Matthew Arnold
One of the most noted English poets of the 19th Century (Victorian era) is Matthew Arnold (1822-1888). Arnold's style of writing consists of writing exactly how he feels, rather than writing about what the readers want to hear. Analyzing Arnold's works shows a sorrowful, serious, and desolate mood throughout his writings. Literary elements such as imagery, setting, irony, allusion, and repetition are used to create the lonesome and pessimistic moods of three of Arnold's poems: "Requiescat" (1853), "Isolation: To Marguerite" (1857), and "Dover Beach" (1867). Arnold uses imagery to create the mood of one of his early poems, titled "Requiescat." The poem is about the death of a woman who the poet admired and held strong feelings towards. The opening lines of Requiescat describe the woman with "Strew on her roses, roses, and never a spray of yew!" The image of roses is often associated with purity and affection. The emphasis of "roses" twice reveals to the reader that the narrator had a special relationship with the woman, possibly a lover. This creates a compassionate and loving mood for the woman. However, by having the roses scattered over her body evokes an image of confusion and anger over her death. The yew, an evergreen tree
However, the narrator is confident in their love, saying, "I bade my heart more constant be. At night, Luna would rise from the ocean and ride through the sky with her chariot, drawn by white horses (or oxen). with dark leaves, creates an image of cruelty or darkness while the roses create an image of beauty and grace. The narrator's words are an oxymoron, describing the "roar" as "melancholy. Arnold emphasizes the pessimistic mood in the third stanza when he writes that the dead woman's life "was turning, turning, in mazes. These pessimistic words overshadow the word "so," giving the reader a final impression how harsh life really is. Apparently, the narrator is looking out at his surroundings and admiring nature. Arnold writes the majority of the first stanza using the literary element of imagery. The repetition of the words "so" (appearing three times) and "nor" (appearing five times) gives the poem a contrasting effect. The fifth stanza describes Luna as a "chaste queen," yet she does not know how painful love can be when he says she "never proved how vain a thing is mortal love. " The use of the word "so" referring to the optimistic point of view on life is used three times which helps emphasize the "land of dreams. " From these images, one can conclude the final mood of the poem is bleak and lonesome. " These words are different variations of one another, giving the sentence a repetitive effect. " By saying that the "roar" is "retreating" to other beaches of the world, the narrator is implying that his sadness is not exclusively limited to Dover Beach.
Common topics in this essay:
Dover Beach,
Marguerite Arnold,
Dover Towards,
Farewell Farewell,
Marguerite Luna,
Luna Moon,
Furthermore Arnold,
Beach Whereas,
Analyzing Arnold's,
Matthew Arnold,
dover beach,
third stanza,
narrator describes,
love marguerite,
bitter mood,
stanza describes,
fifth stanza,
stanza narrator,
mood third stanza,
emphasized word,
glimmering words,
fifth stanza describes,
evokes bitter mood,
furthermore arnold alliteration,
bitter mood arnold,
|
Acceptance Essays
