He Went Anything But Gentle

Most contemporary American poetry is characterized by themes of love, death, and family. Dylan Thomas’ poetry, however, does not fall into the typical contemporary mold. Instead of merely writing about social and intellectual issues using free verse, as most of his contemporaries did, he wrote with overwhelming passion and intensity about his own life in strict poetic forms. One of his most famous poems is a villanelle, “Do not go gentle into that good night”, which he wrote about his dying father. This poem, like many of his other poems, had a certain whimsical ring to it. The sounds and rhythms he used were unlike anything anyone had seen during this time (1930s-1950s); his poems seemed to dance off of the paper. Although he passed away at a fairly young age, Dylan Thomas left a lasting impression on the literary world.

Dylan Marlais Thomas was born and raised in Swansea, a coastal city on the Southwest coast of Wales. From a young age Thomas was exposed to a variety of literature; everything from Shakespeare to Mother Goose’s nursery rhymes. His father, an English Literature professor at a local grammar school and an amateur poet, encouraged Thomas to pursue his interest in poetry. At an early age Thomas discovered his love for the vivid images of D.H. Lawrence’s poetry; he was riveted by the detailed descriptions of the natural world. (“Dylan Thomas,” Poets.org).

While attending school, Thomas excelled in reading and writing but was not very passionate for any other subjects. At the age of sixteen he dropped out of school and began working as a junior reporter for a local publication, the South Wales Daily Post. After a short stint at the newspaper he began to focus purely on his poetry; it was at this time (1932-1934) that ...

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