"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, 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. 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, 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. Dylan Thomas's poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" is an influential poem that primarily centers around the battle against death. Just a little background information about Dylan Thomas, he was born in 1914 in Wales during World War 1. He wrote during both World Wars and they seemed to have influenced his writing greatly. Thomas establishes an extended metaphor by paralleling death to the progression of the day. "Do not go gentle into that good night" is an incredibly important line in which darkness actually represents the after life or point after death. He also claims "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" which indicates that sunset represents the point of death. Also, it is interesting to note the incredibly emotional diction that Thomas uses to describe this progression. For example, in the first stanza the speaker claims to "rage" against the dying of the light. Rage has the denotation of violent, uncontrollable anger. Thus, Thomas seems to be indicating (through the battle of night and day) to not go down without a fight against death. Relating back to his personal history, you can easily see Thomas's battle like influence from both World Wars that is reflected within his diction. Starting in the third stanza, Thomas establishes another metaphor between death and the sea. He claims,"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." The last wave of men are about to crash on to shore and pass away; however, they are also wondering on how their life could have been if they could live longer. In a sense, the fluidity of the ocean water represents life and the stillness of it represents death. Also, Thomas describes the bay as "green". Green has the connotation of life and growth. Thus, it makes sense to describe the future of their potential lives with this color. In the fourth stanza, Thomas begins to describe a different kind of man known as the "Wild men". These are people who live life to the fullest and truly sing "the sun in flight". However, the world that they cherished and lived to the fullest disintegrates within a blink of an eye. This idea of the shortness of life is further exemplified through Thomas's word choice of "flight". Flight gives the connotation of shortness and truly shows how fast life can be especially during the realization of one's death. In the fifth stanza of the poem, Thomas describes "grave men with blinding sight". This use of the word grave indicates that man is dying; however, despite losing his eye sight he is fighting to "blaze like a meteor" or in other words battle death with a fight. In the last stanza of the poem we find that the speaker is talking about his own father who is fighting the battle of day (life) and night (death) with "fierce tears".

A Doll's House: Transformation

Throughout the entire play A Doll's House, Ibsen portrays his characters as undergoing a transformation or rebirth in a way.  First off, it is interesting to note that one of the main symbols throughout the entire play is the Christmas tree. Christmas is known as the day on which there is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Thus, it makes sense that we see many of Ibsen's characters being reborn. For example, throughout the majority of the text, Nora plays the role of a a submissive "play thing" that withholds the reputation of Torvald and the Doll House. This point is exemplified in the way that Nora is called a "squirrel" or a "lark" almost as if Torvald is treating her as a child. Near the end of the play, once Nora realizes that the "wonderful" will not happen, she shows an immediate transformation when she claims "I have to be myself if I am to find out about myself and about all the other things too. So I can't stay here with you any longer". This quote portrays and immediate shift in Nora's tone from anxious and child like to confident and controlling, which indicates her new found independence as an individual. In a sense, she has been transformed from a child to an adult. I also think that Nora's transformation helps to display one of the main universal themes throughout many pieces of literature: the role of knowledge within society. I like to parallel Nora with Eve in the story of the Genesis. Eve ate the fruit from the Forbidden Tree of Knowledge and was subject to banishment on Earth as her punishment. She lost the privilege of staying on the idyllic Garden of Eden. This is exactly what happens to Nora. Her knowledge of the "wonderful" causes her to leave the idyllic Doll House into the cold, harsh, and dangerous outside world She lost he privilege of an easy and almost paradise life to one with brutal hardships in an antagonistic society. Aside from the birth of Christ, the Christmas tree can also be seen as the progression of Nora's transformation from child to adult. For example, we see at the beginning of Act 2 that the Christmas tree is "in the corner by the piano, stripped shabby-looking, with burn-down candles". It is interesting to note that the Christmas tree has shifted away from the center of the"Doll House" as if it is moving towards the exit. This positional shift indicates the general destruction of the idyllic Doll House. Not only this, the decorations have been stripped away similar to how Nora's "act" in the Doll House is beginning to disintegrate. Her role in the Doll House and thus her role as a child is dying.

Another character that seems to be going through a transformation is Krogstad. He is the "moral invalid" who has a lost reputation; however, his marriage with Kristine causes him to elevate within the society. His reputation is beginning to change and thus he is beginning to achieve a rebirth within society.

Diana and Sirens in The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence alludes to many Greek mythological creatures that have an important role in the novel. Ellen Olenska, the black sheep in the society of New York, is a catalyst for the shift in Newland Archer's viewpoint about Old New York. It is interesting to note that Wharton actaully alludes to the Siren Isle from Greek mythology. In their mythology, the Sirens were hybrid creatures-part woman and part bird- who lured sailors with seductive song to shipwreck on their island. They are generally associated with temptation and are incredibly dangerous. I believe that Countess Olenska embodies this dark creature in the story. For example, she seems to be bird like in the way that she wears "eagle feathers" to the van der Luyden's reception and lives in an area where some of her neighbors are "bird-stuffers". Not only this, she seems to be a temptation for adventure and release from routine for Newland Archer. During the conversation Newland and Ellen are having in her room at the beginning of the novel, Ellen analyses the van der Luydens and their "great influence" and Newland reacts with words such as "penetration", "pricked", and "stroke". This sensual diction indicated the almost sex like temptation that Newland has for Ellen at the beginning of the text. Her lack of social conformity and departure from routine also seem to be a temptation for Archer. For example, Archer is "drawn into the atmosphere of the room, which was her atmosphere". The fact that Archer is drawn in to the atmosphere portrays the almost magical temptation and control that Ellen has on Archer. Through this allusion, Wharton could be foreshadowing a potential fate of Archer's.

May Welland seems to represent the Greek mythological creature known as Diana. For example, when both May and Archer are talking about getting married early she begins to show her individualism and had a "face [that ] had taken on a look of such tragic courage that he felt like bowing himself down at her feet". This is one of the first times that May shows her own opinions, which is why Archer is so awestruck and feels the need to literally bow down to her as if she controls him. This represents the inferiority he feels towards her at the time. Diana is known to be the goddess of the hunt and has the power to talk to and control animals. This controlling effect is seen again when May tells Archer that she is pregnant and her "blue eyes were wet with victory". Archer decides to live with her, imprisoned, for the next 25 years. It seems as though both Ellen and May have this controlling effect. For example, Archer goes on to say to Ellen, "I'll say anything you like; or nothing, I won't open my mouth unless you tell me to. What harm can it do to anybody? All I want is to listen to you."Both Ellen and May are creatures that contribute towards the confliction Archer undergoes throughout the text.