Blog #3

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

This melancholy poem reflects upon the speakers negative attitude toward the world. The speak can look at the world and recognize all the beauty it holds, but regardless, he feels misery and sadness. The speaker compares himself to Sophocles, who also felt the eternal note of sadness. The author mentions three bodies of water: The English Channel, The Aegean Sea, and the Sea of Faith. Both the English Channel and the Aegean Sea are actual bodies of water, but The Sea of Faith is symbolic. The author states, "The Sea of Faith was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore,"(Arnold, 892). This shows that even The Sea of Faith has run dry for the speaker. The speaker now only hears the melancholy roar of the draining sea. The only form of reassurance the speaker gives is love. Only through relying on his significant other does the speak find consolation is unhappy and sad place he finds the world to be.