Dover Beach Theme Imagery and Sound - 1431 Words

In Dover Beach, Matthew Arnold creates a monologue that shows how perceptions can be misleading. The theme of illusion versus reality in Dover Beach reflects the speakers awareness of the incompatibility between what is perceived and what truly is real. Arnold conveys the theme of Dover Beach through three essential developments. First, he uses visual imagery. Second, he uses sound (aural) imagery. Third, he uses rhythm and metric. These mechanics alone do not explain why illusion and reality differ, but they do help to explain how Arnold sets up the poem to support the theme. The strongest support of the theme comes from its intense imagery which is scattered throughout Dover Beach. The most affecting image is the sea. The sea†¦show more content†¦The first and third lines rhyme, to-night and light, but no other lines rhyme in the first stanza. The same instance occurs in the second stanzas rhyme scheme of BDCEFCGHG. Multiple lines do rhyme, but in no set pattern. This opposes the pattern of the iambic rhyme of the first stanza. A vivid description of the calm sea in the first eight lines allows a picture of the sea to unfold. The next six lines really stand out, especially the words Listen, grating roar, and eternal note of sadness. The distinction between the sight and sound imagery continues into the third stanza. Sophocles can hear the Aegean Sea, but cannot see it. He hears the purposelessness of human misery, but cannot see it because of the turbid ebb and flow of the sea. The allusion of Sophocles and the past is replaced by the auditory i mage, 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 (Lines 24-28). There is a sense of sympathy. The words tremulous cadence slow and eternal note of sadness evokes a sense pity for the speaker whose struggle with illusion and reality seems to end in darkness and sadness. Not only will the speaker have to confront reality, but beyond the naked shingles the darkness continues, interrupted only by the confused alarms and fights and ringing conflicts of battle by night-the sounds of supreme futility ArnoldShow MoreRelatedEssay on Perceptions in Matthew Arnolds Dover Beach1176 Words   |  5 PagesPerceptions in Matthew Arnolds Dover Beach Matthew Arnold’s â€Å"Dover beach† describe the way in which perceptions are mislead society. The use of metaphors, symbolisms, allusiveness, technical quantities, and imagery assist the speaker’s thought regards between what is seen and what is real. Dover beach was written during Victorian era. Which brought civilization based on industry, value and money. This is the time which people start questioning the existence of God. 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