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Meg Strauss
Professor Deborah Dimon
English 240
25 March 2016

Poe and Thomas: Rhyme and Repetition

Rhyme and repetition together help establish a thorough message throughout a poem, as well as create an

emotional response for the reader. This idea is seen vividly throughout Edgar Allan Poes Annabel Lee and Dylan

Thomas Do Not Go Gentle into that Goodnight. Within these poems, both authors greatly indulge in the literary

practice of rhyme and repetition, thus resulting in a clear poetic message while simultaneously launching an

emotional reaction within the reader.

To start, both of the poems illustrate end rhymes, which ultimately assist in illuminating the message and

meaning of the poem. For instance, in the first stanza of Annabel Lee, the poem states, It was a many, and many

year ago/ In a kingdom by the sea/ That a maiden there lived whom you may know/ By the name of Annabel Lee/

And this maiden she lived with no other thought/ Than to be loved and be loved by me (1-6). Poe rhymes the

words sea, Annabel Lee, and me. By rhyming these words, Poe puts upon them a great emphasis. The reader

already can understand some of the important aspects within the poem, such as that Annabel Lee lived by the sea,

and that she loved and was deeply loved by the narrator. The usage of end rhymes also assist in somewhat adding a

lyrical flow to the poem. This rhythm allows the reader to move from one aspect of the poem to another without a

sense of disconnection.

The first stanza in Do Not Go Gentle into that Goodnight, just like in Annabel Lee, also provides

immediate access to the meaning of the poem through the implantation of end rhymes. Thomas writes, Do not go

gentle into that good night/ Old age should burn and rave at close of day;/ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

(1-3). By rhyming the words night and light the reader can sense the theme of lightness and darkness, which can

be attributed easily into the motif of death. Death is essentially what the entire poem is explaining, and by putting an

emphasis upon these ending words, the meaning of the poem is more accurately presented to the reader.

Repetition is also strongly displayed in Annabel Lee and Do Not Go Gentle into that Goodnight. Both

poems feature refrains, which is the repetition of a phrase, as well as words and sounds that are repeated sporadically

throughout the text (Kennedy and Gioia, 126. The concept of repetition in poetry is used in these poems to put
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emphasis on words, sounds, or phrases that are important to the overall meaning of the poem. The repetition of these

words, sounds, or phrases also enable a readers connection to the poem by helping to define the tone of the poem.

For example, in Annabel Lee, Poe uses the name Annabel Lee as the refrain in the poem. This name,

not including the title of poem, is noted five times in the text- twice in the last stanza. Verses within the last stanza

include, For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams/ Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;/ And the stars

never rise, but I feel the bright eyes/ Of the beautiful Annabel Lee (34-37). By repeating her name, it can be noted

as an illustration of the narrator calling out his lovers name over and over again, yearning for Annabel Lee to come

back into his life, even though he is aware of her death. When viewed this way, the tone of the poem becomes

passionately desperate, which is capable of making the reader feel extremely sympathetic towards the narrator and

thus creates an emotional connection with the reader.

Dylan Thomas also uses the title of the poem, Do Not Go Gentle into that Goodnight, as the refrain in the

poem. Out of the six stanzas in the poem, four of them include the phrase, do not go gentle into that goodnight.

For instance, the phrase concludes stanza two by stating, Though wise men at their end know dark is right/ Because

their words have forked no lightening they/ Do not go gentle into that goodnight (4-6). Reinforcing this phrase puts

a spotlight on the fact that the reader does not want his father to die gently. This repetition can be deemed as the

narrator constantly reminding his father not to die. This phrase has the ability to illustrate a man sitting by his

fathers deathbed, begging him repeatedly to not go gentle into that goodnight. If this phrase is viewed as a

recurrent plea from a son to his dying father, a bond is built between the reader and the poem through the concept of

death and sadness. For it is nearly impossible for a reader to not feel an ounce of emotional connection towards the

poem when speaker is viewed with a love so strong towards his own father that he is begging him to not die.

Alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds, is strongly present in Annabel Lee, as well as in Do Not

Go Gentle into that Goodnight (Kennedy and Gioia, 149). The usage of alliteration has a tendency to create a mood

within these poems, which in return creates an emotional response with the reader.

Poe uses many examples of alliteration within his poem. For example, Annabel Lee states, That the

wind came out of the cloud by night/ chilling and killing my Annabel Lee (15-16). These verses repeat the hard c

sound through the words came, cloud, killing. These words alone have a very eerie sound to them, and by

putting the emphasis of alliteration onto these words, the reader is drawn to them and gets a greater sense of
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creepiness. The sound of the hard c also is not pleasant, which is why Poe used it while describing unpleasant

aspects. The sound comes across as being rather dramatic, therefore stressing the dramatic scene in which Annabel

Lee is eventually killed. By using this alliteration in this scene, the reader is presented with the more easily

identifiable tone of sorrow and horridness. An emotional connection is consequently established as the reader is

somewhat grasped by the dramatic tone. Drama, in many instances, has the ability to draw the reader in, making

them feel more connected with speakers or characters. By putting an emphasis on the alliterating words, the drama

in the poem becomes clearer and, in return, creates an emotional connection to the reader.

