PINAR KILIÇ ŞULE ASLAN

1. DYLAN THOMAS PINAR KILIÇ ŞULE ASLAN

3. Early life • Dylan Thomas was born in the Uplands area of Swansea, South Wales, on 27 October 1914. • His father, David John Thomas, was an English master who taught English literature at the local grammar school. • His mother, Florence Hannah Thomas (née Williams), was a seamstress born in Swansea. • Dylan had a sister, Nancy, eightyearsolderthanhim.

4. Early life • His childhood was spent largely in Swansea, with regular summer trips to visit his maternal aunt's Carmarthenshire dairy farm. These rural sojourns and the contrast with the town life of Swansea provided inspiration for much of his work, notably many short stories, radio essays and the poem Fern Hill. Thomas was known to be a sickly child who shied away from school and preferred reading on his own

5. Education • Thomas's formal education began at Mrs. Hole's 'Dame School', a private school, which was situated a few streets away on Mirador Crescent. • In October 1925, Thomas attended the single-sex Swansea Grammar School, in the Mount Pleasant district of the city. • Thomas's first poem was published in the school's magazine, of which he later became an editor. He left school at 16 to become a reporter for the local newspaper, the South Wales Daily Post only to leave the job under pressure 18 months later in 1932. He then joined an amateur dramatic group in Mumbles, but still continued to work as a freelance journalist for a few more years.

6. Career • Thomas wrote half of his poems and many short stories while living at his Cwmdonkin home, “And death shall have no dominion”is one of his best known works written at this address. • His highly acclaimedfirst poetry volume, 18 Poems, was published on 18 December 1934, the same year he moved to London.

7. Career • The publication of Deaths and Entrances in 1946 was a major turning pointin his career. • Thomas was well known for being a versatile and dynamic speaker, best known for his poetry readings. • His powerful voice would captivate American audiences during his speaking tours of the early 1950s. He made over 200 broadcasts for the BBC.

8. Marriageandchildren • In the spring of 1936, Dylan Thomas met Caitlin MacNamara, a dancer. They met in the Wheatsheaf public house, in the Fitzrovia area of London's West End. A drunken Thomas proposed marriage on the spot, and the two began a courtship.

9. Addiction • Thomas likedtoboastabout his addiction, saying; “An alcoholic is someoneyoudon'tlike, whodrinks as much as you do.” • Thomas "likedthetaste of whisky,"and he didquite his fairshare of drinking, althoughtheamount he is supposedtohavedrunkmayhavebeen an exaggeration.

10. Style • Thomas's verbal style played against strict verse forms, such as the villanelle ("Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"). • His images were carefully ordered in a patterned sequence, and his major theme was the unity of all life, the continuing process of life and death and new life that linked the generations.

11. Thomas saw biology as a magical transformation producing unity out of diversity, and in his poetry he sought a poetic ritual to celebrate this unity. • He saw men and women locked in cycles of growth, love, procreation, new growth, death, and new life again. Therefore, each image engenders its opposite. • Thomas derived his closely woven, sometimes self-contradictory images from the Bible, Welsh folklore and preaching, and Freud.

12. Poetry • Thomas's poetry is famous for its musicality, most notable in poems such as Fern Hill, In the White Giant's Thigh, In Country Sleep and Ballad of the Long-legged Bait. Do not go gentle into that good night, possibly his most popular poem, is unrepresentative of his usual poetic style.

13. Thomas once confided that the poems which had most influenced him were Mother Goose rhymes which his parents taught him when he was a child. He did not understand all of their contents, but he loved their sounds, and the acoustic qualities of the English language became his focus in his work later. • He claimed that the meanings of a poem were of "very secondary nature" to him.

14. Bibliography • Poetry • 18 Poems (1934) • The Map of Love (1939) • Twenty-Five Poems (1936) • New Poems (1943) • Deaths and Entrances (1946) • Twenty-Six Poems (1950) • In Country Sleep (1952) • Collected Poems, 1934-1952 (1952)

15. Death • Dylan Thomas died in New York on 9 November 1953. The first rumours were of a brain haemorrhage, followed by reports that he had been mugged. Soon came the stories about alcohol, that he had drunk himself to death. Later, there were speculations about drugs and diabetes.

16. Impact on other cultural figures • Musician Bob Dylan once said the work of Dylan Thomas influenced the change of his name from Zimmerman to Dylan • Welsh musician John Cale has been highly influenced by the work of Dylan Thomas, even setting several of his poems (There Was a Saviour, On a Wedding Anniversary, Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night) to orchestral music on his 1989 album Words for the Dying, as well as a musical setting of A Child's Christmas in Wales on his album Paris 1919.

