Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

"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." - Dylan Thomas

I found this poem to be very interesting.  The speaker is telling the reader and elderly people in particular to fight against and resist death.  The shocking thing the reader finds out at the end of the poem is that the speaker's father is on his death bed.  At first I didn't agree with the speaker at all.  I felt like death was a very natural thing and fighting against it was not a good idea.  I felt that death was inevitable and since everyone is going to die, resisting against it would be useless.  Then, after I realized that the main reason for this poem was for the speaker to convince his father to fight death, I agreed more with the speaker and felt more sympathy for him.  If I was in the same position, I would want my father to try and fight death (If he was not in pain, of course).

That Time Of Year

"This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long." - William Shakespeare

I personally loved this poem.  "That time of year" that the speaker is talking about is old age and the loss of youth.  The speaker believes that with old age, love must grow stronger.  I most definitely agree with the speaker on this point.  As time goes by, the love of most couples grows stronger.  Most of the time, couples do not split up or get a divorce after being together for a long time.  Divorce and break-ups usually occur within the first ten years.  Also, as I watch my grandparents, I can tell that they are truly in love.  Their love grows stronger with every moment that passes.  This poem is very realistic to me in this way.

Elegy For My Father, Who Is Not Dead

"I can't 
just say good-bye as cheerfully 
as if he were embarking on a trip 
to make my later trip go well." - Andrew Hudgins

This poem is an example of an elegy for the speaker's father.  The ironic thing, though, it that the  speaker's father is not dead yet.  The poem is a poem of mourning for when the father does die.  This elegy helps to show the speaker's feelings towards death.  Although his father is ready for death, and maybe even wants to go, the speaker cannot find himself feeling cheerful for the coming of death, both for his father's and his own.  The speaker feels sad when thinking that his father will die soon.  He is not ready to say good-bye.  Although the father believes they will meet again in the after-life, the speaker does not feel the same way.  Again, the speaker says that his father is "ready," but he is not.

Death, Be Not Proud

"Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so" - John Donne

Immediately, I found the use of a literary technique at work in this poem.  This literary technique is personification.  The speaker is giving death human characteristics, telling it to "be not proud."  I believe that the reason for personifying death is to put it on a more personal level.  The speaker wants the reader to realize that he or she should not be afraid of death.  By personifying death, the reader is able to feel like he or she can feel no fear as if feeling no fear with a real person.  Another reason for why death should be not proud and we should not fear it is because with "one short sleep passed, we wake eternally."  Although we die, we will live forever in heaven or the afterlife.  Death should not be proud for thinking that it is taking people's lives because really it it putting us closer to eternal life.

Delight In Disorder

"A careless shoestring, in whose tie 
I see a wild civility" - Robert Herrick

The theme of this poem is that sometimes disorder is better than order.  It is not always good to be completely orderly and look perfect all the time.  The speaker says that there is a "sweet disorder in the dress."  He also says "Do not bewitch me than when art is too precise in every part."  These quotes help to further explain this theme.  The oxymoron I found in this poem also helps to establish this theme.  The oxymoron "wild civility" can be found in line twelve.  What the speaker means when he says this is that order can be found in the disorder that is shown in the careless tying of a shoestring or even a neglected cuff or tempestuous petticoat.  The speaker prefers this kind of disorder rather than the preciseness of order. I would have to agree with the speaker.  I find it unhealthy to be constantly worrying about being perfect or being so up-tight all the time.  Sometimes it is best to just let loose or act a little carefree.