Name _________________________________________
Date _________________
Period ______
Three Column Poetry Analysis
What the Poet Says
What the Poet Does
First Reading: Paraphrase what Second Reading: Annotate the poem for the tools
the poet says on a literal level,
the poet uses and other interesting things.
even if the language is not
literal.
What the Poet Implies
Third Reading: Draw conclusions
about the effect of the tools used.
You will write text evidence from the poem in this
column.
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
Focus Statement
Write an essay in which you explain the connection between the speaker of the poem and Montag.
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Name _________________________________________
Date _________________
Period ______
Example Response:
Fun Facts…
"Dover Beach" is about the beach in Dover, Kent, Britain, where the poet, Arnold, and his wife spent their honeymoon. Arnold
contrasts the beauty of the moonlit ocean, the pebbly beach and the ebb and flow of the tide with his internal despair over the
world's loss of faith. He thinks the beauty of the scenery is merely a fantasy or an illusion, and human existence is much more bleak.
Arnold's poem reflects his frustration with modernization as Britain experiences rapid industrialization.
Sample Analysis:
#1
"Dover Beach" and "Fahrenheit 451" both deal with the gradual demise of society and the loss of humanity. Arnold and Montag both
see the darkness in society and long for freedom of expression, beauty, faith and happiness. However, they both feel alone and
burdened by their passions. He misses traditional values and doesn't think people appreciate the beauty in art and nature. Similarly,
Montag questions the current state of his world, void of beauty, literature and free expression. Even though the two literary pieces
were written nearly a century apart, both deal with the corruption of humanity as it pulls away from simple pleasures, such as
nature, art, faith and literature, and pursues shallow ideals, such as materialism and conformity.
#2 Sample Analysis
In the poem, Arnold talks about how the world used to be protected by faith and trust, and now there is nothing left but lies. This
relates directly to the world in Fahrenheit 451. They both refer to the same thing, dystopia, a world without truth.
The last stanza of Dover Beach, in my opinion, basically summarises the world in the book. This world seems perfect. No one is
unhappy. No one disagrees with each other. This world seems like a ‘land of dreams’. Everything appears good, but in truth people
are depressed inside. They suppress their own feeling unknowingly. We can see it when Mildred tries to commit suicide because of
her depression. This is also evident when Mildred’s friend Clara cries after Montag finished reciting the poem. It seems like this
poem triggers the feelings that she concealed, opening up the door causing all the feelings to pour out.
The first line of last stanza, ‘Ah, Love, let us be true to one another!’ reminds us about the relationship of Mildred and Montag. It
seems to refer to the time Montag exposes his confusion about burning books to Mildred trying to make her understand him. He is
asking for her to open up to him, to be true to herself. He is trying to find someone who understands him.
From Rudy: Sample Comparison Focus Statements (Compare/Contrast Using Literary Devices)
Ex:
Although Wilber’s “A Barred Owl” and Collins’s “The History Teacher” both deal with the softening of reality
when feeding information to children, the colors of the two poems are in stark contrast with each other; whereas
the former involves staving off nightmare and the thaw of innocence for a little girl, the latter views such gentle
coddling as blatant untruth, and ultimately deleterious to the development of the student’s characters.
Although Wilber’s “A Barred Owl” and Collins’s “The History Teacher” both deal with the softening of reality
when feeding information to children (poets and titles with the literal), the colors of the two poems are in stark
contrast with each other (tone); whereas the former involves staving off nightmare and the thaw of innocence for a
little girl, the latter views such gentle coddling as blatant untruth, and ultimately deleterious to the development of
the student’s characters (theme).