The last story arc of The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye is named after the poem, with individual issue titles taken from quotes within said poem. The crew of the Lost Light must face both an overwhelming army of Decepticons and their own personal conflicts with the villainous Decepticon Justice Division coming for them at nightfall.
Declan: [right before a van blows up during a gun fight] Rage, rage... against the dying of the light... for there shall be no mercy... for any force that stands... blocking this path of his righteousness! BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA-TA-DA!
Rodney Dangerfield's character in Back to School recites the poem leading to his moment of triumph during his examination to avoid expulsion.
Dangerous Minds featured this poem being recited back to the depressed teacher by her (remaining) students. She had been ready to quit, feeling broken by the loss and deaths of several students, but those who were still there reminded her that she had made a difference for them and they still needed her.
"Why did you change your mind about leaving?" "They called me their 'light'"
Quoted directly and repeatedly by Michael Caine's character in Interstellar to the point where it becomes a borderline Madness Mantra. He's not raging against his own personal death, but the death of the entire human race. Dr. Mann also quotes it, but for him it really is just about his own personal fear of death.
The title of George R. R. Martin's novel Dying of the Light is taken from this poem. It's appropriate, taking place on a dying planet, among people of a dying culture and revolving around dying or dead relationships. It is not a cheerful novel.
The last stanza appears as an epigraph for the Tennessee Williams play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which is about a man whose father is dying.
Quoted in Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel.
Referenced in the title of the last Skulduggery Pleasant book, The Dying of the Light.
The line "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" is quoted in the Doctor Who episode "The Shakespeare Code." Shakespeare likes it, but the Doctor tells him it belongs to another person.
"Dying of the Light" is the title of an episode of Heroes.
Referenced in the title of Roseanne's series finale.
Anaal Nathrakh uses "Against the Dying of the Light" as the title for the last track on their album Domine Non Es Dignus, which uses the poem as lyrics.
Compliments of Gus put the poem to music on their album "There and Somewhere Here".
It's roughly quoted in one of the flashbacks in Final Fantasy XIII, when Lightning and Sazh meet for the first time while getting in line for the Purge train.
Sazh:"You don't seem to be someone to go gently into that silent night."
John Cena recites parts of the poem as voiceover for the trailer to WWE 2K15.
This video on the lore of Dark Souls uses the poem to thematically tie into the plight of Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight. A grand lord who would rather have his soul burn forever than let the dark come, for, in the end, he was nothing but an old man afraid of the dark.
video on the lore of Dark Souls uses the poem to thematically tie into the plight of Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight. A grand lord who would rather have his soul burn forever than let the dark come, for, in the end, he was nothing but an old man afraid of the dark.