Do not go gentle into that good night (do check out the audio recording on the page too. It's wonderful!) by Dylan Thomas was probably the first poem I ever remember analyzing. Well, kind of.
My mom and I were at home and I was reading her the poem - we had read it in school maybe or perhaps it was in a book I took from the self. I was in 6th or 7th grade and was reciting it because it sounded neat - with all the repetition (hey, hey villanelle!).
I had finished the poem and then my mom asked "what do you think it means?". No one had asked me so bluntly - in school whenever we did a unit on poetry it was to identify the similes or count the number of metaphors or something like that.
I faltered and then haltingly, sputtered "Um, (big uncertain pause) .......death?"
And ding, ding, ding, correct! And fathers/sons and old age and missed chances and regrets and funerals and grief and love.
Do you remember when you first (or early on) took a stab at poetry analysis? What poem got you going?
Favorite line: "Because their words had forked no lightning they / Do not go gentle into that good night."
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
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This was my first poem I actually analyzed as well. This or maybe Nothing Gold Can Stay.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Thanks for commenting and I think it's great that we share a poetry-thing in common.
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