How Poets Used Imagery to Convey Deeper Ideas

Death in "Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night"

"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" is one of Dylan Thomas's most recognizable poems. Written for Thomas's dying father, this poem is 19 lines and is structured like a villanelle where only two sounds are rhymed. Through the use of imagery, Thomas is able to vividly explore the theme of death and resistance to it.

"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" is full of rebellious undertones with the opening line setting the tone for the rest of the poem. In the poem, Thomas urges his father, and others, to fight against death saying that "old age should burn and rave at close of day" and that a person should not give in so easily to Death's demands (line 2). Thomas continues to describe "wise men" who "at their end know dark is right" do not give up because it is unnatural to simply want to give up when they have fought so hard to get so far along in life. However, fighting death is not restricted to "wise men," but extends to "good men," "wild men," and "grave men," and that despite their accomplishments, they, too "rage against the dying of the light" (lines 4, 7, 10, 13, 15).

This poem also illustrates Thomas's fears of death and of losing his father. Although Thomas describes how different types of men fight death in a brave, but futile, attempt to stave off the inevitable for as long as possible, Thomas is seemingly fearful that his father will lose his fight against "the dying of the light" (line 19). Thomas tells his father that his "fierce tears" both "curse" and "bless" him as though he is able to recognize that his father giving in to death is a curse for the living who will mourn him and a blessing for the inflicted who will no longer be in pain and find peace in death.

In "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," Thomas recognizes the reasons why an individual will fight against death while also recognizing why others will submit. Imagery in the poem helps to highlight how all men, regardless of accomplishments or who they are, will fight for one more day to be able to appreciate what they have, and if possible, to make a lasting impact on others.

Innocence in Blake's "The Lamb"

William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker who expressed his many political and religious views in his work, often through illuminated manuscripts. Blake's collection of illuminated poems, Song of Innocence, and its counterpart, Songs of Experience, contains some of Blake's most famous works including "The Lamb," which explores the concepts of innocence, religion, and creation.

"The Lamb," at its surface, is a religious poem. Blake makes great use of symbolism in the poem and does not appear to hide any meaning within its subtext. As a Christian symbol, the lamb has often been used to represent Jesus, sometimes referred to as the "lamb of God." In the poem, Blake repeatedly asks the lamb if it knows where it came from and who made it; the question that Blake continuously asks is "Little Lamb, who made thee?/Does thou know who made thee?" (lines 9-10). Blake asks this question to raise awareness between being a lamb and its religious associations. As innocence and purity are often symbolically associated with lambs, they are often used as religious sacrifices. The lamb is described as having "Softest clothing wooly bright" and having "such a tender voice, / Making all the vales rejoice" (lines 6-8). Not only does Blake insinuate that the lamb is an innocent creature because of its physical descriptors, but also because of what it represents symbolically. This is illustrated through the rhetorical question, "Do you know who made thee?" And corresponding answer, "Little Lamb I'll tell thee:/He is called by thy name/For he calls himself a Lamb" (lines 12-14). Blake proceeds to describe characteristics that are found in the lamb and in God's son saying, "He is meek & he is mild/He became a little child:/I a child & thou a lamb,/We are called by his name" (lines 15-18). By stating "He became a little child," Blake associates being a child with being innocent because they have not been exposed to experiences that will make them aware of the difference between good and evil (line 16).

Through his description of the lamb in the poem, Blake is able to establish a connection between the lamb as an animal and the lamb as a religious symbol. Moreover, Blake is able to associate the lamb with being innocent and ignorant of the world around it, taking pleasure in what its creator has designated as being pleasurable.

Are You Experienced? The lack of innocence in "The Tyger"

Blake's "The Tyger" in Songs of Experience is intended to complement "The Lamb" in Songs of Innocence. Much like "The Lamb," "The Tyger" is used to explore Blake's views on religion, creation, and highlights the relation between innocence and experience.