Dover Beach - The Poem

Dover Beach
By Matthew Arnold

The sea is calm tonight,
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Agean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Dover Beach- Annotation

 Annotation was done on a separate piece of paper and will be attached with hand in assignment.

The sea is calm tonight,                                                  
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Agean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

Dover Beach - Project Plan

Master Project Plan

Poem: Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold.

In the brilliant poem Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold, many topics and questions are raised regarding time, setting, plot, thematic elements and so much more. The reason why I initially chose this poem was because of the descriptive and metaphoric language that is presented. I plan to research things such as the background and history of the poem, the deeper meanings of this poem as well as becoming familiar with the poetic style of Matthew Arnold. There can be a lot of emotional responses to this poem because of the rich description throughout the entire poem. I plan to spend some significant time in the Library researching different poets to compare, and researching the context of the poem. I will take various notes from web sources as well as book sources about the poet and the entire poem in general. I will set aside time at least two nights a week to go to either the library or research on my computer. I will need to designate specific time periods dedicated to researching this poem, without distractions from other classes. I think that after I take a lot of notes on the different subjects of research I will have a more organized approach as to whether I want to do a newspaper article, blog or a paper. As of now, I think I will most likely write a newspaper article, including different sources of research as well as my own personal reflection of the poem.

Dover Beach - Matthew Arnold

Topic # 1: Biography

Matthew Arnold, the well-known poet and English writer was born on December 24, 1822. He grew up in a somewhat wealthy lifestyle in different parts of England. His father was headmaster of the Rugby school in Laleham, Middlesex. Arnold attended various different colleges, one of those being the Rugby school where his Father worked. He quickly became a successful student, writer, poet and critic. After many great awards and achievements, Arnold won an open scholarship to Balliol College at Oxford. He began to teach at various different colleges and eventually was elected Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. In 1847, he became Private Secretary to Lord Landsdowne, Lord President of the council. He wanted to get married and have a family, but he knew he could not support his family with the wages he was making, but soon he was appointed the position of Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools. He married Frances Lucy soon after and honeymooned on the coast of England, where he wrote his well-known poem “Dover Beach.” Lucy and Matthew had six children, and he continued his work traveling all around England inspecting various schools.

In 1852-1853 he published two different sets of poetry and soon after was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford University. Arnold rapidly grew respect from many different institutions and people, and he began touring the United States giving lectures on education and democracy. Matthew Arnold died suddenly from heart failure in 1888 while he was running to meet a tram in Liverpool. He has previously been referred to as the third greatest Victorian poet, writing with “simplicity, lucidity, and straightforwardness; its literalness...; the sparing use of aureate words, or of far-fetched words, which are all the more effective when they come; the avoidance of inversions, and the general directness of syntax, which gives full value to the delicacies of a varied rhythm, and makes it, of all verse that I know, the easiest to read aloud." (Sir Edmund Chambers). People have considered Arnold to be the bridge between Romanticism and Modernism. Most of his works have included skeptic and pessimistic ideals of the Modern era as well as symbolism and natural ideals of the Romantic Era. In reading his poem “Dover Beach” it is clear that Arnold dealt a lot with political and cultural struggles and used his poetry and language to express his views. In addition, the context and background of Arnold’s life in a somewhat prestigious role in English society, allows for a better understanding of the message portrayed by Arnold. He seemed to have lived a simple life valuing education and knowledge. Overall, Arnold was a very achieved author, poet and professor who left a lasting effect in not only the world of poetry but the world of high culture as well.

Dover Beach - Argument About the Poem

Topic Draft #5: Argument About the Poem

Throughout the time of descriptive and persuasive poetry, many arguments are made in the way poets write their poems. Sometimes poems are written for just entertainment and joy, while others possess a deeper underlying meaning that provide an argument towards a certain situation. Often times, while the argument is not always visible, the descriptive or sometimes metaphoric language allows for a underlying theme presented by the author the poem in regards with his or her view on an subject of the world.  In “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold, few but very large arguments and contentions are made throughout the entire poem. The poem was published around 1867 just after the author visited Southern England with his wife. It was around the time of the great exhibition and England was the most powerful and the most industrious nation in the world. However, upon reading the poem its seems as though Matthew Arnold was not very keen on England, or in a broader sense he seemed to be somewhat cynical and hopeless about the world. Arnold’s biggest argument deals with the idea of confronting the past and how it affects the future.

