Month: December 2015

‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ ‘On my first son’ and ‘Hamlet’ FOR ASSESMENT

“HOW DO SHAKESPEARE IN HS PLAY HAMLET AND THE SELECTED POETS USE LITERACY DEVICES TO PRESENT CHARACTERS WHO ARE FACING FORCES IN HE WORLD BEYOND THEIR CONTROL”

Within the two poems, fate is cursed and damned by the author for taking those who were close to them.
Rage playing a vital role in the poem by Dylan Thomas, enthusing the naivety/less accepting tendencies as a young man as opposed to an older person like in ‘my only son’. Added evidence from Hamlet and his revenge quest supports this.
The iambic pentameter references death and life, a heartbeat. The author being the son of dying man being written about, using the last line to reference the idea of life and death and rhyming.
To two are similar in the sense that they are both the extremes of a same event. Losing a son, and losing a father. You could put them into this perspective using the way Hamlet acts his life after losing his father and the way Ben Johnson does in losing his son.
While Ben Johnson is more remorseful and poetic in his words that have more than one meaning, understanding that it was his sons time without being content with it, Hamlet expresses his anger and vengefulness, in his interaction with other characters and the choices he makes, similar to Dylan Thomas in his angry words against fate. Acceptance and its opposite in play.

1.INTRODUCTION (write about what you are going to write)

2.IAMBIC PENTAMETER – can hint rhythm and rhyme (talk about how this references a heartbeat-life and death)

3. FATE is described as an entity (person or thing). Giving it characteristics like this help the authors/characters to direct there anger and blame something.
–Exacted by thy fate, on the just this day-On my first son-
–Rage, rage against of the dying light- Do not go gentle into that good night-
–My fate cries out, And makes each petty artery in this body As hardy as the Nemean lion’s nerve. (Hamlet, 1.4.91), Hamlet–
–There’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all: since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is’t to leave betimes? (Hamlet, 5.2.214), Hamlet to Horatio

4.METAPHORS

5.

My only son

You sat in the palm of my hand
Your fingers curled around thumb
Having to now give you to this land
Age seven, I bury you, my son

Fate had its way for one day
Now you’ve escaped this world
Content for too long, now i must pay
Pain is not given, it is hurled

No judgment to be set onto you
For you hadent committed any sin, unlike I
Am I supposed to start anew?
Id rather hold your hand and with you, die