One Art by Elizabeth Bishop and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas - Essay Example

Full The Use of Villanelle Elizabeth Bishop’s One Art and Dylan Thomas’ Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night both used the nineteen lined form of the villanelle which is known for its enablement of the poet’s communication of thoughts to be more expressive. The loose form of poetry which does not stick to a number of syllables for each line gives the poet the freedom to express his/her thoughts in the best way the author sees applicable. The three lined-stanzas offer readers a concise impression of what the poet is talking about without compromising its completeness and clarity.

The two aforementioned poets talked about loss in their respective poems with Bishop talking in general, then specifically considering the loss of a person while Thomas pondered on the loss that is caused by death. Their subjects are both deep and strong emotions, which probably made the authors to decide to use the form of poetry to emphasize more on their subjects. Villanelle puts emphasis on a certain topic through the repetitions of its refrain and this could be the main reason for the choice of form used to effectively express the depth of one’s emotions.

Misinterpretations of poems can be committed by students and scholars alike so this form in one way, keeps the audience focused on the author’s point of view as they read on. For instance, the refrain reminds readers of Bishop that regardless of what or whoever one loses, as the last line of her poem stirs up the debate if the one she is referring to is a friend or a lover, that the effect is not hard to master. Similarly, Thomas emphasized his subject matter, by titling his poem with the lines repeated in the stanzas.