Life and Death in the Works of Dylan Thomas

Thomas is regard as a modern writer, but not many critics agree about what kind of poetry he wrote. He has been described as a surrealist, a primitive, a Welsh bard, and a metaphysical poet. He is most commonly called a twentieth-century Romantic as death and the afterlife intrigued him. However, he was not surrounded by death as he was growing up. On the contrary, "He was pretty, he was spoiled, and he was the darling of the family. As far as love and attention go, he seems to have lacked nothing" (Ferris 25). Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales, on October 27, 1914. He was the only son and second child of his parents. He enjoyed his younger years in Wales, and his later works reflect his desire to relive his happy childhood. He wrote poems reminiscent of his childhood and lost innocence. However in most of Thomas' early works, themes of life and death permeate. This theme of life and death is particularly prevalent in the following three poems: "And Death Shall Have No Dominion," "Fern Hill," and "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night."…