Real Cool by G. Brooks and Do Not Gentle Into That Good Night by D. Thomas: Poem Comparison

Poetry Analysis
Name
Institution
Due Date
Poetry Analysis
Is there a common theme and/or connection between these two poems? Please explore this theme or connection.
While reading the two poems, it is possible to ignore the obvious messages being communicated. The two share a lot albeit not directly. We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks is an 8 line poem whose persona is a group of young men who live their lives on the edge. These young men do not have regard for life or what other people call living. Theirs is to live life as they see it fit, and as they say, eventually die young. On the other hand, Do Not Gentle Into That Good Night is a poem by Dylan Thomas. Thomas appears to be the persona of the poem and is writing it to his father who is about to die. However, Thomas is asking his father not to go away without a fight. He asks him to put up a fight and not go into the good night (death) gently. While written for different audiences, the two poems do have a lot in common. The idea of death and man’s powerlessness towards it is well captured in both poems, and this brings about the connection between the two poems. Another connection between the two poems is the theme of defiance or rebellion that they exhibit. So, this article seeks to showcase the connection between the two poems with a special focus on the issue of death and man’s inevitability towards it, and the theme of rebellion or defiance.
In the poem Do Not Gentle Into That Good Night, death is one of the major themes. However, this article will look at death while considering man’s powerlessness towards it. In this poem, while referencing the wise men, Thomas does acknowledge that death is an inevitability. The line “though wise men at their end know dark is right” helps to showcase the inevitability of death. Even the wise men know that death is coming and that it is okay to die. These men appear to have made their peace with death even though they want to go on their own terms. The acceptance that death is the ultimate fate is a theme that is also captured well enough in th...