Hailee Carpenter & Jessica Burnett Dover Beach By Matthew Arnold Hailee Carpenter & Jessica Burnett

Dover Beach The sea is calm to-night. 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 A gaean, 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.

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) Poet and critic Born in Laleham on the Thames Eldest son of Mary and Thomas Arnold Educated at Winchester, Rugby, and Oxford He was married in 1851 In 1867 he became a Professor of Poetry at Oxford; during this time he wrote the bulk of his most famous critical works. He lived during the Victorian Era

Meaning & Message “Dover Beach” connects the problems of isolation with what Arnold saw as the fading of faith during this time. Science challenging the truth of the long-standing religious and moral beliefs have shaken the faith of people in God. It’s very chaotic, and he is trying to understand the changes that are happening.

Poetic Devices Allusion: The poem is telling about religion and beliefs being shaken, and in line 15, Arnold references Sophocles. Personification: In Line 9, “Listen! You hear the grating roar of pebbles…” it gives the pebbles a human-like quality. Free Verse: There is no set rhyme scheme in Dover Beach. Simile: “…round earth’s shore lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.” Faith that was once full is now folded up like the earth’s shore. Imagery: Arnold describes his view; “the sea is calm…the tide is full; the moon lies fair…” “Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.” He uses imagery to describe the beauty of the beach.

Expressing the time period During the Victorian time period they had a value for nature, Dover Beach focuses on the natural beauty of the beach. Also, during this time period theological ideas were becoming more popular than religious beliefs. In this poem, Arnold tells how faith is folding up like the shoreline.

Song Connection “Chaos and Disorder” by Prince This song connects to the poem because in the poem things are changing; such as religion. In the song, the world is becoming chaotic with all the major changes happening.