Dylan Thomas’ poem “The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower” explores different types of forces. One key force the poem discusses is the force of youth.
In the first stanza, the poem begins by discussing the force of nature. Nature has two kinds of forces— the destructive force and the preserving force. In our youth, we often feel the impact of nature’s destructive side, which can lead us to be reckless. However, nature also plays a role in preserving us. As we grow older and our level of energy goes down, we find ourselves becoming more restricted. Our emotions tend to settle down, and we grow into more mature people. We become calmer and less impulsive, moving away from the fiery impulsiveness of youth.
In the second stanza, he explores our physical desires or sexual feelings. Sometimes, these feelings go very high, and sometimes, they go very low. When they are at their peak, they feel like we could destroy anything. But when they decline, we feel like mere shadows of ourselves. Then, he explores the various functions of our mouth. Apart from just eating, it plays many other roles in our lives.
In the third stanza, he explores the role of our hands. Sometimes, our hands do nothing and remain still in the water. But at other times, they are busy expressing a whole range of emotions. When we are filled with anger, we can slap a person, but when we are calm, we can use our hands to show love and admiration. Our hands can show both our strongest passions and our weaker feelings. They have the power to stop the whirl of sailing or keep a boat from moving forward. When the wind is howling, we can drop the anchor and prevent the boat from moving swiftly. Our hands give us the ability to control both the boat and the wind. If we can control the boat, we can also control the wind.
Then, we can talk about an interesting scenario that involves a hanging man and a hangman. One person is hanging the other, which creates a twist where the hanging man is actually the one doing the hanging. Both characters are human beings and are made of clay. Yet, they are playing different roles. In this dramatic scene, one is taking the life of the other. The hanging man is taking the life of the hangman. They are both human beings, but their roles are clearly different.
Then, he talks about the theme of love. A baby is born out of the love between parents. When a mother gives birth to a baby, she endures significant pain. But as soon as she looks at her young child, she feels happy, and all that pain melts away.
When a baby is born, it marks the beginning of a new journey. As the years go by, the baby grows older and eventually faces death. Then, they may think of going to heaven or hell. Eventually, the baby becomes an adult, then an elderly person, and ultimately faces death. This cycle of nature reveals a profound truth. It means that when a baby is born in one place, an elderly person passes away in another. It is a beautiful reminder of the cycle of life and the balance of nature.
In the last two lines, he refers to the lover’s tomb. If we think about a graveyard, we can picture the lovers and other people who rest there, gradually being eaten by small insects. These little creatures are destroying our bodies by eating our flesh and blood. Ironically, they are also preserving our bodies. It is a fascinating balance of nature. It also leads to our destruction.
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