Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales on October 27, 1914. After leaving school, he worked briefly as a junior reporter on the South Wales Evening Post. In November of 1923 he moved to London and in December of that he published his first book, Eighteen Poems. In April 1936 he met his future wife, Caitlin Macnamara. In September 1936, his second volume of poetry, Twenty-five Poems, was released. In July 1937 Dylan and Caitlin were married and in the following year they moved to Laugharne, Wales. Their first child, Llewlyn Edouard Thomas was born in January 1939. The Map of Love, soon to be the title of a major film, was published in August and The World I Breathe was released in December.(Bookshelf '98) In April of 1940 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog was published and in September Dylan began working for Strand Films, Inc. He remained with Strand through the conclusion of the Second World War. His second child Aeronwy, Byrn Thomas was born in March of 1943. Deaths and Entrances was released in 1946. Three years later his child, Colm Garan Hart Thomas, was born. In 1952 his final volume, Collected Poems, was published. In addition to the work previously mentioned, he also pub
For the purpose of examining thematic consistency through multiple works let us consider two of his most famous poems: Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night and A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London. Both of these works deal with the close of our preciously, mysterious life force. One pleads that we "rage, rage against the dying of the light,"(Do Not) while the other hits on the possibility of reincarnation, a recycling of the life force, and thus the lack of mourning when a life comes to its close. These two themes seem to conflict, but upon further analysis they come together to present us with a complete picture of Dylan Thomas' feelings on the seldom understood subject of death. During his fourth lecture tour of the United States in 1953, he collapsed in his New York hotel. He was but a few days past his 39th birthday. He died on Noovenber 9th, 1953 at St. Vincents Hospital, New York. His alcoholism was legendary and no doubt played a significant role in his demise. His Body was sent back to Laugharne, Wales, where his grave is marked by a simple wooden cross- the way he would have seen fit. In July 1994 his wife, Caitlin, died in Italy. She had spent most of her years there since his death.(Bookshelf '98) Line sixteen of Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, "And you, my father, there on that sad height," gives us the mysteriously mournful phrase, "sad height". This phrase is of particular interest. What does Thomas mean, "sad height"? Is he acknowledging that death is a sad time worthy of lament? No. The sad height is the metaphorical perch we find ourselves resting upon in the moments leading up to death. It is not a place, but rather it is a time and a condition wrapped together to form a unique state of existence. In this poem he is advocating that his fathe
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1231
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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