Dover Beach Summary BBS 2nd year
Dover Beach
Matthew Arnold
Main Idea of the poem Dover Beach
This poem shows a serious disapproval to the loss of
faith, morality and spirituality in the modern world which is changing rapidly
with the growth of science and technology. It presents a grim picture of the
world where people are guided by the naked evidence of the science which does
not believe in faith of spirituality. He says that once the world was full of
religious faith, but now we see that there is war, sadness and misery
everywhere because of the lack of faith. He compares people with ignorant
armies who clash at night; who do not know anything but fight each other.
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Summary of the poem Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold
The poem begins with a description of the serene sea and the beach. The poet looks at the Dover Beach and says the sea is calm tonight and the tide is full. The moon lies fair upon the straits, which looks very beautiful. It is one of his favorite places at the coast of England and France. He says that the French coast gleams very bright but now, it is gone and the English coast is glimmering vast in the tranquil bay. The poet seems to be with his beloved and he calls her to come to the window and look out in the sweet night air. He requests her to listen to the grating roar of the pebbles which the waves draw back and forth. The waves bring the harsh sound of the pebbles and leave the eternal note of sadness. Here, the poet has compared the waves with the wave of modernity, science and technology which brings harsh sound, naked reality and eternal sadness.
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In the second stanza, he takes the reference of an ancient Greek philosopher, Sophocles who had realized the decreasing degree of human faith upon god and religion coming from Aegean or Mediterranean Sea at the East of Greece who had said in his dramas that the ebb of human faith has left only sadness and misery in the world. In the third stanza, he clearly says that the sea of faith was full around the world long ago which had covered around the earth. But now he only hears its melancholy/gloomy sound going back and disappearing at night leaving the naked pebbles of the world. Here, the poet seems to be worried by the loss of faith in his time.
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In the last stanza, he
again calls his beloved and he says that there is nothing soothing in this
faithless world except love. He pleads her to be true and faithful to each
other because loss of faith is not good even in love. The world seems to be
like a land of dreams from outside which looks so beautiful and new. But
inside, there is neither joy and love, nor certitude, peace and help for the
pain. In fact, we are living on a land which is getting darker and darker every
day struggling and fighting like the ignorant armies clashed at night. Here, he
compares the people with the ignorant armies who are fighting for money and
materialism.
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