17. American author Shirley Jackson met Thomas once briefly in her family home and wrote several short stories dedicated to and loosely based around Thomas. • American band Brave Saint Saturn quoted a portion of the poem "And death shall have no dominion" in the song "Here is the News" from the album Anti-Meridian.

18. DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT Do not gogentleintothatgoodnight, Oldageshouldburnandrave at close of day; Rage, rageagainstthedying of thelight. Thoughwise men at theirendknowdark is right, Becausetheirwords had forked no lightningthey Do not gogentleintothatgoodnight. Good men, thelastwaveby, cryinghowbright Theirfraildeedsmighthavedanced in a green bay, Rage, rageagainstthedying of thelight.

19. Wild men whocaughtandsangthe sun in flight, Andlearn, toolate, theygrieved it on itsway, Do not gogentleintothatgoodnight. Grave men, neardeath, whoseewithblindingsight Blindeyescouldblazelikemeteorsand be gay, Rage, rageagainstthedying of thelight. Andyou, myfather, there on thesadheight, Curse, blessmenowwithyourfiercetears, I pray. Do not gogentleintothatgoodnight. Rage, rageagainstthedying of thelight.

20. DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT • Do not gogentleintothatgoodnight, a villanellecomposed in 1952, is consideredto be amongthefinestworksby Dylan Thomas . Originallypublished in thejournalBottegheOscure in 1951, it alsoappeared as part of thecollection "InCountrySleep." • Writtenfor his dyingfather, it is one of Thomas'smost-quotedworks.

21. Subject • Dylan Thomas’ father had been a robust, militantmanmost of his life, andwhen in his eighties, he becameblindandweak, his son wasdisturbedseeing his fatherbecome “soft” or “gentle.” Inthispoem, Thomas is rousing his fathertocontinuebeingthefierceman he had previouslybeen.

22. Thomas watched his father, formerly in theArmy, growweakandfrailwitholdage. Thus, thespeaker in his poemtriestoconvince his fathertofightagainstimminentdeath. • Thespeakeraddresses his fatherusingwise men, good men, wild men, orgrave men as examplestoillustratethesamemessage: thatno matterhowtheyhavelivedtheirlivesorwhattheyfeel at theendtheyshoulddiefighting. He impliesthatoneshould not diewithoutfightingforone's life, orafter life.

23. Stanza 1: Thefirstline is a command, “Do not gogentleintothatgoodnight.” Don’tgiveupeasily. • Thesecondline” Old age should burn and rave at close of day” offersthespeaker’sbeliefthatevenwhenoldandinfirm, themanshouldstayenergeticandcomplainifnecessary as long as he does not give in todeatheasily. • Thenlinethreeagain is a command, “Rage, rageagainstthedying of thelight”: Fight, complain, railagainsttheoncoming of death.

24. Stanza 2 Thoughwise men at theirendknowdark is right, Becausetheirwords had forked no lightningthey Do not gogentleintothatgoodnight. fork: v. branch out, split, separate, divide; make into the shape of a fork • Eventhoughwise men knowthattheycannotkeepdeathawayforeverandespeciallyiftheyhave not accomplishedtheirgoals in life, theydon’tacceptdeatheasily; they “Do not gogentle . . . .”

25. Stanza 3 Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. frail: adj. fragile; flimsy; weak, slight, thin; bay: n. small arm of the sea where the shore curves inward • Good men exclaimwhatmighthavebeen, their “fraildeed” mighthaveshonelikethe sun reflectingoffthewaters of a “green bay,” andthey, therefore, “Rage, rage” againsttheoncoming of death.

26. Stanza 4 Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. • Wild men whoseanticsseemedtoshine as brightly as the sun andwhothoughttheyweresooptimistic, but laterrealizedtheyspentmuch of their life in grief, stillthey “Do not gogentle . . . .”

27. Stanza 5 Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. gay: adj. happy, cheerful; • Grave men whoseeyesarefadingfast can stillflashlife’shappiness, as they “Rage, rage . .

28. Stanza 6 And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. • Thespeakeraddresses his father. “Andsomyfatheryouarenearingdeath—yell at me, scream at me, cryout; toseeyou do thatwould be a blessingformeand I begyoutoshowmethatmilitantmanyouoncewere: Do not gogentle . . . . ”

29. Otherexplanations… • Anotherexplication is thatthespeakeradmitsthatdeath is unavoidable, but encouragesall men tofightdeath.This is not fortheirownsake, but togiveclosureandhopetothe kin thattheywillleavebehind. Tosupportthis, he givesexamples of wise men, good men, wild men, andgrave men to his father, whowasdying at the time thispoemwaswritten. There is littletextualevidenceforthisinterpretation, however, exceptthewords "curse, blessmenowwithyourfiercetears, I pray." Also, it has beenhistoricallystatedthat Thomas nevershowedthispoemto his father; ifso, it wouldseemthat Thomas composed it morefor his ownbenefitthan his father's.

