A Stylistic Analysis of Dylan Thomas’ “A Refusal to Mourn the Death, By Fire, of A Child in London”

Abstract

The current paper investigates the stylistic features of Dylan Thomas’ “A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London” based on the theory of foregrounding and the checklist of Leech and Short (2007, pp. 60–72). The aim is to find out how he employs deviant structures and parallel patterns to contribute to the prominent features and sense of the poem. The approach of stylistic analysis helps reader comprehension as the literary devices carry the theme and support the meaning of the poem; they also embrace tone, style, and structure, which ultimately might have a direct impact on readers. The paper ends with a conclusion and a list of references.

Keywords

• analysis
• dylan
• foregrounding
• mourn
• refusal
• stylistic