rage
Explanation
The Joke
A young man in a bow tie (depicted as the poet Dylan Thomas) says: "Actually DO go gently into that good night." The caption reads: "Shortly after Dylan Thomas discovers his father's investment portfolio."
The Humor
The comic inverts the famous Dylan Thomas poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," in which the poet passionately urges his dying father to fight against death — to "rage, rage against the dying of the light." Here, upon discovering his father's investment portfolio (and presumably a large inheritance), Dylan Thomas suddenly reverses his position and encourages his father to go ahead and die peacefully. The joke is a dark but simple one about financial self-interest overriding filial devotion: the prospect of inheriting money makes the son switch from begging his father to cling to life to politely suggesting he let go.
References
- "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" is a 1951 villanelle by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, one of the most famous poems in the English language. It was written for his dying father, David John Thomas.
- The poem's most famous line is "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," which gives this comic its slug title.