30. Literarydevices: • The form on thepoem is a villanelle,with a rimeschemealternating “night” and “day.” • “Goodnight” is a metaphor. • “Dying of thelight” is a metaphor. • “Oldageshouldburnandrave” in line 2 is a combination of rhetoricandpersonification.

31. Literarydevices: • “Burn” in thatsameline is usedmetaphorically, as is “dark” in line 4. • Inline 5 “theirwords had forked no lightning” is metaphorical. • Line 8 “Theirfraildeedsmighthavedanced in a green bay” employspersonificationandmetaphor.

32. Literarydevices: • Line 10 “Wild men whosangthe sun in flight” is exaggerationandmetaphor. • Line 11 “theygrieved it on itsway” is alsoexaggerationandmetaphor. • Line 14 “Blindeyescouldblazelikemeteors” is a simile. • Line 17 “Curse, bless, menowwithyourfiercetears, I pray” is a paradox.

33. THE FORCE THAT THROUGH THE GREEN FUSE DRIVES THE FLOWER The force that through the green fuse drives the flower Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees Is my destroyer. And I am dumb to tell the crooked rose My youth is bent by the same wintry fever. The force that drives the water through the rocks Drives my red blood; that dries the mouthing streams Turns mine to wax. And I am dumb to mouth unto my veins How at the mountain spring the same mouth sucks.

34. The hand that whirls the water in the pool Stirs the quicksand; that ropes the blowing wind Hauls my shroud sail. And I am dumb to tell the hanging man How of my clay is made the hangman's lime. The lips of time leech to the fountain head; Love drips and gathers, but the fallen blood Shall calm her sores. And I am dumb to tell a weather's wind How time has ticked a heaven round the stars. And I am dumb to tell the lover's tomb How at my sheet goes the same crooked worm.

35. THE FORCE THAT THROUGH THE GREEN FUSE DRIVES THE FLOWER • ‘The force that through the green fuse drives the flower’ is a poem by Dylan Thomas written in the 1930s. It is a most beautiful poem full of wistfulness and sorrow, and tinged with a sense of helplessness. • In the poem Thomas handles all of the literary elements with dexterity with possible interpretations. But the general theme, the cycle of life, is evident through his skillful use of imagery, symbolism, and connotation.

36. Theme • Themaintheme of thispoem is theconnectionbetweenall of natureandlife. Thomas speaks of a mysteriousandunstoppableforcethatcontrolsbothmankindandnature, foreverlinkingthemtogether, as his ‘youth is bent bythesamewintryfever’ as the ‘crookedrose’, andhe believesthatthelives of mankindandnatureare not separate.

37. Theme • Thomas talksabout a power, “theforce”, whichpushestheflowerupthroughtheearthandthewaterthroughtherocks; makesthewaterswirl in a circleandsendsthesailboatmovingthroughthewater; andmovesthequicksanddownwardtakingeverythingwith it thatgotcaught in itsspin. • Thereis a theme of regenerationin allstanzas.

38. Analysis of thePoem Stanza1 The force that through thegreen fuse drives the flowerDrives my green age; that blasts the roots of treesIs my destroyer.And I am dumb to tell the crooked roseMy youth is bent by the same wintry fever. (1-5) The “green fuse” represents the stem of the flower, but through connotation “fuse” is thought of as something explosive, contrary to a gentle flower. The word “green” implies youthand growth as he describes his age. In the second and third lines the force that produced life in the flower and himself is described as the same force that destroys life.

39. Analysis of thePoem Stanza1 The force that through thegreen fuse drives the flowerDrives my green age; that blasts the roots of treesIs my destroyer.And I am dumb to tell the crooked roseMy youth is bent by the same wintry fever. (1-5) The fourth line shatters the beautiful image of a rose, a symbol of healthiness and vigor, when it is described as crooked, inviting negative connotations. Just as the rose is feeble, he is also weakened and the seasons of his life change from springtime liveliness to “wintry fever.” The image of a frail, hunched over old man comes to mind.

40. Analysis of thePoem Stanza 2 The force that drives the water through the rocksDrives my red blood; that dries the mouthing streamsTurns mine to wax.And I am dumb to mouth unto my veinsHow at the mountain spring the same mouth sucks. (6-10) The “force” here extends the flow of the stream as it drives it along, similar to the first stanza in which the force extended the growth of the flower. “Red blood” is homogenous to “green age” from the first stanza – they both represent life and vivacity. In lines seven and eight “the force” becomes destructive again as in the first stanza.

