Poem analysis

280. The Beating page 333
In the poem The Beating by Ann Stanford, there is very powerful imagery. The details given about the different strikes against the narrator provide a grueling image. It is interesting because the unnamed assailant seems to beat up the narrator until the narrator dies. The images of the beating contrasts sharply with the image of the narrator inside his/her coffin. The poem goes from darkness and "no more lights" to a "white room [that] tortures my eyes". The details in the poem also point out that this beating was not a small thing; the narrator died because he/she was injured so severely.


The stanzas in this poem end their sentences on the next line with one word. For example, in the first stanza, the first line is "The first blow caught me sideways, my jaw/Shifted." Instead of ending the sentence with the rest of it, the poet drops the last word to the next line. This gives the poem more of an emphasis on what the narrator is saying and what happened. There is also a shift between stanzas four and five. The tense changes from past to present, giving the impression that the narrator is reflecting on what ended his/her life and his/her experience through it.


I quite liked this poem and I found it very interesting. The attention to detail of the violent act makes it seem realistic as if I am watching this scene play out in front of me. It is odd reading the cut off lines, but it gives the poem a feeling of defeat, as if the narrator couldn't stop his/her assailant. I especially like the way the shift appears. It goes from the victim being very bloody and dying, to being dead and inside the open casket at the viewing, to the closed casket in the ground. I like the transition of thought as well.


286. Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night page 336
The poem Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas is a villanelle and, therefore, the refrains are some of the most important parts. The two refrains that are repeated are "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "Rage, rage against the dying of the light". They are important because they bring in the aspect of people not wanting to die and their struggle against their impending death. "Do not go gentle into that good night" refers to the narrator telling the old men to not give in and to keep fighting for life. The night is presented as good because death is an escape and is somewhat peaceful, so the elders are searching for that. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" refers to the narrator forcibly speaking to the old men to not let death consume them and burn away all their life. The usage of the word 'rage' is key because it sends a clear message gives the refrain a more frantic and pleading tone.


Speaking of tone, it also plays a very important role in this poem. The aggressive diction provides an urgent and rushed tone. The speaker seems to want to keep the old men, and his/her father from dying. He/she is adamant that they survive. That brings in the question of urgency and how badly he/she wants the people to live. The mention of his/her father at the conclusion of the poem ties into the tone really well because the conclusion is the last chance the narrator has of convincing his/her father and the other old men to keep breathing.


Personally, my interpretation of this poem is that the narrator is speaking to all elderly people and telling them to fight on and continue to try and survive so that death does not take them. The narrator says that no matter if they thought what they did was small and insignificant, as in the line "Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright/Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay", it was not in vain and that they should stay alive. I really enjoyed this poem, and it was actually the first villanelle I ever read, as it is the most famous one.