The wonder of Dylan Thomas' villanelle is the great pull of opposites. He
tell his father "Curse/ bless me now." He wants his father out of his
misery, but he does not want the old man to be less than he can be. He does
not want him to go meekly and pitifully into death, but to rage against it.
Thomas' father was blind by the way, and this adds to the meaning of the poem.
The form is broken by the spondees coming down hard as they do: Rage, rage,
against the dying of the light. The poem deals with a powerful subject and a
sad one, but it does not lapse into the slightest bit of sentimentality.
Also using the form, Thomas gives examples of how others have died. Most
people agree that the "wild men" he refers to are poets. The poem is richer
than its form, and this is one reason it is held in such high esteem. Do go
back and read it again. Thanks, Sue
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