![]() ![]() ![]() On the night of his 39th birthday, Thomas fell ill and slipped into a coma. During an American tour in 1953, Thomas started getting sick. Thomas was a very heavy drinker and carouser, and his alcoholism and multiple affairs put a strain on his relationship with his wife. (His breathing problems are what spared him from being conscripted into the military in World War II.) Thomas had married young, and his marriage to Caitlin McNamara was contentious. He suffered from breathing issues from childhood, and they plagued him throughout his life. Thomas even dabbled in film and scripted at least five movies, including This Is Colour (1942) and Conquest of a Germ (1944).ĭespite Thomas' personal success, his personal life proved difficult. ![]() Along with securing the funding from wealthy patrons, Thomas also wrote and recorded pieces for BBC radio, and he performed in BBC radio dramas as well. His poetry collections were critical hits, and he participated in multiple tours-both domestically and abroad-to talk about his work.Īnd yet, despite his success, Thomas found it difficult to make a living from his poetry alone. Thomas, unlike many poets, had the fortune of being both well-known and well-acclaimed during his lifetime. Eliot, Geoffrey Grigson, and Stephen Spender, who helped him publish his first book of poetry, 18 Poems, at the age of 20. In fact, many of his most famous poems-including " And death shall have no dominion" and "Before I knocked"-were written when he was still a teenager! In fact, his poetry was so good that it caught the attention of English literary greats like T.S. Born in Swansea, Wales in 1914, Thomas began writing poetry at an early age. ( Taking a look at our AP literature reading list is a good place to start!)ĭylan Thomas is definitely a literary figure you should know. While there's no way you can learn about every important author ever before you take your AP literature test, you should definitely know a bit about a few of the major players in the literature world. Just like with a novel, play, or short story, knowing a little bit about an author can help you better understand their work. We promise: by the end of this article, poetry will seem a lot less scary. Not only will you have a handle on the poem's overall message, but you'll also understand the most important techniques Dylan Thomas uses to convey that meaning to the reader. To do this, we're going to take a look at Dylan Thomas' "Do not go gentle into that good night," one of the most famous poems of the 20th century. One of the best ways to get a handle on poetry is to read a poem along with a detailed explanation of both what the poem means and how the poet conveys that meaning. Unfortunately, if you're going to take the AP Literature exam, you're going to have to figure out how to quickly read and understand poetry. Between the tough terminology-what is synecdoche, anyway?!-and complicated structure, it can sometimes feel impossible to understand what a poet is trying to say. Learning to read and understand poetry is tricky business. ![]()
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