“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”
by Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
5 Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
10 Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
15 Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
1. Whose eyes could “blaze like meteors” even though near death? (1 point)
a. wise men
b. grave men
c. wild men
d. good men
2. What type of men does the speaker say know that "dark is right"? (1 point)
a. good men
b. wise men
c. wild men
d. grave men
3. Which of the following is not used to refer to death in the poem? (1 point)
a. good night
b. close of day
c. forked lightning
d. dying of the light
4. Who is the speaker of the poem addressing? (1 point)
a. his father
b. his brother
c. his mother
d. his friend
5. What does the speaker want to hear? (1 point)
a. a curse
b. a prayer
c. a sigh
d. a scream
6. Explain what "wise" men realize before they die. (1 point)
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7. How is death presented in the poem? (1 point)
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8. Describe the speaker's attitude towards death in the poem. (1 point)
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9. Explain what "grave" men realize before they die. (1 point)
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10. Find an example of couplet in the poem. (1 point)
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11. What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem? (1 point)
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12. Do the lines "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "Rage, rage against the
dying of the light" suggest different moods? Explain your answer. (1 point)
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13. Find an example of personification in the poem. (1 point)
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14. Find an example of an oxymoron in the poem. (1 point)
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15. Throughout the poem the last line of each stanza alternates between either
“Rage…” or “Do not…” But in the last stanza this pattern changes. What is the effect
of that change? (1 point)
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