Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

The above quote is an example of a refrain. The refrain is repeated in every stanza in some way. The purpose is to emphasize the theme of the poem. The commanding tone and the word "rage" lets the reader know the speaker is not okay with this person in their life dying. They are commanding the father to not go into the light and to hold on longer. It is effective because the reader picks up on the tone, which contributes to the theme. Without this refrain, the emphasis on command would not be there. The commanding in the refrain is the center theme and tone of the whole poem.