Death Itself Is Not Almighty

Death is a concept that can be viewed from many different perspectives. Some might see death from a negative aspect- that is, their time in this world has come to an end. Some might see death as a powerful "thing" waiting to take over one's life, or impact many other lives. Even the thought of death lurking around every corner just waiting to take action might scare a few. But for others, "Death" itself is not scary at all. They know that Death will eventually come for everyone, so that motivates them to live their lives well, to use their time wisely. A few might even view death from a positive aspect and believe in the afterlife, believe that once people die, they no longer have to suffer, they no longer have to go through pain, and they will live happily and peacefully in a better place, or Heaven. Furthermore, death can be seen as an escape from reality-or the easy way out- and maybe one will have a second chance at life.

No matter how one views Death, Death is inevitable- there are just many different ways one can approach this, and try to convince themselves that death can keep being prolonged. In "Sonnet 73" by William Shakespeare and "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas, both poets approach death from two very different and creative views. "Sonnet 73" is yet another sonnet written in iambic pentameter. This sonnet contains five feet per line- with an unstressed, stressed pattern, three quatrains with a rhyming couplet. With this, Shakespeare is able to depict time coming to an end. He starts the first quatrain off by showing that the beginning of one thing slowly comes to an end. As he continues onto to the second quatrain, the beginning of one thing comes to an end sooner than the previous event. Last but not least, the third quatrain shows the beginning of an event coming to an end rather quickly, which is where his quatrains comes to an end, and he leaves us with a twist in the rhyming couplet.

"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" is an example of a villanelle- a poem with five three line stanzas with an ABA rhyme scheme and ending with a four line stanza with an ABAArhyme scheme. Although the rhyme scheme may seem simple, this is a very strict form of poetry; needless to say, the message itself can be quite complex. Unlike Shakespeare's "Sonnet 73," Thomas realizes that time is coming to an end, but wants to fight against it, prolong it. The complexity of this poem can also help readers feel the frustration that Thomas had to deal with in this poem, and the strong powerful words he chose to use helps create an imagine of fighting against death.

Both poets are well aware of death's existence, and they are both writing their poems for individuals who are dying. However, their views, approach, attitudes and feelings differ greatly. In "Sonnet 73," Shakespeare starts off with the ending of autumn/beginning of winter. This can be because during the winter, it becomes very cold which can lead to health problems for some, hardships for others. Throughout life, there is always going to be the phase where one goes through difficulties, where one has to suffer, and during this downfall, it may seem like the longest time period. But no matter how difficult the situation, once s/he overcomes the situation, that period has come to an end. With the end of one season, comes the beginning of the next season. Next, Shakespeare shifts the setting from seasons to days. With the sun rising on a brand new day, everything good that happens in life will always have some sort of darkness that follows- whether it be the consequences for certain actions or situations, or the negativity from others that tries to bring one down. Whatever the circumstances may be, one must be reminded that once day shines bright, night will soon take over, so one must use the time they have wisely. Furthermore, we have the last scene of a burning fire, fighting for it's remaining moments. Once the fire is out, that's the end of its time. Shakespeare shows how with each season changing, life is changing, with each day that passes by, one is aging, and with each night that falls, one might fall deep in sleep, thus leading to death's second self. Shakespeare not only tries to make his friend realize he's dying and his time is up soon, but he is also telling his friend that parts of his life have already died and have just become memories because he's aged to this point where his youth and everything he's done in the past can not be changed in any way. Being reminded of this, and how time waits for no one, Shakespeare quickly turns the situation around and change the focus to himself. He says that his friend is the one who is leaving him, so his friend should cherish and love him while he still can. On the other hand, Shakespeare takes this as a reminder to enjoy his own life while still can.

In "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," Thomas is writing to his father who is ill and dying. He alternates the repetition of the lines "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" to constantly remind his father to not just give up so easily and let death take over. His father knows that he will die soon, so Thomas finds this as more of a reason why his father should be fighting for everyday of his life, showing that he wants to live and he's willing to put up a good fight before he dies. Thomas' father is aging and getting closer and closer to death; therefore, he should be appreciating life more and wanting to fight for everyday. The second stanza of the poem mentions "wise men" which Thomas probably refers to old men who understands that death is inevitable; however, they have used their time wisely and did not waste a day. They "do not go gentle into that good night" because they do not let the night take over and just sleep it away. They took over the night by knowing that they have lived everyday as if it were their last and lived it well. In their minds, they have won because they used the time that was given to them, but still seek more in their life. Next, Thomas describes "good men" as those who have lived a purposeful and meaningful life, who have helped others, still do not give up on life and continue to fight for another day because they know they could do more. "Wild men"- those who do not have their priorities straight and waste their time and days- will only realize it when it's too late and live with regrets, but they too, should not give up on fighting for their lives, rage for that matter. In the fifth stanza, Thomas talks about the last type of men, which are "grave men." Those who even on the verge of dying still continue to rage, continue to fight the night because they know there could still be more to their lives. Thomas points out these type of men to say that his father is unlike any of them. His father shows no signs of wanting to live. He sheds no tear, and shows no rage. Thomas wants his father to fight for his life and not show signs of weakness and let death take over. Thomas wrote this poem to plead his father to resist death, to show that he still wants to continue to live, and with all his might, try to prolong his life.

Shakespeare and Thomas both realizes that death comes closer and closer as each day passes by; however, Shakespeare tries to make the point that time is short and soon one's life will come to an end, whereas Thomas is not willing to let death take over and tries to make the point that one must fight for his life, fight to resist death. Both poets touch on the topic of time and how it waits for no one. One should always cherish every moment s/he gets and live a strong lived life. Shakespeare briefly adds a twist at the end to make another point about how the people dying are leaving their loved ones behind, and it is their loved ones who suffer the most. Eventually, one will be forgotten and their time in this world will come to an end, but it is the things they leave behind, the people they have touched, helped, taught- those intangible things that will remain forever. It has made an impact on someone, has changed something, and that is what made their life a well-lived life. For Shakespeare, his dying friend has made him realize the importance of his life, his present moments that he has to cherish. Both poets are the ones being left, but Shakespeare is able to accept it. Thomas on the other hand is frustrated because his father is not trying to fight for his life. The only thing his father will leave behind will be the image of weakness, of surrendering to death, and of not wanting to continue living, even for his own son.