The views reflected in the works of Victorian writer Matthew Arnold arose from what he called "the bewildering confusion of the time." The Victorian era saw great change when it came to beliefs about the very origin of man and his Creator. The poem, Dover Beach, is a stream of consciousness poem that mirrors the effects of the French, Scientific and Industrial Revolutions on man's faith and values.
             In the poem the coming and going of war is likened to the rise and fall of the tide and waves of the ocean on sand. The waves, which "begin, and cease, and then again begin" represents the passing of time and "bring the eternal note of sadness in." He then states the "Sea of Faith" was once "at the full, and round earth's shore" but now he only hears "Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar", which represents his perceiving a world that has lost it commune with faith. This occurred as a result of a widespread materialism inaugurated by the Industrial Revolution. Many workers were very poor thus working and living conditions were atrocious, while the factory owners enjoyed much prosperity. These conditions prompted the people of France and other nations to rise up against the dominant political authorities in the form of a violent revolution. Arnold, witnessing the bloodshed, violence and poverty, wrote of a world that "Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light...Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;", "where ignorant armies clash by night." Obviously he feels much despair over what he saw happening around him.
             Today, Matthew Arnold would feel much the same way. Digital technology has almost eradicated the need for human contact and this revolution has taken the wonder and splendor of a world that had previously raised more questions than answers. Our country is again at war and a recent election has ha
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