DOVER BEACH
MATHEW ARNOLD
DOVER BEACH
Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 –
15 April 1888)
A sage writer, a type of writer
who Criticizes and instructs the
reader on contemporary social
issues.
Written around 1849-51
Arnold had gone to honeymoon
at Dover Beach
Loss of Faith in Religion is evident
Feelings of doubt, uncertainty,
the world as a dark place.
Where is Dover Beach
Dover Beach is in the County of Kane by
the English Channel facing the French
port of Calais.
Strait-- a narrow piece of sea that joins
two larger seas
The English Channel is an arm of the
Atlantic Ocean that separates
Southern England from northern France
.
Many of the beaches are made up of
small stones or pebbles rather than sand
The cliff face, which reaches a height of
350 feet (110 m), is composed of chalk
accented by streaks of black flint.
NORTH SEA
STRAIT OF DOVER
ENGLISH CHANNEL
DARWINISM AND EVOLUTION
Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April
1882)
EVOLUTION– All species of life have descended from
a common ancestry and the process of evolution
happened through natural selection.
Common people started questioning the church and
the Bible– story of Genesis
Some Church authorities viewed this as heresy.
VICTORIAN ENGLAND
INDUSTRIALISM
DECLINE OF RELIGIOUS FAITH DUE TO CONFLICT
BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION
ARNOLD LAMENTS THE SYING OF THE LIGHT OF
FAITH SYMBOLIZED BY THE GLEAMING OF THE LIGHT
ON THE FRENCH COAST.
THE SEA HAS BEEN USED AS A METAPHOR FOR THE
LOSS OF FAITH.
LANGUAGE AND STRUCTURE
TONE OF THE POEM IS ELEGIAC OR MELANCHOLY
MOURNING THE LOSS OF FAITH IN RELIGION
DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE– A MONOLOGUE IN WHICH
THERE IS AN ASSUMED/IMAGINARY LISTENER.
FREE VERSE– THE POEM IS WRITTEN IN FREE VERSE
WITHOUT ANY RHYME OR PROPER STRUCTURE.
LYRICAL POEM– A POEM THAT EXPRESSES
PERSONAL EMOTIONS OR FEELINGS
STANZA 1
Arnold creates a false sense
of security.
The speaker invites his
beloved to come to the
window to enjoy the beautiful
night scene of the beach.
The flickering light at the
French coast is representative
of the light of faith that is
flickering.
STANZA 1
The feeling of sadness due to
the repetitive sound of waves.
The grating sound of the
pebbles breaks the harmony
of the atmosphere.
The sound reminds the
speaker of the ever-changing
fortunes of people.
Onomatopoeia: “grating roar”
STANZA 2
SOPHOCLES: Greek playwright of
tragedies.
Arnold alludes to a part of his Greek
play Antigone where he says that
God can visit ruin on people, like a
swelling tide driven by winds.
The speaker hears a thought that
disturbs him as much as it had
disturbed Sophocles.
Aegean sea– between Greece and
Turkey.
Metaphor– ‘turbid ebb and flow/ Of
human misery’– Like the tides of the
sea, human misery comes and goes.
STANZA 3
The Sea is a metaphor for faith
GIRDLE-- a belt or cord worn
round the waist– comparison
of Sea to girdle gives a sense
of protection and security.
Naked shingles of the world–
the Sea of faith has receded
leaving the pebbles bare–
represents the misery of
people due to loss of faith.
STANZA 3 EXPLANATION
There was a time when faith in God was strong.
This protected and comforted people just as the sea wraps
itself around the islands and continents.
However, now the sea of faith has receded and doubt has
taken its place.
Science challenges religious beliefs causing people to
become miserable, lonely and insecure.
As a result, people put their faith on material objects which
are transitory, therefore, does not provide any respite.
STANZA 4
The speaker turns to his beloved and offers the only possible solution
according to him – to be true to the ones you love. However, this
notion isolates one from the world.
Contrasting image of the world as compared to the beginning of the
poem. The world he depicts is one without any spiritual values.
Comparison of the world to a battlefield.
They are fighting at night, and presumably killing their friends as well
as their enemies. There's no marching, not even lines, Just misery,
pain, terror, and confusion—a clash.
They are fighting at night, and presumably killing their friends as well
as their enemies. There's no marching, no even lines, no fancy hats
and polished buttons. Just misery, pain, terror, and confusion—a
clash.
STANZA 4 (ALLUSION AND POETIC
DEVICES)
The metaphor with which the poem ends is most likely an allusion to
a passage in Thucydides's account of the Peloponnesian War (Book 7,
44). He describes an ancient battle that occurred on a similar beach
during the Athenian invasion of Sicily. The battle took place at night;
the attacking army became disoriented while fighting in the darkness
and many of their soldiers inadvertently killed each other.
Simile-- the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams
Anaphora: So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
Metaphor: a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night
CENTRAL IDEA
"Dover Beach" is the most celebrated poem by Matthew Arnold,
a writer and educator of the Victorian era. The poem expresses a
crisis of faith, with the speaker acknowledging the diminished
belief in Christianity, which the speaker sees as being unable to
withstand the rising tide of scientific discovery. New research
and intellectual inquiry cast doubt on humankind's central and
special role in the universe. The speaker in the poem senses this
change almost subconsciously, seeing and hearing it in the sea
that the speaker is looking out upon. In essence, the poem is an
inquiry into what it means to be alive.
