Dylan Thomas and "The Force"

Paper Summary:

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the poem "The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower," by Dylan Thomas. According to the rules of American formalist, or new criticism approach to literature, the writer takes the poem at face value, without imposing mystical or other meanings on it, and interprets it purely through the mechanics of the poem. The writer shows how Thomas makes statements through metaphor and imagery, and how "the force" is different in every stanza and at the same time a manifestation of the same underlying and redundant power.

From the Paper:

"In the third stanza, the poet appears to be using a metaphor ("hand") to present an image of whirlpools, wind, quicksand and its slippery movements. This power, this force, does all those things, and there is a theme of regeneration in this stanza, as there is indeed in all stanzas. The same force that pushes the flower up through the earth, that pushes the water through the rocks, that makes the water swirl in a circle and sends the sailboat moving through the water, is also the force that moves the quicksand downward taking everything with it that got caught in its spin."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Thomas, Dylan. The Poems. London: J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1971.

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