Comparison between Don't Go Softly Into That Good Night and After a while "Don't Go Softly into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas and "After a while Catherine Davis's "Time" requires comparison: Davis's poem was written in deliberate response to Thomas's presupposes the reader's familiarity with "Do Not Go Gentle," which he uses to articulate his contrasting ideas. "After a Time", although a literary work in its own right, could also be considered a serious parody, perhaps the greatest compliment one writer could pay to another was "Do Not Go Gentle in That Good Night". written by a young man of thirty-eight who addresses it to his old and ailing father. It is interesting to note that the author himself had very little left of his self-destructive life while composing this piece. Perhaps this is why he seems to have a greater knowledge of the theme of death than most people his age. He advocates raging and fighting against it, not giving up and accepting it. “After a Time” was written by a woman about the same age as her and is not aimed at anyone in particular. Davis has a different philosophy about death. She "answers" Thomas's poem and presents her different opinions using the same poetic form: a villanelle. Evidently, he found it necessary to present a contrasting view eight years after Thomas' death. While “Do Not Go Gentle” protests and rages against death, Davis’ poem suggests a quiet resignation and acquiescence. He seems to believe that raging against death is useless and unprofitable. She argues that sooner or later we will become docile, however, once the anger has passed. At the risk of sounding sexist, I find it interesting that the man rages and the woman submits, as if tradition...... middle of paper ......lots of sensory suggestion. It gives us “many things,” a “reassuring ploy,” and “all losses are equal.” His most powerful image: "And in the end we will go to stripes as we came" == makes his point with none of the excitement of Thomas' anger. Still, I prefer Davis's quiet intelligence to Thomas's high energy. “And at last we go undressed the way we came” may bring strange solace and solace to those of us who have always envied those above. Death is a great leveler. People aren't all created equal at birth, but we'll all be damned equal when we make our final exit "undressed" like the rest of us. They will not take anything with them. All wealth, power and ornaments will be left behind. In the end we will all be the same. So why is anger not good for us something good.