Welsh Poetry Comparison and Analysis

Welsh Poetry Comparison and Analysis

This essay will consider two poems, both written by Welsh authors. The

first poem to be discussed will be Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle into

That Good Night. Following this, the emphasis will progress to Owen

Sheers' poem, When You Died, where ongoing comparisons between the two

poems will be made. The content of this essay will discuss the themes

and ideas present in both poems, and the devices and techniques used

to illustrate them. One of the distinct similarities between the two

is that both are themed heavily on the topic of death. Bearing this in

mind, the atmosphere, mood and tone of each poem will be discussed

with both comparisons and differences made. In addition, the different

sets of structures used will be analysed and the effects resulting

from the employment of these structures.

Dylan Thomas' poem is in the form of a villanelle. This can be

inferred from the rigid structure of nineteen lines and the rhyming

scheme, which utilises only two rhymes throughout the entirety of the

poem. The strict rhyming scheme gives the poem a strong rhythm and a

determined, inflexible pace, and as a result, the poem exudes a sense

of insuperability in the face of death. The repetitiveness of the

rhyming lends an imploring tone to the poem and as such represents

Thomas' genuine intent - to advocate (to his father) the subjugation

of death, as confirmed by the theme of the poem.

Throughout the poem, "night" is used as a metaphor for death. This

comparison is apt to the extent that both are regarded with fear and

apprehension, feelings also associated with darkness, which is also

used, as a metaphor for death. The "night", however, is referred to as

being a "good nig...

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...ivid recollections of the past

he possesses, which perhaps provide him with an opportunity to escape

from the traumas of reality.

The significance of the egg could possibly a subtle portent of hope

after death, even new life. The positive note that the poem ends on

consolidates this idea. This concept ties in with the one used in

Thomas' poem where, as mentioned earlier, he refers to death as being

"good", thus indicating the benevolence of death, a release from

suffering. Hence the moral of Sheers' poem, although relatively

elusive and ambiguous in comparison with the moral of Thomas' poem, is

that there is hope after death. The moral of Do Not Go Gentle into

That Good Night, is much more apparent, the theme displayed in the

title (metaphorically) and throughout. Thomas' poem therefore urges us

to fight against death, a message pertinent to everyone.