Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Flashcards

Villanelle Form

rigid structure - inevitability of death + need to be as powerful to fight it/ speaker trying to find order in face of chaos + uncertainty of death

Syllables stressed by Iambic Pentameter

impassioned tone/ emotional intensity/ person's heartbeat/ death marching towards father

Regular rhyme scheme

Creates sense of inevitable nature of death and a sense of urgency

Volta

goes from talking about all men to just talking to person

refrain

reinforces stoicism of those facing death + son urging father to keep fighting

repetition of 'rage rage'

drives home message

contrast between 'frail' and 'danced'

shows liveliness vs weakness and shows how he's losing liveliness and joy of life.

epizeuxis of 'rage, rage'

increases intensity + persistance of son's plea

polosives of 'deeds might have danced'

emphasise determination and bitter tone

oxymoron of 'blinding sight'

potential they had/ memories you see before death + blind error of ways

simile of 'blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay'

everyone, even the ignorant, have potential

Imperatives of 'curse' and 'bless'

wants his father to feel some passion and not just sucumb, even if (cursing of dad) hurts son

personification of 'deeds might have danced'

deeds live on after death

metaphor of 'words had forked no lightning' + hyperbole

limitless potential of humanity/ humans almost like Gods - illusion to Zeus

assonance of 'age' 'rave' 'day' 'rage' 'against'

creates a haunting tone/ oncoming, sinister, stealthy death

metaphor of 'sad height'

how much you have to lose/ about to fall of (life) cliff into (death) chasm/ reached height of life and about to lose it, or die.

sibilance and 'l' alliteration of 'sang the sun in flight and learn to late'

lulling - mimicking people being lazy whilst life passed by

final line of each stanza end stopped - each stanza talks about diff type of person

distinct different approaches

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