Poetry Outline: Chapter 10

Thesis: Through the nostalgic and longing tone of Dover Beach, Matthew Arnold conveys the speaker’s grief over the decline of religious faith in his country.

            The speaker in Dover Beach reflects on the religious faith in France during his time. The sea off the French coast represents the “Sea of Faith” (21). The speaker describes the sea off the French coast as “glimmering,” “vast,” and “tranquil ” (5). The sea is beautiful and sweet, until one pays more attention to the tide. The coming and going of the tide “bring[s]/ The eternal note of sadness in” (13-14). Although so beautiful and attractive, the sea transports the imminent decline of faith of the French people. The speaker reflects on the fact that there once was an abundance of faith in God, but that faith somehow has washed away, just as the tide rolls back into the sea. The speaker longs to see the faith renewed, as he now only hears the sea’s “melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” (25). The last stanza of the poem digs deep into the speaker’s longing with, “Ah, love, let us be true/ To one another! for the world, which seems/ To lie before us like a land of dreams” (29-31). The nostalgic tone of Dover Beach complies with the speaker’s yearning for restored faith that is met with his pessimistic and confused view of the future.