Poe, however, does not only use one set of alliteration in order to portray one incredibly eerie mood. Poe

also writes, But our love was stronger by far than the love/ Of those who were older than we-/ Of many far wiser

than we- (27-29). The author uses the w sound in the alliterating words was, who, were, we, and

wiser. This sound completely changes the mood. The tone of the poem switches from a harsh disposition made by

the c sound, to a somewhat nostalgic and light mood by using the soft w sound. The words emphasized by this

alliteration also have the ability to make the reader feel reminiscent due to the fact that some of the w-starting

words represent the past, such as was and were. These lines are ultimately describing the narrators strong love

for Annabel Lee. By repeating the easy-sounding w, the reader is presented with a somewhat adoring and light

tone, purely because the w sound does not come across as harsh, but rather comes across as being graceful. The

alliterating words also help convey that the speaker was so thoroughly in love with Annabel Lee, resulting back to

the sense of drama. When it is clear to the reader that the speakers loves a person so whole-heartedly, and that that

person is abruptly ripped away from them, the heart of the reader almost breaks along with the speaker. This sadness

that the reader feels in respect to this heartbreak only enhances the emotional connection to the poem.

In Do Not Go Gentle into that Goodnight, alliteration is seen within the title. Thomas uses the hard g

sound when using the words go and goodnight, and buries he hard n sound within the words not, gentle,

into, and goodnight. By using the g and n sound, Thomas emphasizes the main point of the person he is

addressing, in this case his father, going into the goodnight. Right away, the reader can already acknowledge the

theme of death- the ultimate meaning of the poem- due to the emphasis of certain words created by alliteration. By

using the hard consonant sounds, a mood within the poem is also recognized, which enhances reader connection.

The alliteration shown within the title make the phrase, do not go gentle into that goodnight, seem somewhat like
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an order from the narrator to the father. This seemingly authoritative tone can also display passion and love. The

usage of this tone allows the reader to also feel the adoration that narrator has for his father; for the narrator is

essentially demanding that his father does not die lightly. Instead, the narrator wants his father to intensely fight

death, which is echoed by the intense alliterating consonance. Just as in Annabel Lee, alliteration helps portray

love. As stated earlier, the idea of love almost immediately has the ability to have profound impact upon a reader. A

vast majority of readers can identify with the idea of loving someone so immensely that they would sit by that dying

person and beg them to not die. The fact that alliteration assists in bringing upon that beautiful emotion towards a

reader clearly establishes an undeniable bond between poem and reader.

Reoccurring and repeating words can also been seen in both poems. In Poes poem, he writes, And so, all

the night-tide, I lie down by the side/ Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride (38-39). By repeating the

words my darling twice, there is a great prominence upon the fact that he considers Annabel to be his and not

anyone elses. It can be read with a strong sense on the second my, such as, Of my darling- my darling. Thus,

the reader can feel as though the speaker is claiming that since Annabel belonged to him, no one had the right to take

her away from him forever. This helps in establishing the meaning and emotion of the poem, which is that the

narrator loved a woman who was killed and that he will forever feel anger towards the killers. This idea can truly

capture not only the readers entire understanding of the poem, but can also enable emotion towards the poem. For

by already establishing a tone, and subsequently a readers connection towards the poem, through alliteration, it is

easy to believe that the reader would also feel anger towards the killers of the poem. This shared anger provides a

greater emotional connection towards the message of the poem.

Poe also uses the word sea repeatedly in the poem. The author writes this word eight different times

throughout the poem. By using this word, it aides the poem in moving along with the ever-changing tone of the

poem, and in return, helps the reader connect with the tone. For instance, in the beginning of the poem where the

mood is light and romantic, the poem states, It was many and many a year ago/ In a kingdom by the sea/ That a

maiden there lived whom you may know/ By the name of Annabel Lee (1-4). In this verse, the sea is connected

with the mood of love and amorousness. However, the word sea quickly becomes associated with a darker tone as

the poem continues, So that her highborn kinsmen came/ And bore her away from me,/ To shut her up in a

sepulchre/ In this kingdom by the sea (17-20). In this verse, the sea is now not a place where love was born, but
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instead a place where love was taken away. By repeating this word, it adds a sense of unity to a poem that has

various ideas, which helps better portray the meaning of the poem.

Thomas, just like Poe, uses repeating words throughout his poem in order to better display the message and

tone. The poem reads, Rage, rage against the dying light (3). By not using the word rage simply once, the reader

can better understand the fact that the narrator truly does not want his father to give into death, which is the ultimate

meaning of the poem. Using rage, rage helps enable rhythm, which helps portray the passion that the narrator feels

in prolonging in fathers death. Vocalizing the same word back to back often has an angry connotation to it, which

helps the reader understand just how angry the narrator was with the idea of his father dying. Just how love is

evident in both poems, so is the tone of anger. Anger, similarly to love, is a relatable emotion. By highlighting

relatable emotions through repeating words, the reader has a greater chance of truly identifying and attaching with

the words in the poem.

As one can clearly notice, the poetic characteristics of rhyme and repetition help establish vocal parts of a

poem. Most evidently, in Poes Annabel Lee and Thomas Do Not Go Gentle into that Goodnight, rhyme and

repetition help display the overall meaning and message of the poems, as well as helps the reader create an

emotional connection to the poems through the idea of tone. Through rhyme and repetition, both poems reinforce the

emotions of love and anger, which are very relatable emotions and contribute to an emotional bond between the

reader and the poem. These techniques also strengthen the meaning of the poem by adding emphasis to the strong

points encompassed within the poets message. Rhyme and repetition ultimately assist in adding a rhythmic tone to

the text, consequently helping the poem to move forward. By using these literary techniques, a sense of unity is also

created; for even though the poems plot can change, the usage of reoccurring words, phrases, or sounds makes it so

the poem is, in fact, truly one.

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Works Cited

Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. An Introduction to Poetry. 13th ed. United States: Pearson, 2010. Print.