Dover Beac2.docx

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Dover Beach By Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) A Study Guide

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Time andPlace

Point of ViewWho s the!istener"

Theme

Ty#e of Wor$

%igures of S#eech

Te&t With'lanations

(ear of Pu)lication

.

Time and Place

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) wrote "Dover Beach" during orshortly after a visit he and his wife made to the Dover region ofsoutheastern ngland! the setting of the oem! in 18#1$ %hey hadmarried in &une of that year$ A draft of the first two stan'as of theoem aears on a sheet of aer he used to write notes foranother another wor! "medocles on tna!" ulished in 18#2$%he town of Dover is closer to *rance than any other ort city inngland$ %he ody of water searating the coastline of the townfrom the coast of *rance is the +trait of Dover! north of thenglish ,hannel and south of the orth +ea$

Point of View

%he oet.ersona uses first-! second-! and third-erson oint ofview in the oem$ /enerally! the oem resents the oservationsof the author.ersona in third-erson oint of view ut shifts tosecond erson when he addresses his eloved! as in 0ine (Come)! 0ine (Listen! you)! and 0ine 2 (let )$ %hen he shifts tofirst-erson oint of view when he includes his eloved and thereader as co-oservers! as in 0ine 18 (we)! 0ine 2 (us)! 0ine 31(us)! and 0ine 3# (we)$ 4e also uses first-erson oint of view todeclare that at least one oservation is his alone! and not

necessarily that of his co-oservers$ %hisinstance occurs in 0ine 256 But now I onlyhear $ %his line means But now I alonehear $

Who Is the Listener? (0ine 2)

%he erson addressed in the oem70ines ! ! and 27isMatthew Arnolds wife! *rances 0ucy 9ightman$ 4owever! sincethe oem e:resses a universal message! one may say that shecan e any woman listening to the oservations of any man$ Arnold and his wife visited Dover Beach twice in 18#1! the year

they were married and the year Arnold was elieved to have

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written "Dover Beach$" At that time Arnold was insector ofschools in ngland! a osition he held until 188$

Theme

Arnold;s central message is this6 ,hallenges to the validity oflong-standing theological and moral recets have shaen thefaith of eole in /od and religion$ uently! thee:istence of /od and the whole ,hristian scheme of things wascast in dout$ Arnold! who was deely religious! lamented thedying of the light of faith! as symoli'ed y the light he sees in?Dover Beach@ on the coast of *rance! which gleams one momentand is gone the ne:t$ 4e remained a eliever in /od and religion!although he was oen to7and advocated7an overhaul oftraditional religious thining$


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Doer !each By Matthew Arnold

1

%he sea is calm to-night$%he tide is full! the moon lies fair "pon the straits on the *rench coastthe li#ht $leams and is #one the cliffs of%n#land stand& $limmerin# and ast! out in thetran>uil ay$,ome to the window! sweet is the night-airF

nly! from the long line of sray9here the sea meets the moon'blanched land!0istenF you hear the #ratin# roar(f pebbles which the waves drawac! and fling! At their return! u the high strand!Begin! and cease! and then againegin! 9ith tremulous cadence slow! and ring

%he eternal note of sadnessin$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$15

otes! +tan'a 1

moon . . . straits6 %he water reflectsthe image of the moon$ A strait is anarrow ody of water that connects twolarger odies of water$


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earth)! on the rightness of the light!and on the weather conditions$cliffs . . . ast6 %hese are white cliffs!comosed of chal! a limestone thateasily erodes$ 0ie the light from*rance! they glimmer! furtherdeveloing the theme of a weaening of the light of faith$ %he fact that theyeasily erode suorts this theme$ moon'blanched6 whitened y the lightof the moon$ #ratin# . . . .pebbles6 4ere! grating (meaning ras"ing, grinding ! or s#ra"ing )introduces conflict etween the sea andthe land and! symolically! etween

long-held religious eliefs and thechallenges against them$ 4owever! itmay e an e:aggeration that thateles cause a grating roar $strand6 shoreline

2

)ophocles lon# a#o 4eard it on the *e#ean! and it rought


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+ohocles$

3

%he )ea of +aith Was once, too, at the full! and roundearths shore 0ay lie the folds of a right #irdle furled$ But now I only hear


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4ath really neither -oy, nor loe, norli#ht, or certitude, nor peace, nor help for

pain And we are here as on a darklin# lain +wet with confused alarms of struggleand flight! Where i#norant armies clash byni#ht$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$3E

otes! +tan'a 5

neither . . . pain6 %he world hasecome a selfish! cynical! amoral!materialistic attlefield there is much

hatred and ain! ut there is no guidinglight$darklin#6 dar! oscure! dim occurringin darness menacing! threatening!dangerous! ominous$ Where . . . ni#ht6 $G$ Brown and &$$Bailey suggest that this line is anallusion to /ree historian %hucydidesaccount of the Battle of iolae (513B$,$)! a walled fortress near the city of+yracuse on the island of +icily$


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Arnold uses a variety of figures of seech! including the followinge:amles$ (*or definitions of the different figures of seech! seethe glossary of literary terms6

Alliteration :amles 16 to-night ! tide f ull! f air (0ines 1-2)

gleams! gone coast! cliff long line which the waves f olds!

f urled Assonance6 tide! liesCarado: and 4yerole6 grating roar of "ebbles Metahor6 whi#h the waves draw ba#%, and fling (comarison ofthe waves to an intelligent entity that reJects that which it hascatured) Metahor6 turbid ebb and flow of human misery (comarison ofhuman misery to the e and flow of the sea) Metahor6 TheSea of &aith (comarison of faith to water making up

an ocean)+imile6 The Sea of &aith ' ' ' lay li%e the folds of a bright girdlefurled (use of lie to comare the sea to a girdle) Metahor6 breath of the night(wind (comarison of the wind to aliving thing) +imile6 the world, whi#h seems . To lie before us li%e a land ofdreams (use of lie to comare the world to a land of dreams) Anahora6 +o various! so eautiful! so new (reetition of so) Anaora6 nor love! nor light! . or certitude! nor eace! nor helfor ain (reetition of nor ) .

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