Dover Beach Analysis

When writing poetry, writers often time use different techniques, styles, and devices to make their specific works flare. There are many of these things that lots of poets do similarly but also many that they do differently. Throughout the poem, it can be observed that there is an extremely odd rhyme scheme present. All of the rhyming words at the end of each line aren’t really in a pattern. The rhyme scheme is very spread out and unique, but is still prominent enough to notice when reading “Dover Beach”. This adds some personality and creativity to Arnold’s work. Along with the different rhyme scheme, “Dover Beach” is written oddly as a whole. The entirety of the poem consists of multiple different sized stanza. Arnold’s work in this

The critic Derek Furr believes that this particular poem has a melancholy tone to it. The critic believes there are multiple reasons as to why Arnold wrote the poem in this tone and provides wonderful explanations of each reasoning. One specific example given is the lost love Arnold had with Fanny Lucy Whitman also known as “FLU”. Arnold was not FLU’s father’s first choice in a husband for his daughter. Her father did not like the idea of Arnold not having a set in stone and successful job already. This put a lot of stress and strain on Arnold to fight for his relationship with his wife, but also respect her father. The couple spent their honeymoon on Dover Beach, so that is why it is assumed the poem has something to do with her and their love story. The couple later broke up due to disagreements with the father-in-law. Another reason Furr gives for the melancholy tone is the noiseless lines. The argument states that the poem was written with more imagery than sound words. Arnold wanted to put a vision in the reader’s mind and did not worry too much about the sounds his words were making. The sense of sight is able to project more emotion on a reader than the sense of sound. Since Arnold used the sense of sight in “Dover Beach”, the melancholy tone was projected quite well

This wish can be argued to be a wish for love. In the first stanza, Arnold asks someone to come to the window to experience the view he is experiencing (Arnold 6). Love is all about having someone to talk to about anything and sharing life’s experiences with. Arnold could be subtly crying out for someone to experience not only the spectacular view he describes, but his life. This idea becomes more rational when reading the last stanza. In the last stanza of “Dover Beach”, Arnold says “Ah, love, let us be true to one another!” (Arnold 29, 30). This verifies the cry for love and Arnold’s wish for a significant other buried into this poem. Others might be able to argue that the wish in this poem is for a better world not love. Considering the poem started with a beautiful description of a beach, that can be argued to be how the Earth used to be. Once again in the end of the poem, Arnold discussess love and the world. Arnold is discussing the community of the world in which he lived in at this time. He is begging people to love one another in the world’s name. Arnold just wants this world to be a better place and is pushing that in the underlying tone of “Dover Beach”.

Throughout the poem “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold, there are very many different aspects of literature to be noticed. Arnold does exceptionally well at writing and portraying