Read the excerpt from "An Irish Airman Foresees His
Death."
Which statement best describes how the structure of these
excerpts helps to develop the themes?
I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
The refrains of "An Irish Airman Foresees His Own
Death" stress that life and death are balanced, while the
parallel structure of "Do not go gentle into that good night"
stresses that men of all ages should fight against their
oncoming demise.
The repetitions and refrains in both excerpts develop the
theme that death cannot be avoided, no matter how hard
one struggles against it.
Both the parallel structure in the excerpt of "An Irish
Airman Foresees His Own Death" and the repetition in the
excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good night"
emphasize the inevitability of death.
The parallelism in "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
emphasizes the idea that the speaker identifies himself as
an Irishman, while the refrains in "Do not go gentle into
Read the excerpt from "Do not go gentle into that good
night."
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.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,