Where is our Dover Beach?

             In Matthew Arnold's poem "Dover Beach" several ailments can be discovered upon close examination such as the absence of beauty which can be a major problem of our modern lives, the absence of the connection with nature and time. The poet expresses his sadness through the poem and stresses that the world has become full of misery, suffering and loneliness.
             The poem "Dover Beach" contrasts the present and the deep past. The author opens the poem with the description of the nightly scene at the seaside. He looks out a window onto Dover Beach and shares the beauty of the landscape with his wife who was beside him. However, he suddenly claims that he hears the "grating roar of pebbles, which the waves draw back, and fling/ At their return, up the high strand" bringing sadness to him. This relates to our community since we lost the connection to any natural beauty. When we look out a window all we perceive are factories, cars, and skyscrapers leaving our emotional and spiritual states affected and distressed.
             Matthew Arnold uses many poetic devices such as the dramatic monologue since a sustained speech is made by the author to a silent audience, his new wife. He uses metaphor to express his thoughts and opinions: he first connects the "grating roar" that accompanies the waves, retreating and returning, casting pebbles on the beach shingles. Then he compares the humanity to the sea, with the waves collapsing on the shore "bringing the eternal note of sadness in", maybe representing the repetition of our life cycles. The poet uses visual and auditory images to mainly help us form an image of the romantic, fantasy-like place as well as repetitions of certain words to help his points stand out. The word "is" is repeated several times throughout the poem: The Sea is calm tonight, The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits; on the French coast the light G
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Where is our Dover Beach?. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 13:56, April 26, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/12043.html