Dover Beach

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This poem is a classic example of Romanticism. It has a very detailed description of nature, in this case Dover Beach. The author seems to feel a sad longing toward the ocean. It personifies the waves and the waves saying that the "waves draw back, and fling" as if they are playing throwing and catching game and pebbles were just toys to throw around. The second stanza changes tone from that of peace and tranquility to quick activity. There are some very active images filled with drama, the "grating roar", "tremulous cadence", "turbid ebb and flow". From the end of the second stanza to the third there is another tonal change from exciting activity to melancholy thoughts. Arnold also references Sophocles description of the Aegean. This allusion contributes to the tone because Sophocles' stories of Oedipus and Antigone are characterized by their depressing tragedy. The Sea of Faith references the Mediterranean sea. Throughout the poem there is some rhyme: "tonight/ light", "fair/air", "land/strand". However there is no clear pattern.In the end there is a lesson learned from the sea: nothing is certain, therefore let us be loyal to each other. Armies are ignorant and just like the waves they crass against each other in the night.