Write a note on Thomas's use of imagery with reference to the poems you have studied. Attempt a classification in terms of the different registers to which they seem to belong: (MEG 102) (DYLAN THOMAS)

Dylan Thomas was a master of poetic imagery, and his work is characterized by vivid, sensory descriptions that transport the reader to a world of intense emotions and experiences. His use of imagery is highly varied and can be classified into different registers, depending on the effect that he is seeking to achieve. In the following paragraphs, I will examine Thomas's use of imagery in some of his best-known poems, and attempt to classify them in terms of different registers.

In "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," Thomas uses a variety of visual and tactile images to convey the intense emotions of the speaker, who is pleading with his father to fight against death. The opening lines, "Do not go gentle into that good night / Old age should burn and rave at close of day," contain several images that create a sense of urgency and passion, including the image of burning and raving. These images belong to the register of the dramatic and the passionate, as they convey the speaker's desperate plea for his father to resist the inevitability of death.

In "Fern Hill," Thomas employs a range of sensory images to capture the experience of childhood and the joys of youth. The poem is filled with images of nature and the natural world, such as "the sun that is young once only" and "the dewfall, the fresh-fallen snow." These images belong to the register of the pastoral and the idyllic, as they evoke a sense of nostalgia for a simpler, more innocent time.

In "And Death Shall Have No Dominion," Thomas uses a range of religious and mythical images to convey the idea of eternal life and the triumph over death. The poem is filled with images of resurrection and rebirth, including "the sunken graves give up their dead" and "the stars shall be bright." These images belong to the register of the spiritual and the transcendent, as they convey the idea of a higher power that can conquer even death.

Overall, Thomas's use of imagery is highly varied and encompasses a range of registers, from the dramatic and the passionate to the pastoral and the transcendent. His images are vivid and sensory, and they serve to transport the reader to a world of intense emotion and experience. Through his masterful use of imagery, Thomas is able to convey the complexity and richness of the human experience, and to capture the full range of human emotion in his poetry.