Pattern 1: Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light." lines 18-19

The two quotes above are refrains. Each one provides advice at how to deal with the approach of death. "Do not go gentle into that good night," means live each moment to the fullest without the fear of death haunting you. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," means don't let hardships or troubles prevent you from living your life. The speaker addresses multiple groups of people and advises each one how to deal with life before death. He tells the old not to let their age bring them closer to death. He implies that age shouldn't have limitations. He advises good men to live there life more thrillingly, and the grave men to not let their struggles hold them back. I think the speaker advises the wise men and the wild men in contrasting ways. He warns the wild men not to let death sneak up on them, and the wise men to not think about death to much. Its almost as if they need to meet in the middle. The repetition of the two refrain lines enforces the message of the poem: don't let the fear of death hold you back.