Dover Beach and Dover Bitch, Research Paper Example

Analysis of ‘Dover Beach’ by Matthew Arnold and ‘Dover Bitch’ by Anthony Hecht

The Dover Beach

The whole poem can be regarded (the way it is presented) as a symbolization of the persona’s unenthusiastic feelings about his present condition and the situation of his surroundings. The harsh conditions make him to lose faith and optimism. He is presently in a suffering situation. The persona is lamenting the change that occurred from assurance to corrosion of former conditions. He reflects and compares the former and the later and sees the later as a condition accompanied by sadness and misery.

Persona is making appeals to humanity for sincerity. He speaks to his soul mate, (lines six, nine and twenty nine). On the other hand, as a universal message is expressed by poem, we can conclude that the person addressed can also be any woman paying attention to comments of persona. The poet fully participates in the actions and situations. He is responsible for most of the actions.

Connection amid the beaches and sea are used to display conflict. The images persona uses are effective. At the start, sea is calm, and persona illustrates a wonderful view of ‘cliffs of England,’ and the nighttime breeze moving through the window and moon is high. But soon after in stanza one he alters the atmosphere as he inserts the words… “Grating roar of peddles which the waves draws back, and fling.”  Life can easily change regardless of the past. After that the persona gives more attention to ‘Sophocles’ (Greek poet), who reflects the opinions that the mind is sea like, and brings it out as …’with turbulent ebbing and flowing, filled with disorderly and unsystematic thoughts.

The idea of the persona is to illustrate current chaotic state, and immediate action needs to be taken to create hope and optimism. The person must be addressing a very close relation seemingly a wife. They are probably on a visit to England. The persona in the poem (man is this case), uses first, second and third persons. \

The persona brings out his observation that he make around the current venue they are in, but immediately shifts to the third when he addresses his lover. In the sixth line, he says, ‘Come to the window”, the ninth, ‘Listen! You hear…..” and 29^th  and 31^st  the persona applies ‘us’.

The other is evident in the thirty fifth line, when he employs uses ‘we’. The personal is flexible in that at other instances, when he wants to emphasis that the statements are from his own observations (line 24 for example) he says ‘But now I only hear….”. All the observations he made alone. The poem is characterized with sorrowful and sympathetic tone of speech and the-speaking-voice’s strength of dramatic monologue. In the poem are the meters and rhyme that create rhyme and give it musical sound.

The persona uses numerous language forms in the poem. The language form create rhyme and musicality. Assonance is brought tout in the sentence… tide is ….. Lies….(2^nd line). Hyperbole: ‘you … grating roar of pebbles which ….’ Metaphor in the line saying….’ Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling, (he compares the waves with smart entity that discards those which it has detained).  Another is seen in 2^nd stanza, 3^rd line…. ’ Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow’ (here he compares misery to the ebb and flow of the sea).  The others are ‘The Sea of Faith…’, ‘breath of the night-wind’…,
Simile (uses comparisons using words ‘like’ ‘as’: stanza 3, lines 2 and 3. …To ……the world, which seems to lie before us like a land of dreams, (links the land of dreams to the world).
Anaphora;  3rd stanza, 4^th line…”So various, so beautiful, so new.” The other is……’Hath …joy, nor love, nor light,’ 5^th line….’Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain.’

Alliteration; 1st stanza 2nd line, ‘the ….full…. lies fair’…. ‘Gleams and is gone’ (1^st stanza 3^rd line), line 7, stanza one…‘Only, from the long line…..’To …the world, which seems (stanza 3 line 2) History does not seem be very important in this poem. It more to the current and very little comparisons are made.

The Dover Bitch                             

It starts at the point where the persona is standing by shore found at the England southern border.  He then spins to face the female near him. This is at night and the two are at a close distance from each other. After wards, the persona decrees that the lone comfort and surety left in a fierce desolate world is their affection. This poem like ‘Dover Beach’ also uses images to portray its intended meaning.

The poet uses images that brings the past into comparison with the present, in stanza one line two he says….’.With the cliffs of England crumbling away behind…’. He illustrates the past in this sentence. The images used are effective as they provide means of comparisons between the past and the present conditions of the concerned.

The poem is characterized by romantic tone. It demonstrates aspects of affection and closeness between the persona and the addressed (the woman). It is ironic that though the woman is have very close relations with the persona (indicated by the time and venue) but she is not truthful to him! The persona says….’Try to be true to me, and …….you and I’ll do the same for you.’ the personal uses persuasive and sympathetic words.

He persuades the woman to be faithful and truthful to him. It becomes surprising that the woman is solely concerned with the beers but do not concentrate on the persona. She is very busy thinking of the fat past ignoring the present worsening situation. And this makes the reader to sympathize with the persona. (2^nd last) sentence…” Before…, but there she is, Running to fat…” This is irony and lack of concern. The words ‘running fat can also be used to mean wanting to become satisfied or rich.

The woman was using her to enrich and satisfy herself instead of assisting the persona. She seems to participate only when the conditions are well, like in the presence of beers but shrinks in the other. Very few images are used in this poem and it is straight forward and easy to understand. Wine can be symbolic of the good conditions.

The other uses many sound forms in the poem like hyperbole, Assonance, Metaphor, and Anaphora just like the first poem. Alliteration, “seem to sweat” (22md sentence). …Try to be true to me” (3^rd line). The person uses anaphora, “All over, etc., etc.’” (repletion to indicate a long chain of uncertainties that had befell them. It is also ironic that the persona knew the girl but could not comprehend her needs. He says (6th line).” Well now, I knew this girl” but this does is not the case in the proceeding lines. The important aspect of the poem is history, it helps to predict and depict the character trait of the woman and persona in the two conditions. History assists in viewing of the former and later conditions.

Reaction  

The two poems ‘Dover Bitch’ by Anthony Hecht and ‘Dover Beach,’ by Matthew Arnold have common bond. The same woman is addressed in both poems and this is the similarity amid the two poems. However, the woman does not portray similar character in both poems. This creates another scenery or character change in the two poems.

The two poems are well presented and all the feeling that the poet might have intended that the readers to have can be felt. The readers easily follow the poems having its moods. This is an achievement for the two poets.

Though the authors of the poems have used numerous languages styles and forms of portraying the information but the first poem fails to relay the actual situation. The second is stronger and has powerful influence as compared to the first. The two poems (more so the first) will become very difficult for a normal man to interpret and comprehend. It uses lot imageries. The phrase like ‘waves draws back, and fling, into his mind the turbid ebb and flow’ has some hidden meaning. The language forms are also used in a way that they fail to create a rhythm.

References

Otoe, P. (2001). Poems and poets. ‘Dover Beach’. Retrieved on 11^th may 2010 From http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-dover-bitch/

Polo, H. (2006). Collection of Poems. ‘Dover Bitch’. Retrieved on 11^th may 2010 from http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/arnold/writings/doverbeach.html