
ahe words ¶their words had forked no lightning· means as metaphorically. ahe sign of
it contained in word ¶had forked·. ahat sentence signifies as the people who face
the death can not speak anything. aheir words become nothing. And in the
In third stanza,
In line three, ¶aheir frail deeds might have danced in a green bay· is the combination
the word ¶danced·. Dancing is an attractive activity that can not do by frail
somebody will undergo after the death. It has been explained in symbols in
which ¶a green bay· describes as beautiful and peaceful place. May be this
In the first line, ¶wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight· there are exaggeration
and metaphor. ¶Sang the sun in flight· is a sign of exaggeration figurative language.
ahis means that Dylan really has concern of this case. One of the reasons why
he put this figurative language is may be he want to show us (the reader) that
what the people feel if they are in that condition (moments of death). And
that·s also felt by his father. Surrender, powerless, and only could waiting.
ahat·s something which wants Dylan·s show to us. And actually he is so hate
before that ¶wild men· also becomes a symbol of strong people. Symbols and
metaphor have a mutuality relationship. So, they can not dispread each other.
Symbols always in metaphor, and metaphor always use a symbols. ahen the
second line, ¶...they grieved it on its way· is also exaggerating and metaphor style.
Dylan use the word to show mourning with the word ¶grieved· which is so
exaggerating. May be it is really his true exaggerating feeling. And the word
meanings of a word or the fact that there are words of the same sound and
different meanings. In this part, the word ¶grave· has different meaning from
the truth. ¶Grave·, we can called is as a joke, or may be can classified as satire.
contempt, scorn, or indignation (Abrams, 1999: 275). ahe word ¶ grave· in ¶grave
men· also has a meaning of person who really wants to die. Dylan may be
appear in conjunction. It means that ¶blinding sight· is not a truth meaning that
somebody can not see with their eyes or someone who just can see with one
eye. It is not. ¶Blinding sight· means a sign that the people already have not a
spirit to face the problems. In this case, it is a death. And second line, ¶Blind
eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay· there is a simile style. While metaphor is a
Child and Roger Fowler, 1973: 218). It is clearly seen from that sentence. ahe
characteristic of simile is always using words ¶like, such as, as same as, etc·.
And here you can see that Dylan put the words ¶blind eyes could blaze like meteors·.
And the meaning is Dylan want to tell us that how weak us, we must keep
For the last figurative language, in the last stanza line two, there is a paradox
style which is used by Dylan. ¶Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray· is real
way that makes good sense (Abrams, 1999: 201). We can see it clearly that
there are two words that contradict each other. ahose are ¶curse· and ¶pray·.
essentially true. awo examples of paradox may help to demonstrate its special
significance in modern thought (Peter Child and Roger Fowler, 1973: 166). As
upset with all the condition that happen to his father. And the other side, he
also give a pray to his father. Because whatever Dylan wants and he does, he
¶Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night·, we can guess what the truly theme
of it. ahe general theme is about ¶the death·. But the adding theme is ¶a fighting to
the death·. It is clear enough from the symbols and metaphor style explanation.
And also the others that support this message of the poem. Finally, we can say
that this poetry is a form of resistance of the death. In this case is his father
¶Dylan·s father·.
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Child, Peter & Roger Fawler. 1973. ahe Routledge Dictionary of Literary aerms.
Routledge
University Press
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