 It becomes apparent that Arnold does not have much hope for part of the world and that he sees a major loss in the faith of the world. For example, in the beginning of the poem, Arnold discusses the present time “the sea is calm tonight, the tide is full, the moon lies fair.” However as the poem progresses the tone and the mood get more dreary and is filled with less hope and less positive words. The present is discussed in the first stanza creating a solemn yet optimistic mood, whereas the second and third stanzas become more pessimistic and sad. The basis of the argument somewhat yields to the idea that the basis of human existence and happiness is always changing and is a fragile part of humanity. He uses the analogy of the sea to make the argument that goes along with the pessimistically evolving ideals of human existence. For instance, Arnold writes “The Sea of Faith was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled but now I only hear its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar.” Arnold is making it clear that the world used to be full of faith and full of people of love, yet the wretched and the miserable things of the world are loud like the waves of the crashing shore.      

In addition, in the third stanza Arnold once again presents the claim that love is not always true and that the dreams or imagination we have seems to be joyful but in reality the world has experience a loss of joy and love. “Ah, love, let us be true/ To one another! For the world, which seems To like before us like a land of dreams, so various, so beautiful, so new, hath really, neither joy, nor love, nor light.” Overall, it is apparent that Matthew Arnold is making some relatively large statements towards the status of humanity in regards with faith, joy and love. Although the things during this time period were going rather well for England, Arnold attempts to take a stab at the underlying truths of reality.

Dover Beach - Emotional Response

Emotional Response to the Poem: Topic #4

The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

In the poem Dover Beach, by Matthew Arnold, the topic of a shaking of one’s faith and belief system is discussed. Upon first reading this poem, it is somewhat difficult to notice the underlying themes that are set forth by Arnold. However, after reading it over a few times, and thinking deeper about each word in this poem it is apparent that Arnold is making a large statement about religious struggles. I think that this poem has a lot of profound and meaningful in each line. The stanza posted up above is one of my favorite stanzas in the poem. I think it is so interesting that Arnold talks about the sea of faith being full and being all around the earth’s shore. It is an emotional metaphor that represents the faith of the world, once being full, but now slowly emptied and drowned out by the melancholic view of faith. Although it is sometimes hard to admit, I think that this poem is can be related easily to ones own personal faith.  If I am completely honest, I feel like this semester has been a time where the sea of my faith has been a bit more melancholic and the tide has retreated quite a bit. Moving down here to Azusa for the first time, I have felt a little lost, and felt like the ground beneath me has shaken quite a bit. Experiencing a tragedy while adjusting to a new and foreign life down here has shaken my faith quite a bit, and has left me feeling somewhat lost and empty. I think that this poem can open up a lot of reflection and realization about the evolving faith. Arnold’s background was deeply infused with Christian beliefs and values, so it is fascinating to see the view he possesses towards the failing faith of the world. This poem has allowed me to reflect and think about how my faith is sometimes affected by emotional obstacles, yet towards the end of the poem Arnold makes a statement about being true and being new. I think the last stanza is another set of words that allows for reflection about being made new even in times of struggling and fighting. It is so amazing to see how much this poem relates to how I have been feeling this semester. I think Matthew Arnold did an excellent job making profound statements while giving the reader room to create their own personal, emotional response to the poem.

Dover Beach - Poetic Criticism

Topic # 3: Topic of my Choice; Poetry and Poet Criticism

When literary works are written and published, many people read them and establish opinions in regards to the content of the poem. In addition, many poets in general receive criticisms overall because many of their works contain the same message. Matthew Arnold, the poet of Dover Beach received many criticisms for his poetical publications. Although some of these are negative, a lot of criticisms can be constructive and positive. For example, many people criticized Arnold for various different reasons and approaches. He was criticized for his literary devices, his approach on religion, and social criticism. Also, even though other people can criticize the work, the message that lies within the poem is a criticism in itself. Arnold was not only criticized for the content in his poems, but he himself criticized many different things including religion and social concerns.                   

Arnold was known to associate somewhat with a more pragmatic view on religion and chose not to completely believe in the supernatural realm of religion. He thought of God and people’s claims to have conversation with God as a sort of matter of fact type of religion, similar to that of the Greek gods. Arnold even criticized religion to the point of religion as, “morality touched with emotion.” However it was interesting to notice that in his poem Dover Beach, he seemed to criticize the world for a loss of religion and moral values. After reading the poem Dover Beach, one could possibly assume that Arnold held firm to his religious beliefs, but interestingly enough he criticized many ideas associated with religion. In addition, Arnold criticized certain aspects of journalism in some of his works. He supported some types of journalism in newspapers and articles, yet he was very against the term “muck-raking.” He did not like how journalism often time was used as propaganda and actually stirred up and made the truth less clear and ambiguous. He was a poet that was not very keen on ambiguity and stood firm with solid truths and reality.

            Overall, Arnold had many strong and fervent beliefs that allowed for his poetry to be laced with underlying messages about politics, religion and social issues. Many of these issues that he slyly addressed were later criticized by future poets, religious leaders and social reformers. However, although he strongly held his beliefs, he acclaimed his fame and his approval by many people throughout the last few hundred years.