Dover Beach Analysis

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Dover Beach

Dover Beach is written by Matthew Arnold and the central message is that the challenges given forth by science and upcoming moral perceptions have shaken the faith of people in God and religion. This poem was written during the late 1800's when science began to take over and religion, which back then was the pillar society, began to crumble. Arnold, who was deeply religious was saddened by the dying of the light of faith, as symbolized by the light he sees in “Dover Beach” on the coast of France, when he writes "Gleam and is gone....", gleam which represents religion has left. Arnold's feeling of loss in religion draws in the reader asking the question is the world heading the correct way?

The first stanza can be separated into two parts. In the first part in line one to line six Arnold describes the movements of the sea in a some what positive way. The words “to-night” (l. 1), “moon” (l.2) and “night-air” (l.6) show that it is night, this create a very peaceful mood, because the poet uses adjectives such as “fair”, “tranquil” and “calm”. Matthew Arnold uses a metaphor “Gleams” and “Glimmering” (l.4/5), to show the calm atmosphere of the first six lines. After line seven the calmly mood of the first lines is changing into a sad mood. The word sea is personified when he uses the verb “meets” in line seven. The personification and the expression “moon-blanched land” create a spiritual atmosphere. With the words such as sound “listen”, “hear” and “roar” in line nine The verbs “begin” “cease” and “again begin”  is metaphor that this world is never ending. By using the words “sadness” and “tremulous” the pebbles motions are showed in an unhappy and threatening way.

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The first stanza can be seen as a description of a present during his time, when the second stanza is about the past. In the second stanza the poet uses “Sophocles”, an ancient Greek philosopher, to show that the people for a long time have tried to question their faith. The phrase “distant northern sea” is a connection between the both stanzas. The main topic of the first stanza is the motion of sea which may refer to human misery, but the second stanza talks about to the human misery directly in line 18.


The third stanza changes the meaning ...

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