Sound and Structure in Poems by Dylan Thomas and W. B. Yeats Assignment

Write a short paragraph comparing and contrasting the themes in "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" and "Do not go gentle into that good night." Your response should include at least one example of how each poem uses sound or structure to develop its theme.

Both poems focus on the topic of death, but they convey opposite messages. In "Do not go gentle into that good night," Thomas uses the refrain "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" to develop the theme "No matter what, it is important to struggle to stay alive." Yeats, on the other hand, uses parallelism throughout "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" to show that life and death are balanced. This helps develop the theme of the poem: "Because death is inevitable, it does not matter if one lives or dies."

Use the drop-down menus to finish marking the rhyme scheme of "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death." I know that I shall meet my fate a Somewhere among the clouds above; b Those that I fight I do not hate Those that I guard I do not love; b My country is Kiltartan Cross, My countrymen Kiltartan's poor, No likely end could bring them loss Or leave them happier than before. d

a c d c

Identify the meter, if any, of each line of poetry. "Because their words had forked no lightning they" "A lonely impulse of delight" "No likely end could bring them loss"

iambic pentameter iambic tetrameter iambic tetrameter

Nor law, nor duty bade me fight, Nor public man, nor cheering crowds, A lonely impulse of delight Drove to this tumult in the clouds -"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,"W. B. Yeats What grammatical structure is repeated in the passage? What does the parallelism in the passage emphasize?

the use of "nor" plus a noun that no one else influenced the pilot to go to war

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. -"Do not go gentle into that good night,"Dylan Thomas Which statement best describes the effect of the rhyme in this stanza? The use of the rhyming words night and light stresses the idea that people should not be afraid of death. The use of the rhyming words age and rage highlights the contrast between the speaker's youth and his complex emotions. The use of the rhyming words night and light emphasizes the contrast between death and life. The use of the rhyming words age and rage draws attention to the speaker's optimism.

The use of the rhyming words night and light emphasizes the contrast between death and life.

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 theyDo not go gentle into that good night.Good men, the last wave by, crying how brightTheir 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 sightBlind 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. -"Do not go gentle into that good night,"Dylan Thomas Which statement best describes the effect of the refrains in the poem? They emphasize the idea that people should fight hard to survive. They stress the importance of relationships between fathers and sons. They highlight the idea that death is inevitable. They reinforce the idea that people are insignificant in the vast universe.

They emphasize the idea that people should fight hard to survive.