Welsh Poetry Comparison and Analysis Essay examples -- Owen Sheers Dyl

Welsh Poetry Comparison and Analysis This essay will consider two poems, both written by Welsh authors. The first poem to be discussed will be Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night. Following this, the emphasis will progress to Owen Sheers' poem, When You Died, where ongoing comparisons between the two poems will be made. The content of this essay will discuss the themes and ideas present in both poems, and the devices and techniques used to illustrate them. One of the distinct similarities between the two is that both are themed heavily on the topic of death. Bearing this in mind, the atmosphere, mood and tone of each poem will be discussed with both comparisons and differences made. In addition, the different sets of structures used will be analysed and the effects resulting from the employment of these structures. Dylan Thomas' poem is in the form of a villanelle. This can be inferred from the rigid structure of nineteen lines and the rhyming scheme, which utilises only two rhymes throughout the entirety of the poem. The strict rhyming scheme gives the poem a strong rhythm and a determined, inflexible pace, and as a result, the poem exudes a sense of insuperability in the face of death. The repetitiveness of the rhyming lends an imploring tone to the poem and as such represents Thomas' genuine intent - to advocate (to his father) the subjugation of death, as confirmed by the theme of the poem. Throughout the poem, "night" is used as a metaphor for death. This comparison is apt to the extent that both are regarded with fear and apprehension, feelings also associated with darkness, which is also used, as a metaphor for death. The "night", however, is referred to as being a "good nig... ...ivid recollections of the past he possesses, which perhaps provide him with an opportunity to escape from the traumas of reality. The significance of the egg could possibly a subtle portent of hope after death, even new life. The positive note that the poem ends on consolidates this idea. This concept ties in with the one used in Thomas' poem where, as mentioned earlier, he refers to death as being "good", thus indicating the benevolence of death, a release from suffering. Hence the moral of Sheers' poem, although relatively elusive and ambiguous in comparison with the moral of Thomas' poem, is that there is hope after death. The moral of Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, is much more apparent, the theme displayed in the title (metaphorically) and throughout. Thomas' poem therefore urges us to fight against death, a message pertinent to everyone.