41. Analysis of thePoem Stanza 2 The force that drives the water through the rocksDrives my red blood; that dries the mouthing streamsTurns mine to wax.And I am dumb to mouth unto my veinsHow at the mountain spring the same mouth sucks. (6-10) The force that pushed life along becomes the very force that takes away life as it “dries” the stream and turns the speaker’s blood to “wax,” which represents the speaker’s stiff corpse after embalming. As in the first stanza he is unable to communicate his feelings. An attempt to explain the situation to his body would be futile, since it is already lifeless.

42. Analysis of thePoem Stanza3 The hand that whirls the water in the poolStirs the quicksand; that ropes the blowing windHauls my shroud sail.And I am dumb to tell the hanging manHow of my clay is made the hangman’s lime.(11-15) The “hand”agitates the normally calm waters of the pool and the generally motionless quicksand, and it is so powerful that it also controls the wind. The third line of this stanza is a double entendre. The speaker can be referring to a ship where the “shroud” is one of the ropes that support a ship’s mast; in this case the “hand’s” power is demonstrated as it controls the ship’s course.

43. Analysis of thePoem Stanza3 The hand that whirls the water in the poolStirs the quicksand; that ropes the blowing windHauls my shroud sail.And I am dumb to tell the hanging manHow of my clay is made the hangman’s lime.(11-15) The “shroud” would be the sheet used to wrap a dead body for burial. In the fourth and fifth lines the speaker find it senseless to communicate his feelings with the “hanging man” since they both share the same fate. The speaker’s body, his “clay,” will be in the hangman’s pit, which is doused in “lime” to nullify the smell of rotting corpses.

44. Analysis of thePoem Stanza 4 The lips of time leech to the fountain head;Love drips and gathers, but the fallen bloodShall calm her sores.And I am dumb to tell a weather’s windHow time has ticked a heaven round the stars.(16-20) The denotation of “fountainhead” is an original source, where life begins, time leeches the fountain head just as age exhausts life. Thenextline leanstowards the reoccurring theme of death where “fallen blood” represents a dead person. The speaker brings another life into being through reproduction in line one and in lines two and three.

45. Analysis of thePoem Stanza 4 The lips of time leech to the fountain head;Love drips and gathers, but the fallen bloodShall calm her sores.And I am dumb to tell a weather’s windHow time has ticked a heaven round the stars.(16-20) Time is referred to as “her” and the burden on society is represented by “sores.” He is incapable of explaining to the wind how time works because the wind already knows the nature of time. The “weather’s wind” has been to the heavens and the stars and has seen all possible weathers.

46. Otherexplanations… • He describesthisforce as linking life anddeath in an eternalcycle; ‘of myclay is madethehangman’s lime’. Thomas suggestslate in thepoemthe name of theforcethat he is talkingabout: ‘(thelips of) time’, emphasisinghis pointthatthisforce is powerfulandcentraltoall.

47. Literarydevices: • Structurallythepoemfollows a certainrhythm: Eachstanzabeginningwiththeword ‘the’, andthefirsttwostanzasbeginningwiththesamewordsaltogether: ‘Theforcethatdrives’, whichreflectstheregularity of thiscycleanditscontinuance. • Thepoetdoesn’tuserhymes, but sometimesuseswordsthatsoundsimilarsuch as theending: ‘tomb’ and ‘worm’, togive a sense of comfortandregularitywhenreadout.

48. Literarydevices: • Theorganisations of ideas in thefirstthreestanzasareverysimilar: Thefirstpartconcerns (in thefirsttwostanzas) comparingmankindwithnature in terms of life andcreation, andafterthe semi-colon is themention of destruction. Thencomes a shortlineshowinghowtheforcewillcausethedeath of thepoet. Thelasttwolinesshowhowthepoet is unabletoarticulatethewonders of thepower.

49. Literarydevices: • Word orderis sometimesemphatic: ‘Theforce’ starting a linemakes it clearthatthat is themajortheme of thepoem, andthesecondline of many of thestanzasbeginwith a verbthatemphasisespower. Oftena verb is usedto start theline, such as ‘drives’ and ‘stirs’, toreinforcetheimportance of theactionsthethemedforceperforms.

50. Literarydevices: • Theuse of imageryandcontrast in language: Thomas usesmanycolours in terms of imagery, whichaddsdepthandmeaningtothepoem, as colours can symbolisenumerousthings. ‘green’stresses life andyouth, andalsothefactthatthesameword is usedtodescribetheage of a humanandthe life of a flower.Theuse of ‘redblood’ alsoaddstothis, as red is a veryhealthyandlivelycolour. His imagery is oftenextremelyinterestingandoriginal. The ‘shroudsail’remindsthereader of perhaps a Viking funeral, whichdrawsmanyconnectionswiththeseaandthewind.