Skip to main content

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold


Analysis:

"Dover Beach" is a poem written by Matthew Arnold in 1867. The poem is a dramatic monologue that expresses the speaker's feelings of melancholy and despair over the decline of faith and the erosion of traditional values in the modern world.

The poem is set on the coast of Dover, England, and begins with a description of the peaceful and serene landscape. The speaker then shifts his focus to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, which he compares to the "grating roar" of the "eternal note of sadness" that he hears in the world around him.

Arnold uses this image to suggest that the modern world is full of pain and suffering, and that this suffering is an inherent part of the human condition. He also suggests that the decline of faith and the erosion of traditional values have contributed to this sense of despair and hopelessness.

The poem ends with a call to his beloved, urging her to "be true" and to hold on to the love and faith that they share. This final stanza can be interpreted as a plea for hope in the face of despair, and a reminder that even in the darkest of times, love and faith can still offer a ray of light.

Overall, "Dover Beach" is a powerful meditation on the human condition and the struggle to find meaning and purpose in a world that can often seem chaotic and cruel. It is a reminder of the importance of love, faith, and hope in the face of adversity, and a call to all of us to stay true to these values in the face of the challenges of modern life.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome

  TABLE OF CONTENTS. (Click to get Notes) FIRST YEAR HS ENGLISH (with ALTE) SECOND YEAR HS ENGLISH (with ALTE) DEGREE ENGLISH ( PASS COURSE) ENGLISH MAJOR NOTES!

The Lamb

THE LAMB by William Blake Analysis "The Lamb" is a simple yet profound poem by William Blake that celebrates the innocence and purity of a lamb. Through a series of rhetorical questions, Blake invites the reader to ponder the nature of the lamb, its creator, and its relationship with humanity. The poem begins with the question "Little Lamb, who made thee?" This question sets the tone for the entire poem, as it suggests that the lamb is a creation of a divine being. The repetition of the phrase "Little Lamb" throughout the poem reinforces the idea that the lamb is a symbol of innocence and gentleness. The second stanza of the poem introduces the idea of the lamb's creator as a gentle and loving being, who not only made the lamb but also provides for it. This idea is reinforced through the imagery of the lamb being fed by a stream and being clothed in a woolly coat. The final stanza of the poem brings the lamb's relationship with humanity into focus....