“Dover Beach” by Matthew
Arnold
Gillian Wagner
Corwin Edwards
Period 6
Brief Paraphrase
The lyrical poem “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold
begins by highlighting the bright, beautiful aspects that
life can bring when he has a couple together looking
out at the ocean (extended metaphor) . The speaker
begins to realize that life is full of sadness, when he
reflects upon the world that came before him and how
that led to the hopelessness and misery that surrounds
them in the present day. He concludes by saying that
they need to try to remain faithful to one another, even
though they exist in a world that is like a battlefield, a
place where hopelessness exists with only the slightest
bit of happiness.
Literary Time
Style of Poetry
Period
This poem was written
during the Victorian time
period.
Arnold wrote “Dover
Beach” in the lyric style of
poetry.
Arnold wrote this around
the time that England was
colonizing all over the
world, leaving him on the
brink between the old
world and the new.
The way that this poem
was written demonstrates
the struggles and the
changes that Arnold was
experiencing in his own
life.
Stanza 1 Annotated
The tone of this stanza is tranquil.
Stanza 2 Annotated
The tone of this stanza is melancholy.
Stanza 3 Annotated
The tone of this stanza is hopeless.
Stanza 4 Annotated
The tone of this stanza is grim.
Theme of
“Dover Beach”
Life is grim and hopeless,
despite moments of light
and happiness.
Essay Prompt
How does the author
reinforce meaning
through his use of
figurative language, tone,
structure, and other
literary features?
Possible AP Essay
Organization
Thesis: Matthew Arnold uses a variety of literary devices to
show how life is grim and hopeless, despite moments of
light and happiness.
Topic Sentence 1: The poem begins with a happy couple on a
beach who start to realize that life is made up of brief
moments of joy but prolonged periods of sadness.
Topic Sentence 2: The tone shifts from one of tranquility to
one of melancholy when the speaker begins to reflect on life
and the misery of past generations.
Topic Sentence 3: The poem returns to the present as the
speaker realizes that life’s miseries will be around eternally
making him want to treasure the precious time he has with
his love.
Works Cited
Cummings, Michael J. "Dover Beach : Analysis." Dover
Beach : Analysis. 1 Jan. 2005. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.
<http://cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides2/Dover.ht
ml>.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Dover Beach Analysis."
Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008.
Web. 20 Jan. 2015.
Annotated Poems