"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"

"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"
by Dylan Thomas

The poem's title, which is also the refrain, urges the the reader to "not go gentle into that good night" (Thomas, 968).  This is a fancy way of saying not to accept death calmly.  Another refrain, "rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas, 968), reinforces the plea.  The speaker repeats the advice to fight against death, do not go out peacefully.  But in telling the reader to fight, the speaker also acknowledges that everyone does face death at some point, wise me, good men, wild men, grave men, even his own father.  These different types of men may perceive the approach of death in different ways, but they all must fight it in their own way.
This resistance toward impending death is a theme shown in the poem "That time of year" by Shakespeare as well.  The lover mentioned at the end of the poem loves the dying man with even more strength and passion the closer he gets to death, knowing that their time will soon be cut short.