Dylan Thomas’ free verse poem, “And Death Shall Have No Dominion”, takes place in the abundant sea, an endless ecstasy similar to Heaven. Corresponding with the poem’s setting and the style, the speaker expresses great hope as he convinces the audience that death does not limit people’s lives. The poem alludes to the unity with God after death and establishes the light of hope, shining away people’s fear and pain, in order to deprive death of its dominance on people’s life.
The poet utilizes religious allusion to establish hope for the unity with God after death. The deceased have nothing except their souls, thus evoking the attainable, posthumous spiritual fullness after uniting with God. “Dead men naked they shall be one / With the man in the wind and the west moon;” (2-3). The connotation of “naked” indicates that the dead are free from restrictions and attachments. The west moon symbolizes the beginning of dawn, introduces a new start of life. Although the corpses are reduced to dust, God’s salvation grants them freedom and the commencement of life. Furthermore, the speaker indicates the purification of life will result in the elevation of the spirit, to God. “When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone, / They shall have stars at elbow and foot;” (5) The repetition of “clean” and “bones” emphasizes the cleansing of body and soul, preparing them for transcendence. The speaker uses an idiom, alluding to heavenly constellations igniting hope in the night sky and establishing the unity between Heaven and the deceased. Therefore, there is hope after death because faith in God brings peace and salvation.
The speaker establishes the strength of hope in the encounter with death, advocating that people should face...
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... that dictates people’s predestined death. Nonetheless, only “sinews”, representing the bodily aspect of humanity, will break, yet “they”, referring to the soul, will not end. Although death has the ability to make people suffer, people’s spirits do not end even if death is their fate.
In “And Death Shall Have No Dominion”, the speaker establishes the power of hope against the darkness of death, depicting the spirit of life that reign over death. The unity with God reduces people’s trepidation of death and poses as a comfort to those who suffer the grief of death. The speaker advocates that even though death is fearful, however people should not give up hope and dwell in the control of despair.
Works Cited
Thomas, Dylan. "And Death Shall Have No Dominion." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. .
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