Poetry Terms

Line/Stanza/Speaker

Line:

• A sentence in poetry• Does not need to be a complete sentence• Punctuation does not matter• Numbered, so the readers can refer to specific

lines when discussing the poem• *a group of words in a poem-put together the

lines form stanzas

Stanza:

• a paragraph in poetry• ***a group of lines in poetry

Speaker:

• Similar to the narrator in literature• In poetry we refer to the narrator as a speaker

b/c poetry is meant to be heard• **the voice that talks to the reader, similar to

the narrator (not necessarily the poet)

Repetition:

• The repeating of a word or phrase for effect or emphasis

• (if something is repeated-it most likely is important)

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

• Author: Dylan Thomas• Information about the poet and the poem:• Thomas’ father was a strong-military man• Thomas’ father became old, blind and weak

during his 80s• Dylan struggled seeing his father like this-it

was hard to see his strong father so weak.

Stanza 1:

• Do not go gentle

• into that good night (line 1)

• Rage, Rage• Against the dying of the

light

• Do not go easily (willingly)

• Darkness->Death

• Fight, Fight• Against the night

(darkness)

Stanza 2

• Wise men at their end

• Know dark is right (line 4)

• Do not go gentle into that good night (line 6)

• Smart men-near death

• Know that they are dying

• Do not go willingly into death

Stanza 5:

• Grave men (near death)->

• Who see with blinding sight-> (line 13)

• Rage, Rage against the dying of the light (line 15)

• Grave means serious• Oxymoron (opposites

placed next to each other) referring to his father becoming blind

• Fight, fight against death

Stanza 6:

• And you, my father, there on that sad height (line 16)

• Do not go gentle into that good night

• Rage, rage against the dying of the light

• Addresses his father directly-referring to his sad state

• Do not go willingly into death

• Fight, fight against death

• *Almost like he is begging him

Meaning:

• Think about the background information about Dylan Thomas.

• At the bottom of the poem, write down the overall meaning of the poem.