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Death Perception

Introduction

The two poems, “Elegy for my father, who is not dead” by Andrew Hudgins and “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas portray perceptions about death from different people. “Elegy for my father, who is not dead” by Andrew Hudgins shows its perception from the eyes of a son and a father. The father is ready to leave the world and wants to go with the son. However, the son feels that he has not lived yet and is not ready to leave death as his father is. It has two perceptions of a younger generation and an older one that has lived its life. “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas portrays the perception of a son’s plea to his father that he may not just leave the world gently but do so with a rage. In spite of the life that the father has lived, the son still feels that there is still enough life left in him to make one last impact before he dies. The son suggests that his father should apply the zeal he had in his young life before he dies. It depicts the need to live one’s life to the full before death beckons. The poems show that while the old are ready to let go and accept death, the young are not ready and would like the older generation to continue fighting for their lives. The young generation is not satisfied with the efforts their fathers are putting in their lives. In addition, they perceive the place where one goes after death as being a good one where they are peaceful and rested.

Comparison of the two poems

The poems are similar in the sons” perceptions. In both of them, the sons feel that they are not ready to let go of this world. In the first poem “Elegy for my father, who is not dead” by Andrew Hudgins, the son envisions his father’s death and how his father sees it as a welcome relief as he awaits his son to join him. According to the poem, the son thinks, “he thinks that when I trail him he’ll wrap me in his arms and chuckle, they way he did when I got on earth” (Hudgins n.p.). In addition, he feels that the father’s perception towards his impending death is too cavalier, and he is not okay with that. The author writes about the son, “I can’t just say goodbye as cheerfully as if he were embarking on a trip to make my later trip go well” (Hudgins n.p.). He is uncertain about the whole issue. The second poem “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas also depicts a son who is not ready to face the death of his father. He feels that there should be more fight from his father, and he should not accept death “lying” down. In the poem he says, “do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at the close of day” (Thomas n.p). He depicts his father’s situation as a “sad height” and beseeches him to fight. Both sons are not ready to see their father’s go yet and wish they would put more fight for their lives.

The second theme is the depiction of death as leading to a gentler place, giving the perception of a better place. In the first poem “Elegy for my father, who is not dead” by Andrew Hudgins, the son thinks of the father as being ready to go to a fresh world where he seems to be assured of his reservations. Hudgins states that, “in the sureness of his faith, he talks about the world beyond this world as though his reservations have been made…. a little bit – a new desire to travel building up, an itch to see fresh worlds” (Hudgins n.p). This shows that the father believes he is going to a better place. In the second poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas, the son describes the death as a “good night.” This seems to be why he asks his father to rage against a dying light. The son beseeches his father several times “not go gentle into that good night” (Thomas n.p). The use of the word good shows that the place where people are perceived to after death is a good one, possibly better than the one they live in.

Conclusion

Both poems, “Elegy for my father, who is not dead” by Andrew Hudgins and “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas show that the sons are not prepared to accept the passing away of their fathers and feel they should fight more for their lives rather than just die without a struggle. In the first poem, the son feels the father is already ready for his death while he himself is not ready to say goodbye to him. In the second poem, the son feels his father is giving in to death without a fight. He wishes that is father would not go so gently but instead go out with rage. Both poems also agree that the fathers will be going to a more peaceful and better place after their deaths. The first poem refers to the place as being a fresher world while the second refers to it as leading to a good night.

Works Cited

Hudgins, A. Elegy for my Father, who is not Dead. Web. March 30, 2013 from http://flouri.shyou.org/wikianthology/elegyformyfatherwhoisnotdead

Thomas, D. Do not go gentle into that good night. Web. March 30, 2013 from http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/do-not-go-gentle-into-that-good-night/