In Matthew Arnold’s poem “Dover Beach”, a wide variety of interpretations to the poems meaning, inspiration, and purpose are made possible by the different aspects to which it can be viewed. The aspects to which I am referring to are metaphor, imagery, and structure. Critics have made many hypotheses on Arnold’s purpose with this poem, but each is made unique by the aspect through which the critic looks at the poem. Such critics as Derek Furr, Linda Ray Pratt, C. B. Tinkler, H. E. Lowry, and J. D. Jump have all investigated possible meanings in the poem based on the different literary elements the poem possesses.
Before the poem itself can be addressed, a brief
Background of Matthew Arnold’s life is necessary to
understand the poem and the mood it conveys. Matthew Arnold lived from 1822 through 1888. He was an English poet, whose work is representative of Victorian intellectual concerns and who was the foremost literary critic of his age. Arnold was born in Laleham, Middlesex, the son of Thomas Arnold, famous headmaster of Rugby School. Matthew Arnold was educated at Rugby and at Balliol College, University of Oxford, where, in 1843, his poem “Cromwell” won the Newdigate prize. After a period teaching the classics at
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The spirited night that seemed like a place of earthly dreams is only a mere metaphoric deception. In these lines there are no references to the sea or the tides. The condition of the poem suggested that someone had attempted to erase it, but through careful viewing most of it can be made out. It acts as a touch of Arnold’s creative powers, adding poetic and philosophical suggestions. The logic of the metaphor shapes two different kinds of knowledge and experiences of reality through the epistemological and stylistic modes of expression. The speaker uses images that appeal to the senses as a means to invoke sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch perceptions into the poem. Despite his religious doubts, Arnold wrote several pieces seeking to establish the essential truth of Christianity against conventional dogmatism. This is used as a reminder of the misery that surrounds Arnold and his fiance that her father brought to them. Even the smell of the atmosphere around them presents a pleasant image, as each line is overflowing with deep and private thoughts. Arnold believed that literature shaped culture, and he argued for England to become sensitized to art and to accept high standards of literary judgment. (Culler 562-564)
The speaker in Arnold’s poem uses images that alter the tone to present his own hardships that he faced in his quest for love. The “naked shingles” of the world show that there is no protection from the elements around them. In the opening lines of the poem, the speaker sets up the possibility of the image of Arnold, and his future bride peering from a window in a room overlooking Dover Beach.
Approximate Word count =
1835
Approximate Pages =
7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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